Check Your Tech: Outdated Hiring Tools That Cost Manufacturers Top Talent

Nearly two-thirds of manufacturers report that attracting and retaining talent is their biggest business challenge, according to a National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) outlook survey. Meanwhile, 39% of manufacturers cite competing with other manufacturers for talent as a top recruitment challenge, up from 31% in 2023, a UKG study found.

Talent acquisition teams at large manufacturers are struggling with challenges like shrinking labor pools, the need to fill roles left vacant by retiring workers, and skills gaps that make identifying qualified candidates harder than ever.

In today’s tight labor market, outdated hiring methods could be costing your manufacturing firm top talent. In particular, younger, skilled workers may shy away from an organization that appears behind the times (at least based on their hiring experience).

Try these five alternatives to old-school hiring methods to supercharge your talent acquisition success.

The misperception of manufacturing as an old-fashioned industry may keep many candidates—especially younger ones—from considering work in the field.

In reality, manufacturing is on a massive growth trajectory. Manufacturing spending has more than doubled since January 2022, Deloitte reports, and it's projected that 3.8 million new manufacturing employees will be needed by 2033.

Today’s manufacturing workforce encompasses everything from warehouse, driving, and assembly line work to engineering, managerial, and corporate jobs. The industry’s rapid adoption of technology like robotics and AI is exponentially expanding employee opportunities for growth and skill application.

In short, manufacturing careers put employees at the cutting edge of exciting new technology in many ways—but does your hiring program effectively communicate this message?

To highlight the industry’s benefits to prospective candidates, incorporate messaging conveying a strong employee value proposition at each hiring step. You can showcase this message across channels like:

Writing standout, benefit-focused job listings is only step one; the best recruitment teams focus on marketing roles to candidates every step of the way. For example, look at the first email a candidate receives after submitting their application. Is it personalized to your brand and the specific benefits of working for your organization?

For example: Does email #1 look something like this?

Dear candidate,

Thank you for your application submission. We will be in touch soon.

Sincerely,
[Company]

Or are you engaging the candidate with your value proposition right away?

Dear [candidate name],

Thank you for your interest in [role]. [Company] is a fast-growing organization looking for the best talent to join our team and help us achieve [goal 1, goal 2]. Our employees benefit from [value 1, value 2], and an opportunity to [value 3, value 4].

We look forward to being in touch soon following your application review. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out to [specific person or contact method] with any questions.

Sincerely,
[Hiring manager’s name]

AI-powered writing and communication tools can help design and deliver value-focused candidate communications using your unique brand and messaging information. 86% of recruiters who use AI say it makes hiring more efficient. Since just 6% of manufacturing HR teams have implemented AI, according to a May 2024 NAM report, choosing AI-powered hiring solutions could give your team a competitive advantage.

Look for solutions with features like:

Mobile-first functionality with a modern appearance isn’t a bonus anymore for HR teams; it’s a baseline expectation from today’s workers. Candidates currently employed on factory floors, in warehouses, or as drivers typically can’t get to a computer during the workday. Nor can workers in retail, customer service, hospitality, or construction—all promising places to find candidates whose skills can translate to manufacturing jobs.

Maintaining a steady pipeline of talent is the third-biggest recruiting challenge for U.S. manufacturers, cited by 43% of companies, according to UKG. Hiring solutions that enable multi-channel candidate communications can help prevent candidate dropoff while allowing candidates to customize their hiring experience. Look for hiring tools that facilitate communication via text, email, or phone to suit each candidate’s preferences.

According to the 2024 Employ Job Seeker Nation Report, today’s candidates expect:

Mobile hiring tools help you quickly check every point above off your list, allowing you to connect with candidates instantly, capture top talent’s attention, and hire efficiently. Candidates expect to be able to complete job applications easily, check the status of their applications, schedule interviews, or complete hiring steps like background checks on their phones.

Your team may be celebrating after identifying several promising candidates for an open position—but if you take too long to schedule interviews, you could lose them to faster-acting competitors.

Almost half of the manufacturers surveyed by UKG in October 2024 say filling open roles takes longer than one year ago. In addition, competition is becoming stiffer than ever, as growth in the construction industry siphons off skilled trades workers who could be promising candidates for manufacturers.

To avoid losing the race to capture candidates, implement hiring solutions that let you efficiently automate common tasks, like scheduling interviews or following up to notify candidates of required actions or application status. Automating these interactions whenever possible can enhance candidate satisfaction and keep your hiring process moving smoothly. Plus, you can take time-consuming tasks off your TA team’s hands so they can focus on deeper work.

Bottom line: It should take one notification message and a few clicks via a mobile portal for a candidate to schedule an interview. If your interview scheduling flow requires multiple back-and-forth messages via email or phone calls to get something on the calendar, it’s time to find a new solution.

The diversity of roles in manufacturing—from plant or warehouse workers to corporate, finance, or R&D positions—makes background screenings and compliance more complex than in many industries.

For instance, hourly assembly line workers may require regular drug testing. Roles involving driving require motor vehicle checks; some positions must also meet Department of Transportation requirements for background screenings. Skilled plant workers require employment verification to confirm their experience operating machinery, while research and development candidates need education verification of advanced degrees. 

Manufacturers who hire in multiple locations and jurisdictions face additional complexity when it comes to background checks. Along with federal employment laws regulating hiring, you may also need to follow state and local regulations such as Ban the Box laws.

A manufacturing background check partner that blends AI-enhanced technology with human quality assurance can deliver both speed and accuracy and help you mitigate workplace risk—while delivering a modern candidate experience that keeps top talent engaged. Look for solutions like:

Manual adjudication is one time-consuming step that can be streamlined with the right AI-powered background check solutions. But—according to Checkr research, just 21% of manufacturing employers say they have fully automated the adjudication process.

You can gain an edge over the competition with modern screening tools that can automatically apply custom regional compliance and organization-specific filters to reports. Your team should be able to instantly see if a report needs review or meets your requirements to proceed to the next step.

The best providers will even give you the ability to automate adjudication actions like immediately engaging candidates who meet your criteria with a personalized message or initiating adverse action for those who don’t.

Siloed hiring solutions force TA professionals to duplicate work. Laboriously inputting candidate information across multiple applications increases the chance of human error. Such outmoded methods can delay your hiring process and cost you qualified candidates. In the worst-case scenario, human errors could expose your organization to legal liability.

Eliminate roadblocks to rapid hiring by choosing solutions that integrate seamlessly for faster workflows. When your HRIS, ATS, onboarding, and background check tools all work together, you’ll save time and effort.

In addition to pre-built integrations, look for tools that offer a flexible API to facilitate custom integrations that suit your organization’s unique needs.

Hiring for manufacturing jobs is complicated, and outdated hiring tools can make it even more challenging. Implementing the right technology not only streamlines your hiring process, but also positions your organization to candidates as a forward-thinking employer. A mobile-friendly candidate experience, consistent branded communication, efficient interview scheduling, and integrated solutions help put your hiring process on the cutting edge—and help you attract top talent.

Checkr’s comprehensive manufacturing background check packages, AI-powered technology, and automated workflows accelerate hiring while maintaining accuracy. Checkr offers seamless integrations with more than 100 leading HRIS and ATS tools, enhancing efficiency and streamlining the recruitment process. With fast, reliable background checks, you can hire confidently for any manufacturing role. Get started now.

About the author

Karen Axelton writes about business topics and best practices. She has written hundreds of articles on business subjects, including background screening, hiring and employment trends, human resource management, and the use of technology in the workplace. Her work includes educational articles, e-books, white papers, and case studies.