Sowing the seeds of growth

Things seem to speed up this time of year. Longer daylight hours lead to anticipation and planning for warmer weather soon to come. This time of year also means the beginning of the spring hiring season, as students ranging from CDL training institution graduates to those hailing from technical schools and universities fill the pool of applicants looking for their first jobs.

While the first quarter sees many new hires due to fresh budgets, spring is often a time for major career moves, too. With winter’s cold fading, many people begin looking for opportunities to make wholesale career changes. The solid waste industry is a large one with a multitude of career tracks; however, it is not immune to some of the same recruiting challenges that other industries face.

Over the last couple of years, the “recruiting season” has expanded in an effort to fill openings left by record low unemployment numbers that have hovered around 4 percent. There is keen competition to recruit and retain top talent. That’s why those looking to hire often look to those who are already employed. Beyond the standard hiring platforms, national and local industry conferences are becoming big recruitment opportunities.

While it could not be a better time to be looking for a job—it’s a job seeker’s market—it is a constant challenge for employers to hire new staff and retain the staff they already have. As of the end of 2018, economies throughout the U.S. seem to be expanding. That’s why, with internships and consultant job openings to fill at GBB, we’re leaving no stone unturned. Along with posting to our website, we also post job announcements in all possible venues within the solid waste industry and expand our reach to similar fields of business.

We know that from past experience, success on the job front comes from placing job announcements in multiple places. Beyond the multimarket job announcement sites like Indeed, LinkedIn and Glassdoor, we often turn our attention to recruit from training academies and universities that produce the skilled labor we need. Institutions of higher learning worth their salt will have an active job announcements program. There are also tried-and-true solid waste industry organizations to utilize, such as the Career Center on the Solid Waste Association of North America website or the Job Center on the National Waste and Recycling Association website. Lastly, don’t forget to consider those transitioning from the armed services—military bases tend to have a career transition office that specializes in helping servicemembers translate specialized military training to civilian jobs.

At GBB, we’ve found success by bringing in staff through our internship program, and we encourage other companies to do the same. Paving the way for the next generation of solid waste professionals is an important responsibility for all established firms and organizations, especially with many in the baby boomer generation primed for retirement. Pairing incoming interns with those in the latter stages of their career helps transfer knowledge and makes for an easier transition when onboarding staff.

It’s a guess where the business market goes from here, but with this year’s spring hiring season upon us, now is the time to plant seeds for future growth.