One of the challenges facing northern Nevada employers is finding the right qualified candidates to fill existing open jobs The Nevada unemployment rate for November was reported at 5.2 percent, making it the lowest unemployment rate since December 2007, according to the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation. The Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada has been predicting an increase of 52,400 new jobs between 2014 and 2019. As the unemployment rate decreases and companies continue to relocate to the region, finding qualified applicants to fill open positions can be very challenging. “The problem is not finding applicants, it’s finding applicants that are qualified for the position,” said Cora Jeffreys, recruitment specialist for Sierra Nevada Media Group (SNMG) recruitment services. SNMG recruitment services is one of the resources that northern Nevada employers can use to help target qualified job seekers. The company works with employers to post open jobs to online job boards such as indeed.com, glassdoor.com, ZipRecruiter as well as place job ads in regional publications to help target the types of candidates a particular employer is looking to hire. “Many times companies are coming to us because they haven’t been able to fill their position for months,” Jeffreys said. “Once we take over, we are able to get their positions filled in the matter of a few weeks.” Replacing employees provides a significant cost in both time and money for businesses. According to a recent Forbes article, the typical cost of turnover is 21 percent of an employee’s annual salary. “That is why hiring right the first time is so important,” Kevin Idoni, regional inside sales director for SNMG, said. He explained that they are able to strategically place job postings in the classified sections of SNMG publications around the region such as the Nevada Appeal, Tahoe Daily Tribune, The Record-Courier, NNBW, the company’s quarterly publication called Hire Magazine and more. The publications, some of which have been around for over 100 years, reach a wide range of demographics. “These publications and Hire Magazine have become the go to for job seekers,” Idoni said. “They are all trusted, local sources.” They are also able to strategically use the social media of these publications to further target qualified applicants. They currently work with employers from an array of industries including healthcare, manufacturing, gaming, tourism and more. Idoni said their rates for employers to use their services depend on the amount of reach that employer wants to get with their job postings. “Our job network platform is great because it measures response in real time and increases market spend to ensure our client’s jobs get maximum exposure,” Kenzie Hash, recruitment specialist for SNMG, said. According to Idoni, SNMG recruitment services has five recruitment specialists dedicated to connecting employers to applicants. They encourage employers to contact them to learn more about their services. “We truly have a passion for serving our community,” Hash said. “When we are able to help a quality local business find a quality local job seeker, it really makes this career worthwhile.” For more information about SNMG recruitment services, email hire@sierranevadamedia.com, call 775-881-7653 or visit http://hire.sierranevadamedia.com/.
