Driving talent

When Hertz steered applicants to the company's recruiting website in recent years, the illustration on the landing page was a rendering of the new corporate headquarters under construction in Estero.

“We used the building when it was a sketch,” says Eliana Zem, executive vice president and chief human resources at Hertz.

The car-rental giant recently opened the sprawling corporate headquarters building equal to the size of more than four football fields in Estero in South Lee County. Since it relocated to existing office space in Naples and Bonita Springs in 2013 from New Jersey, the company has hired more than 465 people out of a total corporate headquarters staff of 625.

But now that the corporate campus is open, it's an important recruiting tool for Hertz because it counter-balances the perception by outsiders that Florida is just a playground. “It's not only about the palm trees,” Zem says.

The new building itself has all the corporate perks of a Fortune 500 company. There's a gym with the latest exercise machines and locker rooms, a 50-child daycare center, a cafeteria with subsidized meals and a free coffee bar on every floor. An open floor plan with plush furnishings and plenty of natural light encourages collaborative work.

“The quality of the environment is what attracts and retains people,” Zem says. “You have to have those [amenities] to compete.”

But even Zem herself wondered about moving to Southwest Florida to join Hertz last summer. “There is nothing there, you'll be totally isolated,” some people suggested.

Of course, the truth is that Florida does have a strong corporate presence even if the state's marketing is aimed at tourists seeking golf, beaches and outdoor recreation. “Real business happens here,” Zem says.

For highly specialized jobs in corporate accounting and analytics, for example, Hertz often recruits people from outside the region. To help recruiters do that, Hertz created a brochure for prospective applicants that shows a mix of work and lifestyle. There are images of homes, golf and boating but also of people in suits and ties.

One of the biggest challenges in Southwest Florida is to recruit two-career couples. “Is there a place for my wife to find work?” Zem says candidates ask.

It's easier to attract top management accustomed to moving for their work, Zem says. “You have to target people whose partner isn't working,” she says. Families with small children are easier to recruit, too. “While kids are small they are still portable,” she says.

To build a pipeline of talent, Hertz has started a management-training program that rotates young graduates from Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers and other local colleges through various corporate departments at the company over an 18-month period. “It's about growing our own,” Zem says.

The job application process relies on technology to sort through the candidates efficiently. Recently, Glassdoor recognized Hertz as having the best interview experience in its industry, providing a transparent, efficient and organized interview process. The award is based solely on feedback shared by job applicants on Glassdoor's website, which posts reviews of workplaces much like TripAdvisor lets hotel customers post comments.

Because of its size, the Hertz campus may seem like an overwhelming place to newcomers. To bring people together, Zem started employee resource groups. These are like open clubs that bring together employees with similar interests at work and play. For example, there's one for women and another for younger employees.

Employees are encouraged to recruit their friends, with bonuses that can exceed $1,000. “I just love the referral program,” Zem says. “It is so efficient because people know the culture already.”

 TIPS 
• Careers are important: It's not all about the beaches.

• Office layout is a recruiting tool.

• Offer referral bonuses for like-minded employees.

• Grow your own talent.

Follow Jean Gruss on Twitter @JeanGruss