A large industrial manufacturing company overcomes challenges of recruiting in regional Australia to successfully implement a significant expansion of their workforce.

BACKGROUND

Austrak, a large industrial manufacturing company located in Wagga Wagga, a regional town of NSW, was in the process of implementing a split shift arrangement. This change required a significant increase in their workforce, with an estimated 30-40% expansion.

THE CHALLENGES

The need for this substantial increase did see Austrak facing some difficulties in finding suitable candidates. Being located in a somewhat remote location means that that there is a limited pool of local talent available. In addition to this, the roles needing to be filled by Austrak required various specific skillset’s that, again, were not readily available inthe area. Another significant challenge that many business face when managing their recruitment internally is time constraints. With a substantial amount of internal tasks to focus on it left limited time to properly focus on recruiting.

THE SOLUTIONS – Achieving success through regional candidate sourcing and building strong local networks

Austrak was able to successfully fill the various roles within the business after their staffing challenges were addressed with the assistance and regional expertise of our consultants. Lara Foster, Production Supervisor at Austrak notes that “one of the bigger challenges we faced before using JK’s services was the availability of potential candidates.” To combat this, we took a proactive approach through targeted advertising and establishing local networks to build a database of talent. Leaning on our expertise in regional candidate sourcing and filling roles within candidate-short
markets, our team unpacked each role and identified the key skills needed for each position. From here, we were able to match candidates with transferable skills. This meant that our consultant was able to proactively search outside of what would be Austraks traditional pool of talent, then match skills from candidates within other industries that could transfer in to the positions required by Austrak.

Recognising the importance of building solid relationships, our  consultants invested efforts in building connections with both Austrak and potential candidates. They ensured effective communication throughout the recruitment process, from initial contact to post-interview follow-ups. This dedication to maintaining ongoing communication helped foster trust, allowing Austrak to address any candidate concerns promptly, which has improved the overall retention of their workforce.

The collaboration between Austrak and JK Personnel yielded significant positive outcomes. Austrak was able to successfully onboard a full team to support their split shift arrangement by leveraging our regional candidate sourcing strategies and network building initiatives.

KEY FACTORS TO SUCCESS

Proactive Candidate Sourcing

Continuous efforts in building a database of potential candidates allowed for a steady influx of qualified applicants. As experts in regional recruitment, we are familiar with sourcing in candidate-short markets, so were able to leverage this expertise when sourcing for Austrak.

Matching Transferable Skills

By focusing on transferable skills and identifying candidates with relevant experience from other industries and outside of what would be their traditional pool of candidates, it allowed Austrak to fill all required roles and provide training to skilled candidates where needed.

Building Strong Local Networks

By establishing local networks and partnerships, including with employment service providers, allowed access to a broader talent pool and increased the chances of finding suitable candidates.

Referrals and Employee Engagement

Fostering relationships with Austrak’s permanent employees, allowed us to generate a significant number of candidate referrals, highlighting the value of employee engagement and word-of-mouth recommendations.