Lee Wheelington believes strongly in personalization. Recruiting top talent is no exception.

Whether it’s networking at his weekly Hot Springs Business breakfast, or firing off a text thread to his team to foster collaboration, the Hot Springs Area Sales Manager lives by his credo that “givers gain. The more you do for others, the less you have to do for yourself.”

It’s no surprise then, that he strongly utilizes the Centers of Influence concept of recruiting (more on COI below). He believes to be a true Difference Maker.

Differentiation doesn't just matter with clients or prospects. When it comes to recruiting, how are we different from others in our industry, or other companies in our communities? Whether it’s admin, service, warehouse, or sales, what makes people want to come to Datamax … and stay at Datamax?

It’s Never too Early to Begin Recruiting.

Late last fall, Tyler Area Sales Manager Josh Sims found himself at New Diana ISD, surrounded by hundreds of high school students for a College and Career Fair that hosted a total of 16 area schools. Situated at the Datamax booth, he was ready to answer questions and share insights about Datamax.

High School may seem early to some to be out recruiting, but Josh finds great value in the one-on-one time he’s able to spend with these students, to help them discover career possibilities they haven’t previously imagined.

“Especially early on, most of these students see teachers, nurses, or (in East Texas) people in the oil field. But they don’t think about other options. I find a lot of value in opening their eyes to see what might be out there, vs what’s right in front of them.”

Josh has certainly had his hands in recruiting over the past year. He had an open position for months, bleeding through candidates to find the right person for the right job – which isn’t always the easiest thing to do.

“One thing we are focusing on in our management group is Centers of Influence,” Josh says. “Within our customer base, or our personal network, or at Chamber events, just asking these people 'do you know anyone who might be a good fit for our criteria?' Centers of Influence is going to be for us this year.”

How does Centers of Influence Help in Recruiting?

Centers of Influence came to Datamax via the Riordan Group. It essentially means surrounding yourself with influential people, people who know your business, your expectations, and your culture, and then seeking their help in finding quality people.

Lee says he typically delivers his inquires to an audience – either via email or even text thread. When he sends to a group (a group that is specifically relatable to the position he’s looking for), he believes it incites engagement and feedback.

“I think it’s more personable. It’s more relationship-based. And when I do this with a small group, I think it prompts responses,” Lee said.

But he goes even further. Exemplifying his “givers gain more” credo, when he has a worthwhile resume that he doesn’t have an opening for, he pushes that back out to his audience. He also blasts out “shoutouts” to his Hot Springs Business group when he witnesses a success story.

He even engages customers as his Centers of Influence. Recently, he reached out to a business owner in Fort Smith about an administrative role at our office there. The end result? A successful hire.

We’ve recruited the right person. Now what?

A personal touch continues to be imperative in the onboarding process, says Arkansas Human Resources Manager Tamara Hargrove. Tamara now fulfills the onboarding process for both Texas and Arkansas offices, and she has many objectives when she onboards a new employee. Among them:

• She wants them to feel comfortable
• She wants to provide the personal attention necessary for a new hire
• She wants to extinguish any anxiety
• She wants to ensure ALL their questions have been answered

“I pride myself on having that humanistic factor of going through onboarding. I want to get to know that person as an individual instead of just a new employee. I also want to take past experiences I’ve had (with onboarding) and relieve any of the anxiety they may have on the first day,” Tamara said.

Datamax is family to Tamara. She wants everybody who comes here to have that same sense of security and camaraderie.

“I want them to know we have an open-door policy and they can talk to me at any time. They’re not a number here by any means. They’re a valuable asset to the company and they need to know that.”

Once again, in both recruiting and onboarding, personalization prevails.