Make Potential Employees Feel Welcome

by Richard Rutigliano, PriMedia, Inc.

When you make it easier for applicants, more will apply

If you are like most of this publication’s readers, your company is currently looking to hire one or more service technicians, installers, drivers, or office staff. Whatever outreach you use to find appropriate job seekers, they will go to your website. First, to check on your company. Then, to apply online.

Are you putting the welcome mat out for these potential employees, or are you putting up obstacles to make it more difficult for them to apply?

The staffing issues for liquid fuel retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, and affiliated businesses are not new. Just one year ago, we discussed the need to use targeted digital ad campaigns to find the unintentional or passive job seeker. These are individuals who are relatively happy in their position and not actively looking for a new job. However, if an interesting job offer were to pop up while they were playing a video game or scrolling a social media site, they could well click through to take a look. (See “Energizing Technicians and Steering Drivers to Your Doorstep,” May 2024.)

We know that targeted digital campaigns work, because we have implemented many very successful campaigns with these tactics. However, they require more than an engaging ad. The website and online process needs to be easy to navigate and quick to complete.

Put Out the Welcome Mat

Let us assume that your ideal employee was served one of your targeted recruitment ads while playing a game. There is a good chance they did not click through immediately, but took note of your company name and then searched for your company when it was convenient.

If your campaign was set up properly, then your Google Search ad should appear alongside your company organic results. Your potential new employee can choose to click on the ad and go directly to your landing page, or click on the organic results and end up on your home page.

Does your website say “c’mon in!” or “stay back”?

Look at your website. What first impressions will an applicant take from your home page?

• How up-to-date does your site look?
• Does it display well on a smartphone?
• Does your site take a long time to load?
• Do you offer online services like pay online or an account portal?

If there is no upkeep on your website, potential employees may assume that you neglect your trucks and equipment as well. Worse, they may assume your company cannot afford to update the site!

Once you have gotten past the first impressions, and the applicants have not bounced back to their video games, how easy is it for them to find the job listing and apply?

• Is your employment page a featured button or navigation link from your main menu?
• If not, is it easily found from a dropdown menu from the main navigation points, or does the visitor need to hunt it down?
• How many clicks are needed to get to a job description?
• Does the job description include an online application form, or is that another link?
• How involved is the application form?

There are companies that do not have any employment information on their site at all.

Other companies include a “Careers” button front and center on their home page, which opens directly to a page with job descriptions and a brief online application form.

We have also seen company websites where it takes three or more clicks to get to a job description and then to a full online application, complete with requests for previous employers, referrals, and education information. This is important information, to be sure, when considering a new hire, but it may not be necessary for the initial contact.

To be most welcoming to new employees, the process to review the position, including salary ranges and required experience, should be as easy as possible. We recommend limiting the online form to the most vital information: the person’s name, address, phone, and email; position wanted, if there are multiple openings; and experience level. Some companies provide additional space for the applicant to provide more information if they choose, and give the option to upload a resume or other document. We do not suggest that the online application go any further. The full application can be emailed to potential applicants after they have been vetted by a phone call, which saves both the applicant and the company time!

Offer Something Tasty

Your applicants are seeing job offers from other companies. As with any marketing campaign, your company needs attractive points of differentiation to close the deal.

Randall Reilly, a talent acquisition company, recently released a white paper on “How to Recruit Drivers in the Toughest Markets.” While the report focused on long-haul drivers, there were still many salient points.

“Tough” markets had high lead costs, lower driver interest levels, and a high level of competition for hires. Further, experience and licensing requirements were considered “candidate limiters.” While there are some positions in the home fuels industry where both minimum experience and advanced licensing are non-negotiable, your company may have some flexibility for others, such as taking on less experienced technicians and providing appropriate training.

Another strong recommendation was to differentiate your company through strong branding and reputation management. Is your company known as one that takes care of its employees? Do your people stay for years or leave after a season or two? Do you offer benefits, time off, and safety bonuses? On-the job training and/or financial assistance or incentives for continuing education? Are your trucks and service vans well maintained? What do customer reviews on Google or Facebook say about your management style?

Make Them Comfortable Enough to Stay

The best proof that a company’s recruitment and retention programs are working is when they do not have to be repeated year after year. Let’s look at a company that has done it right.

Our client in the transport industry offers good salaries to both union and non-union employees, training and growth opportunities, and a full range of benefits and bonuses. Beyond that, their fuel drivers are home most nights, which is a selling point for the OTR drivers who have been targeted in programmatic ad campaigns geofenced to truck stop overnight parking lots. The company also has a good reputation in the community and industry.

Individual ad campaigns are developed for each position, and each campaign has a unique landing page. Anyone clicking through immediately sees the information for their preferred position, which includes a very brief contact form and a tracking phone number.

Over three-and-a-half years, this campaign has generated more than 20 million impressions and 137,235 clicks to their landing pages, resulting in more than 4,640 online contact form submissions and 767 phone calls.

Between 2022 and 2023, the company advertised for eleven different positions, ranging from drivers to office staff. In 2024 and 2025, they have only needed to fill a few openings in one category. There is no better proof that their marketing campaigns invited potential employees in, and the company succeeded in turning those visitors into family.

Richard Rutigliano is President of PriMedia, Inc., an integrated marketing and communications firm specializing in the home energy sector. He can be reached at 516-222-2041 or rrutigliano@primediany.com.

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