Category: Focus on Recruitment

Hiring Quality Staff in a Down Economy

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image_01A struggling economy may sound like the bane of businesses, but it changes hiring into a buyer’s market. Your hiring pool is swarming with top talent, frustrated by layoffs, looking to be scooped up by big corporations. Take advantage while you can and fill your empty positions with quality hires.

Hire Strategically

An abundance of options gives you the opportunity to be discerning. Take your time screening and interviewing potential hires, and only offer positions to people that are a perfect fit for your company. Down economies are also more forgiving when it comes to hiring mistakes. Dismiss poor fits swiftly to avoid buyer’s remorse when the economy starts up again.

Trade Salary for Perks

If your company is looking to keep salary costs down but your best candidates are expecting premium pay, consider offering them perks to make up the difference. Access to a company car, the ability to telecommute a few days a week or extra vacation days can be an even bigger draw than a high salary for some candidates.

Be Wary of Over-Qualification

Candidates that are too good to be true on paper can be a hiring trap. Over-qualified candidates are desperate for work now, but when bigger and better opportunities open up, they are likely to start looking elsewhere. Unless you are willing to promote these candidates into a higher position to keep them, avoid the temptation of those glowing resumes.

Do Not Neglect Retention

Unhappy employees will start looking for greener pastures the moment the economy turns around. Anticipate the inevitable end of the recession by cultivating a happy, loyal staff when the going is rough. Showing open appreciation for hard work will go a long way with your valuable new hires and established employees.

By stacking your ranks with quality hires, your company will be a step ahead of the rest when the recession comes to an end. Be picky, be strategic and harness your blessings in disguise.

Hiring Strategies for New Graduates

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image_24Smart businesses need new talent to remain competitive. Attracting new college graduates with fresh perspectives, enthusiasm and ambition requires Human Resources to develop effective strategies for tapping this pool of talent. Recruitment should include methods for fine tuning mutual fit between candidates’ skills and company needs as well.

Identifying Student Groups

There are four groups of students that HR should target:

  • Broad student populations when a large number of similar positions are available
  • Specific majors that meet knowledge requirements for particular departments
  • Post-graduates for specialized or upper-level positions
  • International students with unique skills

High-touch tactics to reach these groups include career fairs, on-campus presentations, faculty recommendations and engaging alumni who already work for your company. These methods are more effective when coupled with the use of social media to communicate unique benefits your company offers. Apply your strategies at the sophomore and junior levels for pre-recruitment activities too.

Evaluating the NCG’s Fit for Your Company

As an enticement to NCGs to sign up and to ensure a good fit for their skills and the needs of the company, job internships are an ideal way to accomplish both goals. Unlike candidates who arrive with years of experience, NCGs may have unrealistic expectations regarding job requirements and responsibilities, which can be adjusted as they cycle through temporary positions.

Even if they were introduced to the company through summer internships, placing them in a full-time rotating internship program over six months to a year provides them and the company a mutual evaluation of skills, expectations and motivating factors. When managed correctly, these programs lead to well-integrated, satisfied and efficient employees.

It Is Not All about the Money

Any college graduate is eager to receive his first paycheck, of course. Salary is not the only incentive for fresh graduates, however. They also consider the non-monetary benefits. Top among these are health insurance, vacation and opportunities for professional growth. Popular among new college graduates are companies that offer comprehensive training and both upward and lateral mobility. So, make sure your NCG hiring strategy is tuned to meet these expectations as well.

Workforce Planning in a Booming Economy

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image_23A fast-growing economy puts pressure on any company’s workforce planning. As the unemployment rate in the U.S. dips toward 6 percent and productivity gains taper, there are fewer qualified candidates to fill a swelling number of open positions. Many HR departments must adjust their efforts in order to fill a widening gap between the supply and demand of new talent.

Re-Assessing Your Current Workforce Plan

There are many signs that the U.S. is finally heading out of its long recession. Your workforce planning efforts must identify the areas most affected should the economy take off.

  • Company projections for growth in the workforce may no longer be realistic. Ask what it would take to meet a surge in open positions. Perhaps an increase of contingent staffing for the short-term is in order.
  • Increased demand for employees also increases pressure on your retention policies. Review current retention policies, especially for your most valued employees.
  • Scrutinize how your company’s compensation and benefits packages compare to those of competitors. Look for creative benefits improvements that appeal to a younger generation of workers.
  • Re-evaluate new college graduate acquisition programs. A larger internal talent pool of graduates could be tapped as the economy grows. Perhaps your company can improve its university presence and expand internship and training programs.


Leveraging Information Technology

Automation and increased use of information technology has been unquestionably effective at improving productivity in many industry sectors. The application of IT is not typically a key expertise of an HR department, but associates should collaborate with other company groups to advocate for employing such resources in order to reduce headcount needs.

Maintain High Standards

As the economy grows and qualified candidates become harder to identify, HR must avoid the temptation to lower hiring standards in order to fill seats. Acquiring and retaining talented employees pays huge dividends in the long term where the focus of workforce planning should be. Early adjustments to your company’s workforce planning should take priority over settling for less qualified workers.

Best Practices for Recruiting Millennial Workers

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image_26Every effective human resources professional is also an accomplished sociologist.  The best practices for recruiting and retaining top talent changes from generation to generation.  This is especially true when it comes to what is known as the millennial or Gen Y generation.

Millennial Generation

The millennial generation refers to anyone that was born between the years of 1982 and 2002.  Just like previous generations, most millennials exhibit unique characteristics when it comes to pursuing a professional career.  Although income and security are important, millennials seem to be more interested in developing meaningful relationships and finding purpose in their personal and professional lives.

It’s estimated that Gen Y workers will make up 75 percent of the workforce by 2025.  Unlike the preceding generation, millennials aren’t necessarily interested in job security or spending an entire career with one company.  According to Undercover Recruiter, millennial workers are idealistic, ambitious, digitally proficient and diverse[1].  Over 70 percent of existing millennial workers intend to leave their job once the economy improves.

Recruiting Millennials

HR professionals are finding that developing a relationship with Gen Y job prospects is more effective than selling the salary and perks of a professional position.  Many companies begin networking with future job prospects early on in college.  Millennial job applicants rely on social media to research and get to know prospective employers.  Nevertheless, it shouldn’t be assumed that social networking alone is the answer to attracting talented millennials.

Millennial workers want to identify with the company they work for and be part of a company culture that promotes camaraderie and high employee morale[2].  They want to make a difference and be involved in the decision making process.  Employers are encouraged to embrace the entrepreneurial spirit, provide lots of feedback and understand that millennial employees are seeking opportunities to grow and advance.

Gen Y Stereotypes

As with any set of assumptions, the stereotypes generally attributed to the millennial generation won’t apply to every job prospect.  There are many exceptions to every rule.  Understanding the world view of millennials is crucial in today’s workforce environment, but identifying the aspirations of individual job candidates is far more important.  Finally, a company should never cater to millennials at the expense of an achievement oriented workforce culture.

 

[1] http://theundercoverrecruiter.com/how-to-recruit-millennials-your-company-infographic/

[2] http://www.findly.com/blog/how-to-recruit-and-retain-millennial-applicants/

 

Take Control of Your Employer Brand With Buyer Advertising

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Best Time of Year to Hire Resources

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image_27Hiring new workers can be tricky. Owners have to walk that fine line between hiring too many people who then run out of work and not hiring enough people to get all of the work done on time. However, even when it is clear that you need more workers, knowing when to look for them can be difficult. Is there a prime time of year to bring on extra help?

For seasonal businesses, the answer is clear: As demand goes up, more workers have to be brought in, and they then have to be let go as the demand falls. If you run a company that cleans pools in the Midwest, you are not going to need anyone for six months of the year, but you need to drastically increase your workforce in the spring, when people are opening their pools back up, and during the summer.

For non-seasonal businesses, the spring may also be the best time of year, however. That is when most colleges let out, and so the job market will be flooded with new graduates. They are all going to be looking for positions in May and June, with the best employees being swept up right away. You can still find workers in July, August and September, but you may miss out on the workers that you really want. The ones who are left are those who were turned down at other places. There is also a minor surge in workers in early December due to students who graduate after the fall semester, but it is not as drastic.

It is worth noting that many students will start sending out resumes and applications in March and April, before they really graduate, to make sure that jobs are waiting for them. Hiring at this time can work; it all depends on your goals. If you are looking for the very best employees, finding them in advance is worth it, as you could offer them a position before they take one elsewhere. If you need employees who can start immediately, though, this may not work as well, seeing as how the people you hire may not actually be able to start for a few months.

Recruitment as a Form of Business Development & Sales

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image_13The single most important thing that a company can do when it comes to development over time is to focus heavily on recruitment. Whether building the company from the ground up or expanding it, having top talent in the industry is the best way to hit realistic goals and improve. This can help the company develop and react to the market so that it stays relevant and gives consumers what they want.

Recruitment can be aimed directly at development mainly by targeting the ways in which the company falls short and then focusing on addressing those needs when bringing in new employees. For example, a company looking to expand into a new market with a new demographic of potential buyers needs to have people with experience who understand that demographic. Trying to shift in the direction of selling to an older age group, for instance, means bringing in recruits who have worked with people in that age group before. They can then direct the company’s actions and help the business connect with these people so that the potential pool of buyers is truly increased.

However, expansion and development may not always be so clear-cut, and this is when companies need to search for visionary recruits who can help see what needs to be done to take things to the next level. Often, internal employees will be accustomed to doing things in one fashion that may have worked in the past, and so it will be hard for them see new opportunities. Creative new recruits can think outside of that box, meaning development is a constant process. The company can always be shifting and looking for new ways to adapt.

As new markets are opened up and new ideas are tested out, recruits who understand those markets and those buyers need to be brought in to work on the sales end of the operation. They will better understand the people they are selling to, so they will have more success than workers who have never focused on those areas. A company should always be recruiting in a way that fits the direction that the company itself is moving.

Staying Competitive While Retaining the Best Staff

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image_12In order to focus on retaining your best workers and staying competitive in the industry, you first need to look at why these employees tend to leave. When you understand what types of issues are forcing them out the door, you can concentrate on countering these concerns, so that employees stay with your company for the foreseeable future. While the myth is employees usually leave for more money, the truth is typically more complex.

To begin with, many employees switch companies simply because they are not receiving the treatment they desire. This might come down to supervisors with poor people skills. If employees feel like their supervisors are always bossing them around, being short and angry with their instructions, and generally adding to their level of stress, they may want to leave that environment even if it means taking a pay cut. In fact, Susan M. Heathfield reported on About.com that “a bad boss is also the number one reason why employees quit their job.[1]” In a case like this, your retention rates could go up simply by replacing that supervisor or instituting new policies that create a more positive working environment.

Similarly, employees sometimes leave because of conflict with other employees. Heathfield also pointed out that “second only to an employee’s manager, the coworkers with whom he sits, interacts, and serves with on teams are critical components of an employee’s work environment[2].” If other employees are aggressive and consistently mean to them, they could leave a job that they actually love because they cannot stand working with that person. The best way to put an end to this is to address it upfront. Look for small conflicts and have management and the HR department work to defuse them before they get serious.

Finally, some employees leave because of a lack of advancement opportunities. This can be tied to money, but it’s not always connected. An employee may take a lower-paying job somewhere else if they feel the job they currently have is just a dead end. People grow bored and frustrated when they do not feel like they are working toward a goal, and Heathfield advises employers, saying that “if you have an employee who acts as if they are [bored], you need to help her find her passion[3].” Make sure that employees always have room to grow and move up in the organization.

Of course, money always has to be considered. If your pay levels are not competitive in the market, you are going to lose workers. However, concentrating on the three keys above can help you retain many employees in the years to come.

 

 

[1] http://humanresources.about.com/od/resigning-from-your-job/a/top-10-reasons-employees-quit-their-job.htm

[2] http://humanresources.about.com/od/resigning-from-your-job/a/top-10-reasons-employees-quit-their-job.htm

[3] http://humanresources.about.com/od/resigning-from-your-job/a/top-10-reasons-employees-quit-their-job.htm

 

Leveraging Social Media to Recruit the Best Talent

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

 

image_30The key to building a successful workforce is to be proactive in finding and recruiting the best talent that you can get. It is not enough to wait for people to apply and then pick the top applicants. You must make a concerted effort to locate these people and get in touch with them.

One way to do this is by harnessing the power of social media. Thanks to sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, people are now more connected than they have ever been before. Networking has always been important, but it’s simpler than it has been in the past with the easy-to-follow digital trail that connects each person to the next. In fact, according to MediaBistro, “92 percent of companies use platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook for recruitment[1].” To make use of it, though, you really have to be able to look past the chatter and noise to find the recruits you want.

You can start by looking for those who are showcasing their work. For example, many graphic designers and calligraphers will put their work up on Pinterest. They may also run personal blogs that are linked into various networks. They share this work with their followers simply because they are proud of it, but you can use it to easily assess what they are capable of. It was found that 73 percent of companies “hired successfully with social media”, so this is clearly a tactic that works[2].

The beauty of this system is that it puts less emphasis on asking for portfolios of work and doing interviews. You can often learn everything you need to know about their dedication, their quality of work and any special attributes that they have before you even get in touch with them. By the time that you reach out to them for an interview, you will have a very good idea of what they can provide and whether or not you want to offer them a job, making it take “less time to hire” as MediaBistro found was the case with 20 percent of the companies that used social media[3].

Finally, you can use social media to learn a lot about their background. Looking at their education level and their extracurricular activities — such as semesters spent studying abroad or participation in a college athletic team — can give you some idea of their personality, so you can determine whether or not they are a good fit for your team.

 

 

[1] [2] [3] http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/social-media-recruiting_b50575

 

 

 

Recruitment Advertising Metrics/Analytics

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With so many different sources available to attract top talent, it can be difficult to know where best to spend your recruitment budget. Self-select metrics are 83% innaccurate, which means that 4 out of 5 candidates identify the wrong source when applying for a job.

With Buyer’s enhanced analytics, you can view real-time metrics including source effectiveness and cost per hire. The source of your hires doesn’t have to be a mystery – start hiring more efficiently with Buyer’s enhanced analytics tools!

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