Recruiting Outside of the Box

Attracting qualified technicians requires creative recruitment strategies that go beyond good pay. 

M. Diane MCCORMICK

At Accel Pest and Termite Control, one technician applied three times for a job with his dream employer and was thrilled to finally be hired. The story illustrates how Accel and other innovators in pest control are getting creative to recruit new employees and become the employer of choice for top people.  

“Knowing who your internal customers are is just as important as knowing your external customers,” says Shon Vodila, president at Accel, which is based in Virginia. “If we treat our people right, they’re going to treat our customers right, and then we’re going to grow.”

In a competitive hiring environment, quality candidates are attracted by “not only the pay, but how you treat people,” agrees Cherry Dobbs, human resources generalist at Bug Busters, which is based in Georgia and serves clients across the Southeast. “Finding qualified candidates requires creativity and thinking outside of the box. You can’t just depend on Indeed. You can’t just depend on your website.”

Candidates “have more employment options than ever,” says Shay Runion, senior vice president of professional development at Arrow Exterminators, which serves clients across the U.S. “Companies must compete not only on compensation, but also on culture, career growth opportunities, stability, and delivering on the promises made during the recruiting process.” 

As pest control companies stretch beyond conventional job postings, they are incentivizing employee referrals, hiring for potential over experience, partnering with military transition and vocational programs, and showcasing company culture. In the process, they are not just filling slots but are building teams devoted to excellence.

EMPLOYEE REFERRALS
As Indeed defines them, employee referral programs incentivize employees to recommend job candidates from their networks of family and friends. Pest control companies often incentivize such referrals with bonuses, spooled out in doses as the referred employees reach timeline milestones. 

This doesn’t mean employee referral programs have to be expensive, says Runion. About 24% of Arrow employees come from referrals, but the bonus—$200—hasn’t changed since the program began in 2015. 
Now, Arrow has a goal of increasing referred employees to 35%, and it’s reviving the original program rollout—a Western-themed “most wanted” campaign that makes referrals fun and helps keep the company top of mind. 

“Our team members are going to refer people that they trust,” says Runion. “They want people that are going to come and stay because they really love it here.”

Well-made employee referral programs view new hires as investments to be protected, says Dobbs. At Bug Busters, referring employees receive $500 bonuses in four installments over one year, as their friends or family stay on, to justify the expense of advertising, background checks, and training. The return on investment grows exponentially as those hires spread the word that Bug Busters values them and encourages learning, she adds. 

“Of five people who heard that news, at least two of them will share it with their friends,” she says. “We want to let everyone know that we are a good employer.”

At Accel, where bonuses can reach as high as $1,000, many successful referrals are family members—children, siblings, husbands, and wives—of existing employees. 

“You probably know someone who works like you because, like they say, birds of a feather flock together,” says Vodila.

HIRING FOR POTENTIAL
Skills can be taught. Character is inherent. Pest control companies that hire for potential, even when candidates lack industry experience, build approaches that mold an individual’s talent to the needs of the company. 

The Accel screening process takes into account leadership and experience in parallel fields, such as construction, while assessing whether personality traits will fit with Accel’s core values.   

Vodila tells HR to send rock-star applicants to him for a talk, because he can make adjustments for people who don’t quite fit into open positions. To him, hiring for character paves the way for homegrown leadership, as people arrive with solid ethics and, as they learn the company culture, mature into other roles. 

Many desirable skills, such as excellent customer service, transfer from other industries, Dobbs says. And some Bug Busters candidates signal their enthusiasm when they say they’re fascinated with bugs and wildlife. One recent sales hire was given a hybrid role as technician to take advantage of his love of crawling into dusty spaces. 

But, Dobbs notes, those inexperienced hires need support from a structured training strategy. Bug Busters’ new employees quickly become educated on industry standards using online training that covers everything from signs of pest activity to different treatment methods. 

Character can be difficult to assess in interviews, Runion notes, but fleshing out yes-or-no questions into narrative opportunities—asking about a time when the candidate handled a customer complaint, for example, or managed a disagreement with a co-worker—can offer a peek into values and problem-solving abilities. 

CREATIVE BRANDING
Innovative pest control companies don’t just advertise their services to clients. They also project their brands into the communities where job prospects live.

In recent years, Dobbs added social media to the Bug Busters recruitment strategy because it is “one of the best ways to recruit people and to let them see your company,” she says. Job postings become actionable with QR codes that take curious readers to the Bug Busters website and provide information on the benefits of working there. 

Arrow uses social media content, such as “Day in the Life” videos, to stand out and “give candidates a realistic view of the work and our culture,” Runion says. “To build an employer brand that attracts candidates rather than simply advertises jobs, we focus on showcasing what makes Arrow a great place to work. We actively manage our online reputation by monitoring and responding to reviews, and we maintain dedicated Arrow Careers social media channels managed by our recruiter.”

Potential hires see that if they invest in Arrow, “Arrow will invest in them,” she adds. “Rather than focusing solely on job openings, we highlight team member appreciation events, promotions, awards, dress-up days, training programs, and community involvement to give candidates an authentic view of our culture,” Runion says. “These stories help demonstrate our commitment to employee growth, recognition, and engagement.”
Arrow also launched virtual hiring events. Many candidates join the virtual interviews from their vehicles during breaks in their current jobs.

“By eliminating the need to take time off work, travel, or dress formally for an in-person interview, these events help us connect with more qualified candidates and create a more candidate-friendly hiring experience,” says Runion.
 
Accel’s company video highlights the voices of appreciative employees, and its social media channels are used to celebrate birthdays and work anniversaries. 

Still, Accel’s branding and intensive onboarding make it clear that greatness is an expectation. This is a hiring asset, because “most people want to do a good job and enjoy their work,” Vodila says. “That’s when you’re going to just feel good about yourself, and you’re going to accomplish more things in life.”

VETERANS AND YOUNG PEOPLE
NPMA leadership and members are dedicated to creating hiring opportunities for military veterans industrywide. NPMA’s PestVets creates awareness of pest control career opportunities and helps service members move into, and grow in, civilian employment in the industry. 

Veterans contribute to company culture through their “valuable leadership, discipline, teamwork, and problem-solving skills,” says Runion.

Arrow leaders serve on the NPMA PestVets board and local committees such as Georgia PestVets, keeping the company actively engaged in veteran recruitment, recognition, and support. Through partnerships with multiple military recruiting programs, Arrow’s recruiter shares open positions weekly and guarantees interviews to veterans who apply. 

Arrow’s military veterans can join the company’s Veterans Committee, which offers ideas for recruiting veterans and leads community service projects such as supporting golf tournaments for veterans’ causes and collecting coat-drive donations in partnership with an organization that helps homeless veterans. 
Local veterans committees at Arrow service centers also have sponsored ramp construction for disabled veterans and rodent extermination for veterans who can’t afford pest control. The efforts project the Arrow brand without “being loud or vocal about it,” says Runion. 

“Veterans see us in the communities,” she says. “They see that we’re involved and that we have a desire to help veterans. It kind of speaks for itself, and so that has recruited additional veterans to us, just by seeing that we’re involved.” 

At Bug Busters, Dobbs is expanding outreach to young people to spotlight potential careers in pest control. The company is connecting with a county economic development organization for opportunities to participate in trade shows and hiring events. Bug Busters also recently joined a youth empowerment group that recommends high school students looking for summer work experience, plus a vocational education program that provides students for summer ride-alongs.

A BRIGHT OUTLOOK
Flexibility and listening to candidates and existing employees are the keys to keeping pace with rapidly changing hiring and retention trends, says Runion. Ongoing professional development and maintenance of SHRM and HRCI certifications keep HR professionals up to date on best practices and workforce needs.
“By combining adaptability, continuous learning, and a focus on employee feedback, we can attract and retain top talent in a changing environment,” she says.

In business, innovative recruitment and people-first retention build consistency while helping employees “achieve things that they didn’t know were possible,” says Vodila. “If we make them successful and healthy here, it’s going to pay dividends. Even if it doesn’t directly benefit the business, helping people grow and reach their potential is what matters most.”

LAUNCH: A New Pipeline for Pest Management Careers

While referral bonuses and veteran hiring programs strengthen today’s workforce, NPMA is also building a pipeline for tomorrow’s: LAUNCH, the pest management industry’s first dedicated career summit.
Set for March 8-10, 2027, at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, LAUNCH will bring college students and other aspiring talent together with the companies and suppliers that need them. Unlike past industry student events, LAUNCH is built around the full breadth of careers a $13 billion-plus industry actually offers—business, technology, science, and service roles that span far beyond the technician role most people picture.

WHY A CAREER SUMMIT? WHY NOW?
The same hiring environment driving companies toward referral programs and veteran partnerships is also pushing them to compete for early-career talent earlier than ever. LAUNCH meets your prospective employees where they are—business majors, IT and data programs, supply chain and logistics, marketing, and the sciences—and introduces them to a career path most have never considered.
Faculty and career services staff are central to this effort. Because direct student access is limited, NPMA is leaning on department heads, advisers, and career centers as trusted messengers who can put pest management on a student’s radar long before graduation.

BUILT FOR COMPANIES  AND SUPPLIERS, TOO
LAUNCH isn’t just a student event; it’s also a career fair and engagement opportunity for NPMA member companies and industry suppliers looking to recruit and build their brand with the next generation of talent. Sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities will be available for companies that want to get in front of students early.

GET INVOLVED
LAUNCH is in its early planning stages now, with outreach to universities, students, and member companies ramping up over the coming months. Member companies and suppliers interested in sponsorship or exhibitor opportunities can learn more at npmalaunch.org.