Going the Extra Mile for Out-of-Market Talent

Today communities are moving beyond traditional job boards to connect relocating talent with job opportunities. Hear how innovative programs in Northwest Arkansas, Champaign-Urbana and South Dakota use human-centered support to go the extra mile when it comes to talent attraction:

(02:13) Aron Shelton, Finding Northwest Arkansas

(10:00) Carly McCrory-McKay, Champaign-Urbana Community Job Application

(17:02) Alex Neuland, Dakota Roots Job Advisors

 

Resources Mentioned:

• TeamKC Career Network
  

 

At Livability, we highlight the unsung awesomeness of small and mid-sized cities across the country. We also partner with communities to reach their target companies and potential residents through digital content and print magazine programs.

Be sure to subscribe so you’re alerted when we release new episodes. Learn more about us at LivabilityMedia.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Email host Amanda Ellis at [e-mail].

Inside America’s Best Cities is produced by SpeakEasy Productions.

Episode Transcript

Amanda Ellis [00:00:10]: Hello. Welcome back to Inside America's Best Cities. Today's topic is about getting talent connected to the jobs in your community and going the extra mile when you're doing that. We're going to be hearing from communities doing just that. Remember to check out the timestamps in our show notes to go straight to the parts of this episode that interest you most. And also remember, you can learn more about Livability and about this podcast at livabilitymedia.com and with that, let's jump in. There's no way around it that job searching is challenging and it's a lot of work whether you already have a job or not. Job searching in a different market from where you're currently based makes it even harder though. At least we have Zoom these days for those initial interviews. But something I'm starting to see in our talent attraction space that I love and that makes so much sense is communities really engaging in more hands on support for job seekers. More than just linking out to Indeed or other job boards from your platforms. I'm talking job advisors who can give advice, being able to connect with real people in a community who can give you tips and point you in the right direction and other examples that we're going to hear about in a few minutes before we hear from a couple folks who are engaging on this. One example I really like is the Team KC Kansas City Talent site has a page where they publicly list candidates and if you click their names you can see their resumes and and I just think this is an interesting approach where any employer can take a look at this at any time really easily and I'll link that page up in our show notes. I also really like what Finding Northwest Arkansas's Talent Network is doing in this space. Here's a bit from them about their program, how they curate and vet the companies they promote, and some of their other efforts to make the job search in their community a little bit easier for out of market talent. (00:00):
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Aron Shelton [00:02:13]: Our approach to supporting talent in their career search really has an origin story that starts with a remote incentive program that we launched in 2019. Our region was offering $10,000 and a bike at that time to remote workers who were considering relocating across the country kind of right as the pandemic onset. And so through that initiative we received over 60,000 applications from across the globe really, but predominantly the US of people of various backgrounds, experience and skills that were looking or considering the idea of moving to the region. What we discovered beyond the process of selecting the hundred people that we chose to relocate here is that a number of these people were really interested in moving, not just for the incentive, but they were considering a move even if they would have found an appropriate career opportunity here. And so we began to really think, you know, what was the sort of digital infrastructure we needed to support those that maybe wanted to get a closer look at the career opportunities our region offers. In any given day or on any given day, our region has about 10,000 open jobs. And so there's no shortage of opportunity in the region. But, you know, our employers are struggling to find the right talent in certain sectors, as many places across the country are struggling to find talent in these sort of hard to fill positions, be it in tech, in healthcare, or in the skilled trades. So there is the challenges, I think, that we share in common with other regions, but there's no shortage of opportunity here. And you couple that with the idea that we're such a rapidly growing region. Our region welcomes about 36 new people each day. We're on pace to reach a million people by 2050. We're just over. We just eclipsed 600,000 population as a region recently. And so you have this kind of unique position that we're in where we have these influx of people, we have these open jobs that exist. And so the question we really asked ourselves is, what can we do to support these folks looking for that connection? And I think what we chose to do was to launch what we call the Northwest Arkansas Talent Network. It's not different than many talent networks that employers offer, but I think the uniqueness that we offer is that we actually feature a curated list of employers from across the region that have job opportunities. And I think it does a couple of things. One, it's curated. So we've actually vetted the jobs that are being posted. It's not just a jobs board like Indeed or LinkedIn, where any, any job can be posted under any sort of company. And so we have sort of this vetted list of companies that we know have good career opportunities. We certainly feature specific industries that we know are needing talent. And so you'll see everything from public education to technology, corporate jobs at one of our big three. So big three being, Walmart is headquartered here, Tyson is headquartered here, and JB Hunt is headquartered here. And so we have a mixture of different opportunities and we categorize them in different industries. But I think the point I was trying to make here is that the Talent Network is a curated source of truth of jobs in the region. And so of those 10,000 jobs that are open in our region. On any given day, we're featuring around 2,000 of them that we've curated. And so that does, from just a career search standpoint, what that offers is the ability to kind of see through the information overload and know that there's an organization on the ground here that has vetted these companies and these jobs. And so I think that's a touch point kind of with the information ecosystem that we live in these days that is of value. The second thing that we did, we hired a talent ambassador and his job is to connect with people that join our talent network to really understand what it is they're looking for. So we're not relying on the talent themselves to just find the appropriate opportunity. We're taking the time to reach out to these folks to understand what type of career would be a fit for them and then to really kind of augment and support them in their search. So this is, you know, a value to all of our most important stakeholders, be it talent that's interested in moving to the region, be it trailing spouses and partners that are coming to the region and looking for opportunity, be it people, kids, you know, coming up and graduating from our colleges or from our high schools through to the talent that's already here, that's maybe looking for a new career switch or looking to transition careers. And so the talent network allows us to serve all of those folks. And we think the key differentiator and the thing that we're most vested in, I would say is that the technology is the tool. But, but our philosophy is that we want to advocate on behalf of anyone looking to work in this region and looking to find opportunity. And so we ensure that we have a human in the loop and we make sure to reach out one to one and help support these folks in their pursuit of either staying here or coming here. (00:01):
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Amanda Ellis [00:09:30]: Next up we'll hear from the Champaign County EDC in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois about their community job application. That's their resume sharing on steroids, so to speak. And it really helps people both customize and streamline their job search process, their relocation process with just one form. And it helps their EDO team members stay organized and how they're supporting these individuals versus, you know, a bunch of one off email exchanges and connections. (00:02):
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Carly McCrory-McKay [00:10:00]: To set the stage a little bit, for context, our organization is the regional EDO and we work very closely with our local tourism agency Experience Champaign-Urbana on all things talent attraction. And over the last several years we've been building really the infrastructure so new programs and events to be able to support new residents and those who are considering our community. But as we built these programs, we have certainly prioritized things that are important to us, not only individually, but as organizations as well as as a community. And I think first and foremost, the most important thing to us has been authenticity because we have certainly heard and experienced ourselves examples of when you're sold on an idea and a concept and then you show up and you're shocked because it is so not that. So we don't put fluff in what we do or share. It's super authentic to who we are and what you'll experience while you're here or when you get here. 2. We really wanted to make it as easy as possible for people to get to a path of yes. So the tools and the programs that we've built have been intentionally accessible and approachable because really there's no need to overcomplicate the process. There is so much information out there, but we really wanted to keep it short and simple. And then I think the other biggest thing that we always keep in mind in absolutely everything that we do is that yes, it's oftentimes about the job, but it is also so much about the community. We have looked at data and research of what goes into a job search and making a decision about where you're going to work. And that is all very much a really big deal. And we don't take that for granted. But we also know that people want to get a real sense for the community in which they're saying yes to. They want to have their questions answered. They want to find their people or their passions. They want to get connected to resources that really matter to them. And so everything that we have built, we have kept that in mind. So to get to the community job application, we had to build other things first. We had to have some infrastructure in place to make this idea or this concept. So we had our Chambana welcome crew, which is our community ambassador group that helps us welcome and engage new and potential residents. It's essentially matchmaking and these are our local experts who are volunteering their time to connect with people and help them get acclimated or feel comfortable in the community. We also have our Chambana Job board which is built on a sleek platform and only includes companies in the Champaign Urbana area. And it's managed by our office here at the EDC and it's updated daily. We also developed the concept and an event of our new to see you mixers. They're laid back events. It gives people and newcomers the opportunity to ask us questions and meet members of our Chambana welcome crew. So everything from where to find the best tortilla in town to OB GYN and dentist recommendations, these are all things that come up frequently in conversation, but we know are so important to people who are new to this community as they are exploring and finding their way. And then lastly, we have Chambana Proud, which is our weekly podcast where we really just get on and talk about the cool people, places, and things that are happening in our area. So all of those programs were in place when we started thinking about how to officially come up with the community job application. And I think the idea for it was born from a few different places. One was, how do we go beyond the typical job search process or job search platform to take a more customized approach, knowing that each individual is unique and different and that we want to incorporate community into what they're considering for their career. And then second, kind of the concept of resume sharing on steroids, I think everybody has always, you know, been asked to, “Hey, I have this new person who moved to town. Here's the resume. They're looking for a role.” Or, “Hey, this person is moving in six months and their significant other will also be looking for work. Do you know anything that they'd be great for in six months?” So it was taking that concept, but putting it into a process that made sense given our priorities and everything else that we had in place. So we worked with Roll Call, a consulting agency who works in the talent attraction space, to help us build out this idea and concept. And it was something that we were proud to launch in 2023. So what the platform does is it allows newcomers to streamline their job and search process, not only about the, about the community as well. With personalized assistance, job matching, and relocation information in three very short steps. Again, we did not want to make this complicated. So anybody who's interested in connecting with our area employers, they can upload a resume that then gets shared with our local employers on a weekly basis. We share that list every week, but we also share information that helps facilitate job matches. And I'll. And I'll touch on that here in a second. But people who opt into the program can also request to be connected to a member of our Chambana welcome crew, where they can receive curated information relevant to either the industry that they work in, maybe their life stage, or just their personal interests. So whether they indicate that they're interested in learning about outdoor recreation or LGBTQIA resources, maybe volunteer opportunities, or finding our local fencing club. We respond with that information and take a real curated approach to each individual. We also follow up just to check in, offer direct assistance, invite them to a mixer, and just make sure that they have the questions answered that they. That they want and want to know. So it's really about meeting people where they are. And I think this is a good example of when we share resumes with our local employers. There's information in there that meets people where they are. It identifies whether they're looking immediately or in six months or maybe in nine months. It identifies whether they are new to the community or maybe they have some experience with it. It identifies their personal interests so that if employers have programs internally where it checks those boxes, they can identify that and share that information as part of their initial outreach. I think it just takes a more, again, individual, customized approach. And that's something that we really want to continue to push and encourage. So we know that there is so much more than just a regular job search or so much that goes into that process. And this work is important to us because we really want to make sure that each person who is new or each person who is considering our community feels welcomed. (00:03):
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Amanda Ellis [00:16:47]: In South Dakota, they employ a whole team of individual job advisors you can connect with if you're interested in moving to the state. They start with you wherever you're at, and help you map out your career plan so you can make that move. I especially love the personalized feel of. (00:04):
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Alex Neuland [00:17:02]: The approach that they're taking working with the Labor Department. You know, this program is administered through the Department of Labor here in South Dakota. It gives us access to labor market information for different regions, which helps influence the decisions that we're making. We also have a great team of business service specialists who work in these communities with these employers, and they also are really an invaluable resource for if we have someone looking for, you know, a very specific role in a very specific city, we can reach out to those business service representatives and ask them and, you know, explain to them the situation we have, and they can share some of their insights as far as, you know, the warm introduction. So we, part of our job advisement services is we, provide assistance reviewing resumes and cover letters. We like to say we help folks make them South Dakota friendly, because employers here, you know, have a certain expectations for those hiring materials when they receive them. So we work with folks, and in their cover letter, we encourage them to include a line that explains that they're working with a South Dakota job advisor through the Department of Labor. And that they're really intent on moving just to impart to that employer their seriousness for relocating. We also make ourselves available to employers or potential hiring agencies for these individuals. So if someone is interested in a position, what we'll do is after they've applied for it, we offer to send a follow up letter which just explains that we are working with this individual, talks about their experiences, talks about their desire to move to the state, and lets that employer know. If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach out to us and we do the same. After an interview has been completed, we'll reach out and let them know that we're working with this individual. (00:05):
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Amanda Ellis [00:19:00]: Ultimately, having a job is such a key aspect of being able to move to a new city. So helping people do that, helping employers understand why going the extra mile for that non local candidate is a good idea, It's a prime area to focus on in your talent attraction efforts. I hope this episode gives you some ideas on connecting the dots for the talent you want in your community. (00:06):
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Amanda Ellis [00:19:26]: Thanks for listening to the Livability podcast, where we take you Inside America's Best Cities. At Livability, we highlight the unsung awesomeness of small and mid-sized cities across the country. We also partner with communities to reach their target companies and potential residents through digital content and print magazine programs. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, rate, and review this show wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also learn more about us at livabilitymedia.com. Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Email me at [e-mail]. Until next time, from Livability, I'm Amanda Ellis, sharing the stories of America's most promising places. (00:07):
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