Eagan’s Seasonal Recruitment Strategies

Eagan Human Resources Director Jesse Swenson and her team held a recruitment forum in fall 2021 with citywide department hiring managers to generate ideas for recruitment in a tight labor market. Staffing was identified as an area of need for standard seasonal positions, rec programs, as well as the city’s award-winning outdoor waterpark.

During the forum, attendees were asked to answer three main questions including, “What sets us apart as an employer of choice?” HR staff also asked department managers for new recruitment ideas, as well as any successful ideas used in the past. Swenson said the discussions resulted in amazing idea generation and many “aha moments” to tie into future recruitment efforts.

Targeting seasonal positions

Following the forum, the HR team identified key phrases to use in marketing the city as an employer and partnered with the city’s communication and engagement department on strategic and targeted recruitment.

One of the messages generated by the forum was that city seasonal jobs allow workers to build their resume and set people up for career success.

Another great “aha moment” included targeting Gen Z applicants for seasonal hiring by using social media and video to showcase peers working in their actual jobs. While recruitment videos are a common tool used by companies in the private sector, there have been few videos targeted specifically to seasonal, public-sector employees. The first iteration of the “Join Team Eagan” video highlighted many jobs at the city’s award-winning outdoor waterpark.

Eagan’s in-house cable programming staff helped record and edit the footage for the “Join Team Eagan” video, but Swenson noted that a similar concept could be completed by cities without in-house cable staff in a few hours using footage from an iPhone edited with iMovie.

Another great idea generated by the forum was to increase the awareness of Eagan’s seasonal employees by issuing Eagan green sunglasses to all seasonal staff. The sunglasses are not only helpful for identifying staff working in these seasonal positions, but they also promote the city’s brand out in the community.

Early success

Early indicators of the city’s new recruitment initiatives are positive. The city has already seen more applications than previous years and far more hits to the city’s hiring webpage.

Swenson anticipates expanding seasonal hiring videos to highlight more citywide positions in the future.