In a candidate shortage market, how do you fill a complex permanent role with rotating shifts for a company where finding the right cultural fit is essential?

THE CHALLENGE:

Over the course of almost 2 months, the company had been unsuccessfully trying to fill a permanent commercial and administrative role for a Production Manager at one of their Melbourne locations. It’s no secret that there’s been a shortage of skilled candidates in the labour market. They’d been advertising internally and externally but eventually became time poor. It was at this point that they approached Zoom Recruitment to work with them to fill the role.

A COMPLEX ROLE TO FILL:

The person in the role of Production Manager makes sure that all the machinery and equipment in the plant is run efficiently while ensuring the quality of the equipment is up to standard. They’re also responsible for meeting staffing requirements within the budget during their shift. This commercial and administrative position required someone with a mechanical aptitude to understand the plant, while also possessing strong leadership skills. Another key attribute required for the role was being an effective communicator and having the ability to identify talent and mentor people. It was important to find someone who could be respected through general industry knowledge and build trust and rapport in the manufacturing environment. To make things even more challenging, this role was also rotating shift-based, meaning that the successful candidate would need to work 12-hour shifts at different times each day.

CONSULTING – NOT JUST CLIENT SERVICE:

Using our consultative approach, we assessed the challenges surrounding the role and asked questions about suitability and the reasons why our client couldn’t fill the position. We identified that it was because they were looking for the right cultural fit.

We know that it’s fundamental to see the workplace environment, to observe the way people work together and to understand the leadership style in order to have a better idea of who would fit the workplace culturally.

So, we spent some time at the site where the Production Manager would be working. It was only by asking in depth questions and learning the history of past recruitment drives that we were able to identify where to direct our energy into the recruitment process. Once we understood the client’s unique needs, we started to source candidates who would fit their unique company culture and environmental challenges.

Zoom Recruitment used weighted score grids to measure candidates against the strict criteria set out by the client. Along with this, we consulted closely with the HR Manager and Line Managers to identify and source a suitable candidate. This candidate had similar product knowledge because they came from an industry where they were using a similar process and products. They had the right skill level and leadership capabilities, as well as the right demeanour and communication skills to execute the role.

By filling this role, we built trust and gave our client confidence that Zoom Recruitment could fill future roles. Since then, we’ve worked with this client on an on-going basis.

Our client is a major international manufacturer and distributor of building products in Asia, Australia and the Middle East. They service a wide range of customers including homeowners, builders, installers, architects and designers.

Let Zoom Recruitment find the perfect permanent or long-term temporary candidate for your commercial and administrative roles.