Resources

Oxbow Bend, Snake River

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Challenges and Opportunities in a Competitive Recruiting Environment

Matt Moore

Here at CoolWorks we do our best to actively keep ourselves informed of current economic trends so that we can advise and inform our customers about issues we believe may affect them, steps we believe may help in your recruiting strategies, and what we’re doing at CoolWorks to optimize the traffic to our site to help keep the applications coming in. What follows are some insights we’ve gathered.

U.S. Economy near full employment / higher wage growth expected

As this Fortune magazine article outlines, there’s good news and bad news for businesses today. The good news: domestic businesses are preparing for a year of strong revenues as consumer discretionary spending and wage growth have been increasing. The bad news: the overall strength of the economy also means that the US is near what economists refer to as full-employment. Fewer people are looking for jobs, and competition over qualified talent is at its highest point in nearly a decade.

Culture and Compensation will win the day

With competition for candidates being so high, candidates have the freedom to be particularly discerning in choosing their next job. Offering competitive wages is going to be increasingly critical in the upcoming years, but every employer is going to be limited by their budgets in what they can afford to offer.

So how do you make your property stand out to attract quality applicants? In a hiring environment like this, your company culture can affect a huge difference when a candidate is deciding between you and several other opportunities. In this hiring environment, candidates won’t feel the urgency to pitch themselves to you. Applicants will be selectively choosing the employer that transparently states and lives out their culture and values, and offers them the best employee experience. Clearly define what you’re about as an organization, treat your employees like your Number 1 customers, stand by your values, and reflect all of these in your recruiting message.

For employers in Great Places in particular, a picture really does say a thousand words. Make sure your ads and profile have high-quality photos showcasing your property’s scenery and employee experience. Your photos are the hooks that catch the eyes of applicants and make an immediate first impression – so making sure they’re as engaging as they can possibly be is well worth the effort.

How CoolWorks is bringing applicants to your positions

To maintain a steady flow of qualified applicants, we have increased our own outreach efforts through targeted social media campaigns and grassroots efforts to directly contact job seekers who are actively seeking seasonal employment. Job seekers are increasingly discovering new opportunities via social media and using mobile devices. Our directed efforts are driving qualified traffic to the site by being tailored for and delivered to individuals with the skill sets, experience, and interests necessary to make them an ideal fit for your opportunities.

We also strive to spread awareness of the existence of seasonal employment to people and communities that might not know that the adventure of a lifetime can be so easily within their grasp. It’s incredible when you consider how many people out there would be all about it if they only knew. Each of us had that person that unveiled these opportunities to us, and so we are constantly researching and exploring markets and regions where we can spread the word about the exciting alternatives to the conventional.


We are committed to being your most valuable resource in reaching great candidates to help your property have a great season. Please let us know if there’s any additional information we can provide, or how we can help!