With the gig economy on the rise, more companies are looking to hire gig workers for their business. Gig jobs offer a completely different approach from the typical 9-to-5 jobs to making money. What this means is that the recruiting process for gigs will differ from the typical recruitment process we’re familiar with, leaving recruiters and business owners with the task of figuring out how to adjust their hiring methods for this new way of working. If you’re facing that task as well, this post is what you need. Here are 6 tips on how to recruit gig workers for your business.
1. Be upfront about what kind of job you require them to do.
When hiring gig workers, think about what exactly will the job entail and what kind of assets will you require of your workers. This could mean things such as certificates, licences, references, requirements regarding smartphones etc. Making sure those requirements are clearly communicated early on will save you a lot of time in the long run when it comes to screening potential candidates. If you plan on offering any benefits and perks to your workers make sure that’s clearly communicated as well - those could be a great selling point!
2. Streamline your acquisition funnel.
If your recruitment process is too long, you will lose potential workers on the way. Make sure your acquisition funnel is as fast and simple as it can be - that means eliminating every step that’s redundant and not necessary. As a rule of thumb, the lower the friction, the better your recruitment process.
Another important thing is to keep the candidates informed about what point of the recruitment process they are at, and how many more steps are left to go. Try to let the candidates know how long will the recruitment process be, and when they can expect to start working. Remember that many people who decide to get a side hustle often have an uncertain source of income and want to start earning fast, so be mindful of that.
3. Support your gig workers in their work.
It’s important to remember that for many of your customers your gig workers will be the first point of contact, in fact making them the face of your company. Because of that, it’s important for you to provide them with what they might need to represent the company and do the job well. That can include creating training materials, a support chat they can refer to, tips and tricks for doing the job well, or providing them with branded equipment, such as jackets and backpacks for bike delivery drivers. This could also mean giving them feedback on their performance.
It will not only be important for you, but also to the workers themselves - since your workers will want to perform well, giving them relevant pointers and tools needed to excel at their tasks will increase their working comfort and their loyalty to your brand.
4. Choose a fast and smooth payment system.
Frequent payments are something that’s crucial to people looking to get into gig work - many are undertaking gigs because of an unstable financial situation, so a fast payout is a must. Something to keep in mind is that there are gigs available out there that offer payments every week or even instantly, so offering a payment system that’s significantly slower can cause you to lose your workers. You should aim at sending out invoices under 2 weeks since performing the task as the maximum time. It’s also important to keep your workers updated on how much money they will be paid and when.
*Bonus tips to increase gig worker retention for your platform*
5. Set up a referral program.
Giving your gig workers a chance to refer a friend who wishes to work in the same side-hustle could is a great recruiting tactic. This tactic has many benefits. For one, that by default makes your gig workers act as ambassadors for your company. It also improves the quality of your hire, making the hiring process easier, cheaper and with less turnover rate, since you don’t need to spend as much on advertising and the new candidates already will have a good impression about your brand image from their friends referral.
6. Create a salary and reward system.
Try to keep your payments methods clear to your workers, so they know how they can improve their earnings. This will not only be beneficial to them, but will also help you get the work where it’s most needed. For example, if you have a food delivery company and you need more workers in the evenings and you’re ready to pay extra for that time, make sure that’s clearly conveyed. Additionally coming up with bonuses and pay increases will help to keep your workers motivated and more engaged. A monthly bonus after completing at a certain number of tasks/rides/deliveries could be an example of a possible reward.