Overcoming Recruitment Challenges in the Steel Production Industry

The Challenge

When TPD was introduced to an Oregon company specializing in steel production, they were facing significant challenges in recruiting qualified candidates for physically demanding jobs with long shifts. 

Despite having an internal HR recruiting team, because the positions included hard-to-fill roles like bridge crane operators and journeymen millwrights, the organization was falling behind in its recruitment goals and causing delays in several areas of the business.  

Facing significant pressure from mounting vacancies that remained open for months on end, the HR team was stretched beyond capacity and needed help. In February of 2022, a partnership with TPD was formed. 

The Solution

Working closely with the HR team, TPD’s Recruitment experts were able to create a new recruitment strategy by providing market intelligence, bandwidth, and access to a candidate pool that the client had been missing out on. 

Recognizing that the objective was to hire candidates with experience, longevity in their last position, and a strong safety mindset, TPD was able to provide market insight and competitive intelligence; helping the company to recognize that their pay was below market and would need to be increased. By providing hard facts and data, the organization was able to build a business case for the pay increase and get buy-in from senior management. 

By taking an active sourcing approach, TPD was able to significantly add bandwidth to the organization’s recruitment efforts. Skilled at finding and engaging passive job seekers, TPD was able to increase the depth and breadth of talent available to the company. 

Additionally, TPD’s recruitment experts were able to build trust and move beyond a transactional vendor relationship by developing a deep understanding of the client’s unique needs, process and business context. Responsive to feedback and constructive criticism, TPD became an extension of the HR team through their dedication to transparent communication and results. 

The Results

The partnership between TPD and this Oregon company yielded tangible results. 

TPD provided support on 12 jobs with multiple openings. We screened over 1400 candidates and submitted 85 candidates to the hiring manager. 56 of those were accepted for an interview resulting in a whopping 66% acceptance rate. 

Ultimately, TPD was able to place 23 candidates with this organization in a 12-month timeframe, exceeding the client’s expectations and getting them back on track. 

To this day, TPD continues to provide recruitment support and is considered a preferred supplier that produces results. 

Interested in learning more about what TPD's Workforce Solutions can do for your company? 

Contact us today!