When most people think about marketing, they think about getting new clients. However, 50% of your marketing efforts should also be on getting the right people to work for your company. But finding the right dog walking or pet sitting candidate isn’t just looking for a needle in a haystack. It is the entire pet sitting and dog walking interview process that needs to be shaped to appear attractive to your prospective new employee.
It is all about courting them, attracting them, exciting them, and keeping them engaged.
When you can accomplish this, people will be banging down your door to work for you. They will be excited and eager and your ghosting at face to face interviews will go way down or be eliminated.
We talk a lot about what you should look for in a candidate and in the past we have already walked you through:
- Secrets to Success on JazzHr vs. Indeed for Pet Sitters and Dog Walkers
- How To Know If Your Hiring Ads Are Working
- How To Perfect Your Knockout Questions
So that should definitely get you started with the nitty-gritty. But now I actually want to break this down to show you what both sides can experience during the hiring process. It isn’t all about the business and what the business wants. You have to appear “sexy” to the applicant too. You have to make them want the job and the very first impression they have of you is the hiring process.
So let’s make this interesting…
In a volatile job market
it can be difficult and time consuming for businesses to have the perfect hiring process. BUT a standardized hiring system is crucial to fairly screen and interview candidates. Your hiring process says so much about your company before introductions are even thought of. Applicants are not just applying for your job but many others as well. They are getting responses from different companies and they are all making them feel a certain way.
Stand out in your business! Make them feel connected and excited about their application with you. I am going to break down a few ways you can accomplish this so hopefully, you can take your process from drab to exciting.
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Advertising & Creating Interest In Your Dog Walking Interview Process
Once you create an ad, you have all the ability to play with where it shows up and test the different titles and descriptions. How do you know which ad copy performs best if you don’t test it? How do you know if you post a link on Facebook, send it out in an email, or post it on a job board – which actually performs? With this data you can start honing in on what works and stop wasting your time on what doesn’t work.
I always suggest to play around with the tones of your ad. Create an ad like you are talking to your best friend, create a corporate one, and then create one with the fun pet lingo that you use in your daily adventures with your clients. Which will get the most interest? Which will draw out the best applicants?
See how many jobs you have “open” and how they are performing
The only way you can tell is if you test all of this and track the conversion rates. JazzHR lets you post as many hiring ads as you want
…and posts them on over 20 job boards
…it also tells you how many eyeballs see it
…finally how many actually apply.
This info alone is so super valuable, if used.
You can also import them easily to your website to see if that has any effect as well. How professional does it look when you have a formal job application on your website? The applicant is coming to your virtual house and knows exactly what kind of company you are.
The dashboard will show you all the important info you need in one place. Know what works to get the right people excited.
How Sexy Are Your Basic Information & Screening Questions?
The next most important thing when creating the best dog walking interview process is to not get bogged down with all the “unsexy” typical questions that everyone asks. Here, you actually have the ability to insert your company culture or witty nature through collecting their basic info and screening questions.
How about asking some exciting WHY questions to your applicant? Things that show that you actually care about their opinions and their desire to apply for the job. Tailoring these questions can attract or detract your applicant to the job so think hard and long about what the right questions can be. Don’t be afraid to make it about them. Like, “Describe your dream job?” or “Describe two things about this job that appeals to you” or “Tell me one thing that could be a downside to this job?”
Seeing how much thought they put into this can really save time in the hiring process to weed out applicants who aren’t meeting the basic job requirements or applying just to apply.
In this stage, you can hear their heart – and hopefully, if you word it properly, they can hear yours too.
Stop Looking At The Duds! You Are Wasting Your Time.
I have been in your sneakers… I know what you are looking for when you are setting up your pet sitting and dog walking interview process.
You want:
- someone in your service area
- a candidate available the hours you need
- an applicant who is physically able to complete the job
- someone who has a smartphone
- plus insurance
- and a car.
Am I right? (I got you boo!)
It is exactly why I included those questions and more on the knockout questions that you get, complimentary when you sign up with JazzHr.
But more so, these questions – are so important because why would you want to waste your time with someone who doesn’t even meet your basic criteria?
And one step further, what are your knockout questions saying to your applicant? How about going one step further and slip in something like, Do you mind ending your shift with slobber and dog/cat hair on your clothes? Give them a win when they are filling out this online application. Make them chuckle, smile, or get to know your brand through what you ask them.
They will see that you are looking for the necessities but also have enough of a personality that you just perked their interest to work for you!
Wowzas! Interested?!?!
and the best part?
You get to determine what is an acceptable or unacceptable answer and can set up this process so you don’t even see the unqualified applicants. Imagine that… less toads you have to kiss before you find the proverbial prince charming!
Knockout questions help to detect the red flags and absolute no-gos with no extra work! (Check out our previous episodes with Jen for more info on this.) You even get to control if you still want to view the flagged applications, or if you just want to eliminate them right off the bat. This becomes a next level screening process to find those hidden gems in the bunch with minimal work to you.
All this info is stored inside the applicant’s profile too so you don’t have to sift through email threads and try to piece together all the info. It is all in one place for you to reference. Especially when you are exchanging communication with the applicant.
This brings me to my next exciting perk in this journey to finding amazing staff…
Text Your Applicant!
If you are reading this, I am sure you have hired before and I am sure you have a story of one time when you were ghosted. While I can’t guarantee that won’t ever happen again, I can tell you that being able to chat with them real-time – through text messages can really help get that bond established and make them feel like they know you .
Oh, and you can systematize all of that too. Create your standard text messages that you send to people you are really interested in like:
“Hey (name)! I loved reading your application. I am out right now, but I wanted to let you know to watch your inbox because my tail is wagging fast to forward you onto the next phase of our hiring process! Bella, Bella’s House & Pet Sitting.
or maybe something like this:
Good morning (name)! Just wanted to let you know I am looking forward to finally meeting you face to face today! I feel like I already know you – and can’t wait to chat some more. By the sounds of it, you sound like you are on your way to be a great addition at our company! See you soon! – (Name)
I guarantee no other suitors (companies) are getting that excited or personal with applicants. You need to drop some bread crumbs to get them excited about this process. Remember, it isn’t just about you.
It can even be used to send updates during the interview process or a thank you text…. instead of an email.
But why not just do it from your company phone? That was my first thought.
With this method, the texts stay in the candidate’s profile, and anyone who is accessing your account can keep up with the convo! You can’t do that if you are doing it all on a physical phone. Not to mention you can systematize the heck out of it! #winning
Acknowledge Your Applicant Goes A Long Way In All Phases
One of the toughest things when applying for a job is wondering if they got your application, when (or if) they will reply, or going back and forth with scheduling. Not only is it nerve-wracking for all involved, but it typically produces a lot of untrusting emotions and stress.
Make the dog walking interview process nurturing. Let them know through auto-responses that you got their application and they can expect a reply in X hours/days. This is important because looking for a job is depressing and daunting. The applicant is not feeling the greatest, so it really doesn’t take much to stand out from everyone else and be human.
When you are trying to arrange a time to meet virtually or in person or on the phone, how about setting up a calendar where they can select a time that works for you? This will speed up the process, eliminating the back and forth, and leave your applicant feeling impressed that you have thought ahead and smoothed out the process.
How Do You Think That Makes Them Feel?
Imagine how they are now thinking it would be to train with you or learn their new job from you? You are building their confidence in your company making them want the job even more.
It is an opportunity to take these small nuances that often become a put off to applicants and it is where YOU can shine and excite the applicant.
Are You Breaking The Law With Resume Collection?
The last thing we need is another thing to keep track of during the dog walking interview process!
Did you know that the law requires you to keep all of the resumes you have received for 2 YEARS?
That’s a lot of responsibility for anyone to have, but even more so if the hiring process isn’t organized or even located in the same place. Again, this process allows you to electronically store all of this information, and to compound this feature, it will tell you if someone has applied to your job opening in the past and why you rejected them!
Customize your own workflow process in the dog walking interview process.
I know that your secret sauce isn’t the same as your competitor or even someone in another state. That is why I give you the suggested hiring and interview phases but I know that not everyone will be the same. Being able to create your own phases of the interview process, that you feel comfortable with is paramount.
What is even more important is being able to replicate it all with the click of a button. What kind of experience would that potential employee get if every single time you were having to think about it and recreate that moment? That email exchange, that request for a video, that response to the video, that request for an interview or zoom meeting? Not only will your delivery not be consistent, which could affect the love affair you are starting with a potential hire, but it is also emotionally draining.
Because I know you get your hopes up when you see a candidate that you like…
So let’s front load this sucker! Let’s take a moment to create some phrases that are comfortable for YOU and then make it all work with the click of a button.
Sound easy? It really is… so many in the Mastermind are crushing it with this method and able to hire on-demand because of it (If I sound like a proud Mama Bear.. it is because I am!)
And bonus thought – having this automated allows you to tweak the entire process if you see that people tend to drop out at one point or another.
Share Information With New Hires In The Same Place.
No one gets excited about getting a packet in their email that they need to print, fill out, and hand in. (Heck, even my printer is busted at the time I am writing this!) Let alone getting something in the old fashioned MAIL. The time is here – electronic is the way to go and what better experience for this person you are courting to hire onto your team than an easy onboarding process where they can do it all online and easily?
Not only that – but now you have it all in one place so no more file cabinets of folders stacked around your home office!
Think about how it feels from the applicants stand point.
Think about all the time you can save in your own business. If not your own time – the time you are paying others to do this all.
Want To Go All In With Me?
For over 2 years hundreds of businesses in the pet sitting and dog walking industry have partnered with JazzHR to help them do all this and more with their hiring process. The power of this software has helped them to attract the right applicant, hire confidently, and know that they don’t have to be a hostage in their business because their system to find people to hire – works! (and lets face it, they now have a pool to pick from)
I believe in this company and used them in my business and personal hires. When you sign up through me, you actually get 50% off the middle plan AND a job ad AND knockout questions.
It is time to flip the tables and instead of feeling like you need to convince people to work for you – have them begging to work for you!
Are You New Here?
Welcome, I am so glad you are here. If you are a dog walker, dog sitter, cat sitter, doggy daycare or kennel owner, then you found the right place. Jump Consulting is the one place on the internet to get all the resources you need for your pet care business. Can I give you some freebies to generate sales and increase revenues for your business? Grab your freebies below.
- Are you starting out? Been in business for less than two years? Get your startup resources here.
- Do you own an established pet care business and you want to take it to the next level.? Get Your builder resources here.
