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The Recruiting Lifecycle in Action, Part 1

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What is the Recruiting Lifecycle

The Recruiting Lifecycle is a method for improving your driver recruiting. More specifically, it’s the different stages that drivers go through when making an application decision. It can help you more effectively recruit the drivers you need by addressing each stage of the journey.
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There are 4 stages to the driver’s journey:

  • Target –

    Finding your ideal driver.

  • Connect –

    Drivers become aware of who you are and that you’re hiring.

  • Engage –

    Drivers begin to click banner ads or make a phone call.

  • Convert –

    Drivers apply for a position.

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For the next few weeks we will be telling you a story about a recruiter’s unique struggles trying to get the drivers he needs for his expanding fleet. Each week we will focus on a different stage of the driver’s journey through the Recruiting Lifecycle.

Today, we’ll begin by meeting our recruiter and look at the first stage, targeting.

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Introduction

The subject of our story is Todd. He’s the director of recruiting for a small fleet based out of Spokane, Washington. Up to this point, he’s only had to rely on small scale recruiting efforts to get the drivers his fleet has needed.

Life has been good.

That is, until the CEO announced a huge expansion. That means new business partners. But it also means a big increase in the fleet’s capabilities. To meet new demand, the fleet is opening a new terminal along the west coast and an additional 100 drivers.
Now Todd’s manager, the vice president of operations, has come to him. The recruiting team has to hire enough drivers to meet the expansion needs of the fleet. They need them now, but they need them around where they are building the new terminals.

Todd has his work cut out for him.

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Targeting Prospective Drivers

Now that Todd knows he has to start hiring now, he hits panic mode. There is a lot he needs to get done, but he honestly doesn’t know where to start. All he’s ever had to do were put out a few classified ads and some radio ads in a small part of Washington state. How is he going to hire 100 new drivers in totally new locations?

First, he realizes that he has to figure out the ideal driver for his fleet.

After meeting with a number of executives, Todd knows that he needs company drivers with a Class A CDL, a clean record, no CSA violations, and one year of over-the-road experience. In the same meeting, they tell him about plans to build the new terminal in Bakersfield, CA. He also finds out that these new hires will often be running routes along the I-5, I-80, and the I-10.

What now?

Todd has a lot of great information. By doing a little research into the ideal driver for his fleet, his recruiting department is better informed. They are also now more capable of targeting the right audience for their recruiting advertising.
Over the next few weeks we are going to keep looking at Todd’s efforts to get his fleet the drivers they need. We’ll also see how each phase of the Recruiting Lifecycle works in conjunction with the previous and proceeding phases.