Don't waste a captive audience - get your best '24 staff back for '25

Aug 7nd, 2024

Staff recruiting is hard. Future you will thank you.

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If you like these emails, the best way to keep them going and support me is to respond "Jack I like the emails and I think I want to bring you out for training next year. It's camp now so I am busy AF, let's talk in the fall."

The summer is almost over. You did it! You are tired. You changed lives and hopefully are getting a well deserved break. If you don't have mandatory time off talk to your boss.

Every camp director I talk to tells me the same thing this time of year. If the staff were awesome the summer was awesome. To have awesome staff you have 4 levers to pull

1) Recruit great people - more on this in a second

2) Train them super well - bring in a trainer, have a great plan, make it fun

3) Build a great culture - lots more to say about this in the future

4) Ask for feasible work - challenging is great, impossible is bad

Start recruiting the best staff for 2025 now

Interviews don't really work, but seeing someone in action for a summer!? Now you know for sure if they are great staff. Get the best staff you have at camp right now, thinking they will be back next summer.

WHAT TO DO? - INVITE THEM

You can do all kinds of bonuses or early commitment swag and people swear by that. My take, a personal invitation is what staff need.

Make a list of the top 10 staff you would love to rehire

Have a 2 minute conversation with them inviting them back

Write down what they think are the barriers

Repeat

I have seen some people take this much further with color coded lists of all the staff and eleborate processes. That is awesome! And don't let perfect get in the way of increasing the likelihood your best staff come back.

The Invitation Script

"James! I love having you at camp. Your kids love you and it's inspiring to see you in action.

(insert personalized compliment or story if possible)

It would be amazing to get you back at camp next summer, what would it take to make that happen?"

Then LISTEN! Common responses I hear

I don't know I might have to get a real job

I think I will have to get an internship

I have to take some classes

It's a long summer...

TBH it depends on my friends

Being a camp counselor again just might not be it

AMAZING! Now you can start helping them solve their problems. Great staff almost never say, "I don't want to come back because it sucks here." Usually they love camp and don't know how to fit it in to their career or life. So help them.

I don't know I might have to get a real job

Heard! Now Ariella at Sanborn Western Camps would say "This is a real job these aren't pretend kids" - But we will let that go for now.

The real job problem is usually about 2 objections

Feeling like this doesn't advance their resume or not making enough money. Make it easy for them to tell you which one it is for them -

"I heard you, is it more the money side or the resume situation that get's in the way?"

Resume? I will write more soon on signature experiences for resume building, for now just note that for them so you know how to follow up later.

Money? "I can't promise anything, but if you made $700/week would that make it an easy decision to be back? Is there a number?" You probably can't promise anything, but this info will be huge for you to think about paying staff.

I think I will have to get an internship

Internships can be great and mostly they are for resume building so we are back to above. Mostly college students have heard internships are important and they look good. Knowing that your staff "need" resumes this fall let's make a plan for having internships at camp and helping staff get short internships before camp starts.

On a resume "Summer Intern at Famous Company - Summer 2025" looks the same if it's 2 weeks of 2 months.

I have to take some classes

They might! "Could you take them remotely if you had 2 more hours off a day?" What about a partial summer?

You Are Better at Problem Solving Than They Are

I won't go through all the objections because I think you get the point. Ask them a few follow up questions, don't beg, but show that there is flexibility and more options than they see at the moment.

Write down their objections so you can send them a text in November helping them solve their problem in a way that also let's them come to camp.

Invite Them Back!

Your staff want to be wanted. They want to feel like they have purpose. They love camp. Help them see how camp can be possible again. Save yourself hours of worry looking for new staff that you have no idea how good they will be next summer.