Recruit New Talent Through MHEDA’s Web Site

Where do you recruit prospective employees? If you are like most members, you ask your existing employees for referrals, you use online job boards, you might hire a recruiter, or you may even outsource this function. Sometimes, you work directly with schools and universities. For a long time, MHEDA, through the Industry Advocacy Committee, has been working to build relationships with the academic community, with an understanding that these students represent the future buyers and users of material handling products and services and they represent prospective employees within member companies.

Since 2003, MHEDA has served as a member of CICMHE, the College-Industry Council on Material Handling Education. The mission of CICMHE (pronounced “kick-me”) is to undertake educationally oriented activities designed to increase awareness and greater understanding of material handling. CICMHE facilitates the interchange of information among individuals in industry, academia and the end-user community to aid in improving and implementing material handling education. Serving as a member of this organization has introduced MHEDA to professors from around the world involved in engineering, distribution and business disciplines, all with a focus on material handling, logistics and supply chain management.

Students are looking for employment. Members are looking for employees. To facilitate the introduction between industry and academia, MHEDA has created and launched the “Gateway” program on its Web site. Go to www.mheda.org and click on the “Jobs” tab. Here you will find a Web site dedicated to helping students find their way to the material handling industry and to members seeking new talent.

First introduced at a Clarkson University career fair in January 2008, MHEDA quietly launched this site to Clarkson students in order to gauge their opinions, gather feedback and generate excitement. The response was overwhelming. As word spread throughout the fair, students lined up to upload their résumés to the site. As of this writing, more than 50 students had posted their résumés.

Although MHEDA was counted among some very high-powered companies exhibiting at the fair, we had a major competitive advantage. As a trade association, we represent hundreds of companies seeking new talent, not just one. You will begin hearing more and more about Gateway as we promote it across the industry and throughout a variety of schools and universities.

The process is simple. Students can post and upload their résumés to the Résumé Bank. Be sure to check it out! Students listed here are looking for internships, cooperative education opportunities and full-time jobs. Members can register their interest in presenting guest lectures, arranging customer site visits and offering job opportunities through the Find/Post Job section.

You have told us that recruitment is a major challenge for you. Our industry has been largely hidden from students and prospective employees. We have developed a tool to begin addressing this challenge. It’s up to you now to reach out to these students and engage them.

Please visit the site. Contact these students. Support the Gateway program. All questions, comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome! Please call MHEDA at 847-680-3500 or e-mail lrichards@mheda.org with your feedback. The success of this initiative is dependent upon you!

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The MHEDA Journal • Second Quarter 2008 • Volume 37, No. 2 • Contents are Copyright © Data Key Communications, Inc.
All rights reserved. • Nothing may be reproduced in whole or part without written permission of the publisher.