NPMA’s job-seeker website brings results

The home page of NPMA’s PestControlJobs.com invites visitors to not only learn more, but to apply for open positions. PHOTO: NPMA

Pest control, like nearly every other industry, is not immune to current and ongoing labor challenges. As an entire generation of workers prepares to retire and the industry rapidly expands to meet demand, the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) is working tirelessly to support this need.

The NPMA began its Workforce Development Program in late 2020. Since then, we have been tackling the challenges of recruiting talent and promoting pest control as a viable and desirable industry with many job opportunities and career paths through a jobseeker website, dedicated job board, social media properties and paid ad campaigns.

TARGETING JOB CANDIDATES

The NPMA operates a jobseeker website, PestControlJobs.com, where visitors can learn about the industry, benefits and growth potential, career paths and more. A robust search engine optimization (SEO) program ensures all website content is optimized for top keywords that drive traffic from search engines.

One of the most popular features of the website is Careers in Action, where we partner with select NPMA member companies to profile an all-star employee and his or her career growth story. Often, these are professionals who started their careers as a technician and moved into advanced or alternative roles.

The top-visited page of the website continues to be our dedicated and exclusive job board,
Careers.PestControlJobs.com, which features job postings from NPMA member companies. Since its launch, the job board has recorded more than 117,000 total pageviews and 63,000 total sessions and counting.

Founders Club members enjoy ample benefits, such as unlimited job postings and a spotlight in the “Featured Employers” sponsorship section. We also run paid ad campaigns on ZipRecruiter and social media to drive traffic directly to the job board. In just over one year, more than 3,500 job seekers have submitted applications through the job board.

PROMOTING THE INDUSTRY

Cindy Mannes is the vice president of public affairs for the National Pest Management Association, and executive director of its Professional Pest Management Alliance. Photo courtesy of Cindy Mannes

We segment social messaging and digital ads for our target audiences to highlight the ways in which pest control offers the benefits job seekers are looking for, such as flexibility, on-the-job training, ample opportunity for growth and great pay. Our Facebook page boasts more than 9,300 Facebook followers, and our ads have garnered more than 4.3 million impressions since we launched the page. We also utilize LinkedIn and Instagram Stories campaigns, and we are adding YouTube ads and content syndication campaigns to continue to reach new audiences on a variety of platforms.

There’s also a public relations component, where we work to promote the industry through targeted media outreach. One of our most exciting media wins came in January, when it was announced that “exterminator” was listed among U.S. News & World Report’s Best Maintenance and Repair Jobs of 2022. A bonus was many of the job listings contained within the feature directed readers to our job board, proving that our marketing efforts were successful in not only shining a spotlight on the industry, but also working seamlessly together to promote it.

The NPMA is fortunate to realize this success through the support of our Founders Club, Patrons Club, and Gold and Silver Supplier level sponsors. With sponsorship comes many incredible and valuable opportunities, such as unlimited job postings for Founders Club members and Employer Toolkit materials to help in the hiring and recruiting process, which are available to all sponsorship levels. All NPMA members get one complimentary job posting a year.

April is National Pest Management Month, which is a perfect time to get involved and learn how you can benefit from the innumerable ways we’re reaching job seekers and promoting this thriving industry. Visit NPMAWorkforce.org to learn more and get involved today.