Streamlining Event Staff Recruitment: A Guide to Finding the Best Talent on Short Notice

Need to hire event staff? No sweat. Thanks to modern job platforms and networking tools, connecting with potential candidates is now easier than ever. You know where the real challenge is? It is finding the right people who can bring more than just basic skills to the table on short notice. If you find yourself in this situation, you're not alone, and this post is here to help. Today, we explore six fundamental strategies to recruit top-notch event staff who will make a meaningful impact on your team and overall event execution.

How to Recruit Quality Event Staff Quickly

Your event staff will be interacting with your attendees, shaping their overall experience. That is why it is crucial to hire them thoughtfully. Read on to learn six strategies to hire top-notch event staff for your event, even if time is of the matter.

1. Define the Role Clearly 

Did you know that 60% of job descriptions harbor issues, ranging from clarity in roles and responsibilities to their overall appeal to applicants? Avoid this mistake, and make sure you put enough effort and thought into the job descriptions you publish. Clarify the specific roles you need to fill for your event and outline the key responsibilities, required skills, and any necessary qualifications with as many details as you can. 

Providing clear details of the job opening can significantly streamline the process when you're short on time. When you clearly define the requirements and responsibilities of an event role, it becomes easier for you to assess qualifications and identify suitable candidates quickly. At the same time, clear definitions allow applicants to assess their own qualifications for the position faster, helping them determine whether they're a good fit before applying. This mutual clarity benefits both you and the candidates, leading to better role alignment and, ultimately, more efficient staffing.

2. Make Job Offers Appealing  

When hiring event staff on short notice, making your job offers more appealing can be a game changer. High-wage ads, for example, attract more applicants, according to research. However, high wages are just one factor that can make a job offer stand out. Other benefits, like flexible schedules or extra work bonuses for a job well done, can also help your offer get noticed. By offering these incentives, you increase the likelihood of attracting qualified and motivated individuals who are ready to work immediately.

Just a quick reminder: while enhancing job offers with attractive benefits can help attract candidates, it's essential to remain realistic and avoid promising more than your organization can deliver. Overpromising can lead to dissatisfaction, high turnover, and damage to your company's reputation if expectations aren't met. 

3. Tap into Various Sourcing Channels

One of the most effective best practices to quickly source high-quality event staff is diversifying your source channels so you can reach more potential candidates. You may already be aware of this, but you are more likely to find qualified staff if you reach more people.

List job opportunities on mainstream job boards online, in addition to niche event staffing websites that focus on temporary and short-term positions. Also, utilize local community boards, which can be a rich source of applicants seeking gig employment in your community. Social media is also an effective means of expanding your reach. Posting job advertisements on your company's social networks can spread the word fast and directly connect with potential candidates. Furthermore, consider using freelance platforms to contact professionals accustomed to short-term projects and may be contracted for event staff on short notice.

4. Conduct a Comprehensive Applicant Screening

Just because you are hiring within a short time doesn’t mean that you have to skip over the important process of thoroughly screening candidates. In order to ensure that you are not just filling openings quickly but obtaining the right talent, a thorough assessment process that screens applicants for their expertise, experience, and cultural fit is necessary. Not only is this practical in terms of finding the most suitable staff for the position, but it can also reduce the risk of turnover and improve overall team performance.

To make your screening effective, here's a quick step-by-step guide you can follow.

1. Assess relevant experience, qualifications, and potential red flags in the candidate's resume.

2. Check candidates' skills, work ethic, and attitude via an interview.

3. Contact the references, such as the previous employer, to validate the applicant's reliability, work, and professionalism.

4. Determine whether the candidate is aligned with your company's values and the particular requirements of the event by posing situational questions to evaluate how they handle team collaboration, customer relations, and problem-solving.

5. According to the role, conduct background checks to ensure there are no disqualifying issues in the candidates, e.g., criminal history or professional ethics violations.

5. Personalize Your Outreach 

In case you missed it, emails with personalized subject lines are 26% more likely to be opened. If you want your selected applicant to finally get onboarded, personalizing your outreach can go a long way. By addressing them by name and emphasizing their relevant experiences or skills, you can demonstrate genuine interest and help build a connection. This approach not only increases the likelihood of your email being opened but also encourages engagement from applicants.

6. Leverage Technology to Simplify Onboarding

Hiring staff quickly is only the first step. Making sure they are ready to work and productive as soon as possible is just as important. To do this efficiently, you can use StaffConnect.

StaffConnect is an event staffing platform that makes the onboarding process of your event staff fast and easy. Featuring a simple registration form that seamlessly integrates into your website, your staff enjoys a personalized onboarding experience from the start. The form asks and collects essential information, including first name, last name, and email address, allowing new team members to quickly set up their accounts. Once registered, they can easily update their profiles with additional details. But StaffConnect goes beyond just onboarding. Its real-time communication tools enable new hires to get up to speed fast, ask questions, and receive updates instantly. This keeps every event staff member on your team on the same page all throughout the event.

Take Your Event Staffing to the Next Level With StaffConnect

Looking to take your event staffing process to the next level? StaffConnect is here to help you streamline everything, from recruitment and scheduling to payment and data collection. Some of StaffConnect’s practical features include GPS Check-In/Out, a centralized database, event scheduling, timesheets and payroll, a communication hub, data collection, and more. Explore further the benefits of StaffConnect and schedule your free demo today here!