The Benefits of Hiring Local Talent, Part 1

I had the pleasure of presenting at CampusROC 's CollegeFEST 2023 Employer Workshop Series on the benefits of hiring local talent and how to develop an internship program that leverages that local talent.

This is article 1/2, which will cover the benefits you can expect to reap when you dedicate your company's time and resources into hiring locally.

Who I am, and why I'm talking about this

To give some context to why I was asked to talk about this subject, it's best to start by sharing a little bit about myself and my educational and professional experience.

I was born and raised in Pendleton, New York, a small town between North Tonawanda and Lockport, north of Buffalo. It's also important to note that basketball is a huge part of my life; it was a major must-have when it came to choosing where I attended college.

Besides playing competitive basketball, I wanted to make sure the college I attended was close to my family and had a solid business program.

Roberts Wesleyan University , located in North Chili, New York, checked the boxes.

• It was less than an hour's drive from my childhood home, so I was close to my family.
• It had a well-established business program with impressive professors and a marketing major.
• It had a growing, competitive Division II basketball program that I could be a part of.

I loved my time in college, and I'm sure many of you agree that those four years go by quickly. I had an unusual end to my college career in 2020: COVID-19. My last basketball game at Roberts was played the day before we got sent home from school.

Now, I had already decided to pursue my Master's degree in Strategic Marketing through a 4+1 program that Roberts offered. I was set to start in person in March of 2020 and had committed to moving in with one of my teammates in Rochester in May of 2020, after graduation.

Obviously, my Master's program got moved online, but I still moved back to Rochester in May of 2020 and worked in the athletic department at Roberts until I wrapped up my Master's program in July of 2021.

I started my job search without much of a goal in mind - I was looking in both Buffalo and Rochester and knew I wanted to get a job that gave me the opportunity to work and gain experience in the many different marketing strategies, channels, and tactics.

I applied to over 50 jobs... and heard back from four. But, I'll touch on this more later.

One of those responses came from Wilmac Technologies and I was lucky enough to get the job. I've been working at Wilmac Tech and a resident of Rochester for over two years now.

So, you have context now. I'm a Rochester college product who stayed in the area. I've also been heavily involved in restarting and recruiting for Wilmac Tech's internship program, which has given me the opportunity to engage with a lot of talented local students.

The Benefits of Hiring Local Talent

The first thing I'll cover today is the benefits of hiring locally.

Faster Onboarding

Hiring local talent means you're dealing with candidates who are in physical proximity to you and your organization. This leads to the ability to run through the recruiting, interview, and onboarding processes quickly and more efficiently.

Someone from the area is more readily available for in-person interviews. Most companies run a mix of phone/remote interviews and in-person nowadays. Being physically close to the company means you're able to schedule interviews and, if things go well, start dates much more quickly than an employee from another state or region.

There's also no need for relocation. This eliminates the need for a company to assist the hire with relocation packages. They're also more likely able to start sooner when they're already established in the area.

Consider the time and resources needed to introduce a relocation hire to the community and educate them on the cultural trends, especially if the local market is your customer base. If your company is well-known locally, a local hire may also already be familiar with your company's brand, mission, leadership, and culture which will allow them to more seamlessly integrate into your business.

Leadership likely is pushing you to fill the role and find the right person, fast - hiring locally keeps things moving at an efficient pace.

Networking Opportunities

When bringing in any new employee, they have an established network of connections that your company could benefit from. Hiring locally means you're adopting valuable connections, potential partnerships, and possible leads.

Bringing in a local employee could single-handedly open doors that you and your company haven't been able to open because you're going in cold. This person creates that warm introduction.

Every new hire also brings in previous experience that can provide insight into beneficial events to attend, relationships with other companies and people to pursue, even connections to fill future vacant or new roles... his or her network and personal brand can help cultivate your business.

Contribution to the local economy

This benefit is pretty straightforward - by hiring local talent, you're creating employment opportunities for the local community and reducing regional unemployment. By doing so, you're contributing to the local tax base, which supports public service.

By contributing to the local economy when you're hiring local talent, you're also enhancing your company's reputation and social impact. It helps reduce the environmental impact with long commutes or relocations, which aligns with sustainability goals. You're also supporting local businesses, since local hires are spending their income locally.

Hiring local talent gives back to the local community, which helps the local community grow, which creates a thriving local economy, which attracts new businesses to the area, which opens up employment opportunities... it creates a positive domino effect that leads to greater investment in the region, fostering innovation, collaboration, and economic growth.

Keep costs low

I alluded to how hiring locally keeps cost low in the first benefit with faster onboarding; it eliminates the time and resources spent on the interview/recruitment process because it can speed it up. Local hires are more readily available for in-person interviews and can start more quickly.

You're also eliminating costs with relocation packages and long-distance travel. Entirely avoide expenses incurred with moving, like transportation, temporary housing, and relocation bonuses. It also gets rid of the costs incurred when flying candidates in for in-person interviews or mandatory training sessions.

When you're considering hiring a candidate that you're asking to relocate, also think about their commitment to the position... this is not true with all relocation hires, but they might be more likely to leave sooner due to the challenges and stress with moving and being far away from their support system. But, employee turnover is costly and hiring local reduces this risk.

Some regions offer tax incentives and benefits to businesses that hire locally, which helps reduce overall operating costs (more info on Rochester's tax incentives with hiring locally on Greater Rochester Enterprise 's website).

In Rochester, we also have access to specialized talent pools that come from our educational institutions which can reduce the time and resources spent on finding a candidate with specialized skills. Most of our local colleges and universities have renowned programs:

• Rochester Institute of Technology - engingeering, computing, and technology
• University of Rochester - research, biological and biomedical sciences, and business
• Roberts Wesleyan University - nursing and psychology
• ... the list goes on

Employee loyalty and engagement

Hiring local talent is a key contributor to facilitating employee loyalty and engagement. One of the most evident benefits is that hiring local talent brings in people who are familiar with the local community and culture. This makes them more at ease and comfortable in their roles, allowing them to connect with their peers quicker. It creates that sense of belonging organically.

As an easy example, many of Wilmac Tech's Rochester employees are Buffalo Bills fans. Whenever we bring in a new employee, one of our employees who's a Pittsburgh Steelers fan (I don't judge) asks the new employee who their favorite NFL team is... 9/10 times, they say the Bills. She's been convinced we ask them during the interview process, but it's just from the fact that they're engaged in the local culture. (Go Bills!)

A company that's investing in the local community by hiring local talent is also demonstrating their commitment to the local community. Employees who see this will take greater pride in their employer's reputation and community involvement. When employees feel like their employer cares, they're more likely to be engaged and proud to represent who they're working for.

By hiring locally, there's also better work/life balance for employees. There's no need for crazy long commutes that lead to stress and fatigue and they already have existing support systems in place. Being physically close with one another also means employees are able to participate in office activities and attend events with peers - this facilitates relationships and enhances employee engagement and job satisfaction.

Face-to-face collaboration

"Real, live human interaction is how we feel a part of something, develop trust, and have the capacity to feel for others. It is how we innovate." - Simon Sinek from his book, Leaders Eat Last (highly recommend)

There's nothing quite like being together, in-person at the office that fosters relationships and creativity, unplanned collaboration and knowledge sharing. People are able to bounce ideas off one another, engage in spontaneous problem solving, and get to know one another by being in the same location.

Local employees are also more available and accessible. Coordinating meetings and activities is much more straightforward than coordinating a remote happy hour or considering time zones when planning something. By being together for meetings and activities, this enhances teamwork, productivity, and problem solving among employees.

At Wilmac Tech, we make the effort to host a lunch or happy hour every month and even host company outings like axe throwing once a quarter. This team bonding is instrumental to the success and collaboration of our company.

Face-to-face collaboration also leads to enhanced relationships and communications. Employees who work closely and see each other in person are more likely to develop trust and empathy, and a better understanding of their peers' strengths and working styles.

Being in the room together also allows for nonverbal cues, which leads to more effective discussions, especially for those complex, sensitive, or tough conversations. I'm sure most of us have been involved in a Zoom or Microsoft Teams meeting within the past week when someone was on mute or people were talking over one another that led to an uncomfortable silence. It's just not quite the same as being in person.

When employees are physically at their company office, they reinforce your company's culture and values. They're in your company culture every day, which makes them more likely to embody it and align with your mission.

Well, now you should be convinced. Investing your time and resources into recruiting and hiring locally is well worth the investment. It's had a significant impact on myself and my career trajectory, and that mindset has helped me be my best self and Wilmac Tech grow.

To learn my best practices when it comes to developing your internship program to take advantage and leverage local talent, read my second article of this series.