Seven Tips for Recruiting and Hiring Print Shop Employees
Finding and hiring qualified print shop employees can be difficult. A tight labor market is partly to blame, but other factors may be making the challenge even harder. For example, if you read through the ads for print-shop jobs on the Indeed website, you’ll see that some print shops are seeking employees who can lift heavy boxes of materials and perform a mix of computer, equipment operations, finishing, maintenance, quality control, customer service, and graphics installation tasks. A company that expects an employee to be able to do it all might scare off some potentially good candidates. Even worse, very few recruitment ads make it clear that today’s printing business is much different than it was five years ago. Many potential applicants might not know that print shops have been transformed by automation and technology, more visually creative projects, and entrepreneurial leadership. Consider these tips before advertising for your next employees. Look forward not backwards. Don’t hire employees simply to continue doing things the way you have always done them. Determine the specific skills your shop may need if you plan to expand into new markets or offer new types of services over the next two years. For example, if you will be offering packaging and displays, seek employees with backgrounds in packaging prepress or structural design. Brainstorm with your best employees. What do they like most about working at your print shop? What keeps them interested and motivated? What misconceptions do they think exist