There’s nothing you can do about your location. But let’s face it, it’s harder to find people for cold-weather facilities. Most A&Ps and aircraft technicians open to relocating want only warm-weather climates. Trust us, we hear “Texas, Arizona, or Florida” more times than we can count.
Do extra candidate research.
Cold-weather facilities need great A&Ps as well. To help, we at Fovea Aero developed best practices for finding the right type of A&Ps and techs for hard-to-staff locations. You ultimately need to look deeper into the candidates than just skills and experience. It’s a little more work than required at warm-weather facilities, but it is worth the extra effort in the end.
Diving into a candidate’s background and upbringing can help attract and retain people that will be with you for the long term — regardless of your location. Review their resume and social media to find:
- Has the candidate ever worked in a cold-weather location? If so, how long did they stay?
- Did they grow up in the general area? Often candidates will still have family in the area, making it easier — or even preferred — for them to relocate back.
- Does the candidate have a military background? We have found military service often instills in the candidate a “get it done” attitude focused more on the job than the environment.
- Do they have social media connections in the area? Candidates may turn to friends or family in the area to learn more about what it’s like to live there.
Candidate resumes that show a pattern of returning to warm weather locations may raise a red flag. We have found that these candidates will occasionally accept a cold-weather location — especially if the pay is better — but they end up longing for warmer destinations and leave relatively quickly.
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Promote your location’s positives and perks.
Once you have found a candidate you like, be prepared to sell them on the perks of the location as much as the job. Be creative, but honest, about all the wonderful things your location has to offer.
- Winter and summer recreation.
- Cost of living,
- Small-town feel.
- Available housing.
- In-hangar-only work.
Take care of your employees.
It goes without saying that taking care of your employees is key regardless of your location. This is especially true in challenging climates. Building a family-like corporate culture, paying competitive rates, offering strong benefits, and listening to employee needs are just a few areas to focus on when attracting top talent.
It may seem like it’s impossible to find aircraft technicians and A&Ps to come to your cold-weather location. But, with a little extra research and carefully crafted promotion, you can find and recruit people that are more comfortable in the snow than in the heat.