Independent Banker - April 2023 - 20

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lateral moves within your bank to
keep more seasoned employees
challenged and engaged.
¡ Open your doors wider. " In
a tight market, you need to look
outside the box of your typical
candidate profile, " Utsey says. For
example, consider baby boomers
who might be open to part-time
teller positions. " Yes, they have
more experience than you need
for the role, but from their view, it
might be a win-win. " On the other
side of the age spectrum, consider
starting or enhancing an internship
program for college students. " Even
after they return to campus, they
might be able to work remotely, "
she says.
¡ Tell your story. " Especially
among the younger generation, it's
important to work for a place that's
deeply involved in the community, "
Utsey notes. If you're doing good
things, don't be shy about getting
the word out. She adds, " I've noticed
some banks that devote most of their
websites' career pages to reflecting
what they and their employees are
doing in the community. "
Understand potential candidates
Most employers focus on the hiring
interview as a chance to get to
learn more about a candidate. But
interviewees are also using that time
to look at the bank, the people in it
and the way it treats them.
" We've found that the way we
engage with prospective talent, how
we pay attention and actively listen
to their goals and being honest and
transparent throughout the process
has served us very well, " says Christie
Gunderson, senior vice president
of people at $1.8 billion-asset
IncredibleBank in Wausau, Wis.
" We've had to challenge ourselves
to think differently, and we've put in
a lot of work into hiring and retention
Is recruitment a
challenge? Consider
these questions
Christie Gunderson,
senior vice president of
people at IncredibleBank
in Wausau, Wis., suggests
that community banks
struggling with hiring try
asking themselves these
questions:
1
Are there current resources
internally that can be
moved around to shift the
necessary skill set you need
to hire?
2
Are hiring managers and
team members networking
both in person and virtually
to create a personal brand
that ties to the bank's key
messaging?
3
What are things you can do
to be more proactive with
sourcing talent that you
aren't doing now?
4
Do you have a partnership
with your marketing team?
the last few years, " she says, noting
that the community bank's efforts
have been successful. " We ended last
year with an average of 36 days to fill
open positions and a 95% average
retention rate. "
Looking at the interview and
hiring process from potential hires'
perspective can be a significant factor
for success. " Developing our brand in
the talent market, what we've found
to be key is how we make prospective
candidates feel throughout the
'get to know us' phase, which is
something that ties back to our core
values, " Gunderson says. " We make
it a priority to understand factors
driving the talent market, as well
as to understand the needs of our
employees once we bring them on. "
Smart social
For Emily Mays, vice president, chief
administrative officer and senior
marketing director at $185 millionasset
Community Spirit Bank in
Red Bay, Ala., a smart social media
strategy that showcases an authentic
voice is a good foundation for
effective hiring.
" We rely heavily on our social
media presence to tell our brand
story, which in turn makes us a bank
of choice and employer of choice, "
she says. " We're deeply devoted to
the communities we serve, so we
actively engage with initiatives that
help our communities thrive.
" We consistently try to share
who we are as a brand on social
media, so when people start
looking at potentially applying,
they already have a sense of who
we are, " Mays adds. " We make it
a point to regularly share about
bank life and bank culture, because
that establishes a familiarity that
people respond to when we do have
positions available. "
Mays has gotten real-time
20 // ICBA Independent Banker // April 2023
Independent Banker - April 2023

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