Tag: hr

Common Hiring Mistakes Companies Make

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_10You hire a promising candidate, but within a month, you are cringing at your decision. What went wrong? Hiring mistakes are costly and frustrating, yet even the most seasoned managers make them. Build a better team by identifying which of these hiring mistakes you might be making and how to fix them.

Too Many or Too Few Criteria

You have an idea of what the position requires, but do you know the specifics? Before you interview for a position, create an outline of the exact skills, experience, knowledge and personality traits you seek. At the same time, having too many criteria will kill your focus. Stick with six to eight critical points.

Hiring for Skills or Personality Alone

A candidate can have ideal skills but a personality that clashes with your company mission, or they can sweep you off your feet with their personality yet lack critical experience. Balance experience and behavior-based interviewing techniques, and resist hiring anybody that fits your company in only one of the two ways.

Not Asking Follow-up Questions

“I’m a very fast learner,” the candidate says. Should you take them at their word and move on? An interview is a fact-finding mission. You need proof that your candidate’s assertions are true. Always ask specific experience-, behavior- or job-based follow-up questions.

Not Identifying Previous Mistakes

Why have your previous hires failed? Most managers can list the reasons easily, but few will have incorporated those points into the hiring process. For example, if you have a job that looks solitary on paper but requires frequent contact with vendors, make sure that you ask about communication skills.

Not Having an Entrance Strategy

Many otherwise perfect hires will fail if they do not get thorough training and oversight when they start. If you do not have a good training plan, the resources to scrutinize their initial performance or a solid structure of expectations, you might as well not be hiring.

Small shifts in hiring practices can eliminate many mistakes. With these changes, you will open the door to building a stronger team and better company.

The Benefits of Gender Balance in Workforce Planning Strategy

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image_04Pursuing gender balance is one of those small hiring changes that translates into enormous benefits. Beyond the virtue of gender equality, companies that diversify show greater efficiency, innovation and cold hard profit. It’s not a lofty goal – it’s smart strategizing.

Deeper Talent Pool

No manager would consciously slash their talent pool in half. The instant you start leveling the playing field, you broaden options and have a better chance of securing top talent.

Improved Performance

Men and women bring different viewpoints and psychological strengths to the table, and those viewpoints working together will create different personal synergies. A study by the Kellogg School of Management found that heterogeneous workgroups consistently out-perform homogenous ones [1].

Diversifying Leadership Styles

Just as you improve your problem-solving styles, you will also improve your leadership choices. Women often form leadership techniques very different from that of men. Having more management options allows you to harness the perfect fit for different teams.

Widening Your Customer Base

In order to appeal to more potential customers, your product development needs to incorporate different perspectives. Having your development teams mirror your customer base only makes sense.

A Better Bottom Line

The proof is in the numbers. One Gallop study found that across two industries, gender-balanced businesses improve their revenue by 16.5 percent above average compared to just 4.91 percent for unbalanced businesses [2]. Another study by Pepperdine University found that Fortune 500 companies that promote more women to executive management are 18 percent to 69 percent more profitable than their counterparts [3].

Smart Execution

Remember that regardless of gender, performance and skill should remain your top priorities. After all, women that feel they were hired because they are women will not be happy. Cultivate a business culture that is gender-neutral, motivating men and women to form working relationships and pursue goals equally. Your hiring strategy should encourage gender balance without disregarding merit.

Gender balance does not mean putting any one gender at the forefront. You are looking to balance the scales, hiring, and encourage and promote both genders equally. It is a smart choice for both your business and society as a whole.

 

[1] http://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/better_decisions_through_diversity

[2] http://businessjournal.gallup.com/content/166220/business-benefits-gender-diversity.aspx

[3] http://www.psmag.com/navigation/business-economics/profit-thy-name-is-woman-3920/

Generational Issues in Technology

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image_11Generational differences in the workplace are real, especially in regards to technology. Baby boomers are less comfortable with technology due to the frequent changes and overload of options. While some of these differences can cause miscommunication and strife, they also present opportunities for businesses to take the initiative for employees to work together and build stronger teamwork skills.

Training and Experience

Older generations of workers may lack up-to-date skills for using technology. They may also lack the confidence and initiative to learn new technological skills on their own. Employers that offer on-the-job training such as self-directed learning modules and in-person training sessions may be able to boost the confidence and skills of these workers. The baby boomer generation generally has less confidence and use for technology in the workplace, typically preferring in-person interactions. Employers that would like to boost technology and innovation may need to encourage baby boomers to consider ways that technology can help them communicate with their younger coworkers such as by pairing an older worker with less technological training with a younger worker who has plenty of experience using different technologies.

Comfort

Baby boomers are less likely to make use of the newest innovations in workplace technology. This even includes older technology such as email, with baby boomers 27 percent less likely to use email than members of Generation X, reports the LexisNexis Technology Gap Survey [1]. The baby boomer generation is also less comfortable than younger workers in using laptop computers, smartphones, text messaging, tablets and apps. The lack of comfort of baby boomers means that these workers may be more difficult to reach after hours, are less likely to network with coworkers and may engage in less frequent communication with supervisors and other staff.

Philosophy

The baby boomer generation generally has a lower regard for the use and importance of technology in the workplace. They tend to be more interested in in-person meetings, face-to-face conversations and telephone calls. Human resources staff and supervisors may need to emphasize the benefits of technology in the workplace such as increased productivity, enhanced creativity and easier problem-solving.

 

[1] http://www.lexisnexis.com/en-us/about-us/media/press-release.page?id=1256847004307201

 

Using Technology in Workplace Mentoring Programs

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image_22Companies that develop successful mentoring programs link these programs to specific business goals:

  • Integrating new talent quickly into the organizational and company culture
  • Ensuring high performers adapt quickly to increasingly responsible roles
  • Developing company leaders by honing skills to inspire others
  • Creating a diverse workforce at all levels through the development of interpersonal and networking skills

Each of these areas can increase their effectiveness via technology. Whether a particular mentoring program’s interaction model is one-on-one, self-directed or a combination of these, technology has a role to play.

Role of Technology in Mentoring Programs

There are three areas in which mentoring programs are aided by technology. First, mentoring management software assists in finding matches between mentors and mentorees based on job or organizational knowledge, experience and past performance.

Second, social networking software provides high-touch interaction regardless of location and time, which imparts real-time relevance to questions and answers.

Finally, E-Mentoring programs are effective at building a base of knowledge among a large group of new employees or within specific departments. These tools are used to teach best mentoring practices and clarify the roles and responsibilities of participants.

Technology in Reciprocal Mentoring

Technology has a special role to play for cross-generational mentoring situations where the conversation is a two-way street. Younger employees have a natural affinity for social networking and software tools, which they pass on to older employees. The mature employee benefits in return from acquiring new technology skills. He or she then utilizes these skills when providing the younger employee with organizational knowledge and career guidance.

Balancing Technology and the Personal Touch

The use of technology to create potent mentoring programs must not overshadow the underlying purpose: to build meaningful relationships between experienced and less experienced employees. Always ask if a particular technology or the way in which it is deployed expands or hinders that relationship to be sure it is appropriate.

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/

 

Getting Past Generational Issues in Meetings

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image_09With the way that technology has leapt forward in the past few decades, generational issues are growing more and more pronounced. Not only do you have cultural differences to deal with when you have a diverse workforce, but you also have to think about technological barriers. If you really want to make sure that everyone, from baby boomers to millennials, can work together, keep these things in mind.

Try to Involve Everyone

A big part of the reason why people feel alienated is simply because they are part of a group that is not being given equal consideration. Older workers may rely on experience and knowledge, while younger workers focus on being innovative and coming up with new ways to do things, seeing as how they lack that experience. Successful companies need to balance both of these aspects, and neither group should get preference over the other. Clearly indicate that input from both sides is valued equally so that all members of the team feel that they can contribute.

The Simplest Solution is Often the Best

Much of the time, keeping things simple is the best plan for a meeting that everyone enjoys. Do not depend too much on older or newer technologies. For example, having a meeting on Skype so that no one has to leave the office may sound easy, but it can grow complicated for older workers in a hurry. Why not just stick with older tactics of having everyone meet in a central meeting room when possible? This breeds a sense of company community, and it eliminates a lot of the hurdles that you could otherwise face.

Focus on Understanding

To some degree, you must simply realize that older and younger generations are never going to see eye-to-eye on everything. They are always going to have different viewpoints. You need to focus on bridging that gap instead of pretending it does not exist. If you can get each side to understand where the other is coming from and create an atmosphere of understanding and cooperation, cultural differences and age differences are going to mean a lot less. Focus on strengths and how people can work together. Do not focus on differences and things that are holding you back.

Best Practices for Retaining Experienced Employees

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image_12Hiring and retaining top talent is crucial to the success of any achievement-oriented organization. Corporate leaders, including HR managers and professionals, understand the staggering cost of employee turnover. Many companies are forced to endure turnover rates in excess of 60 percent every four years. Needless to say, the loss of talented executives, managers and rising stars can make it nearly impossible for a business to accomplish strategic objectives.

Career Development

Employee retention should begin even before the hiring process begins. It’s important to identify the employee characteristics that best fit the organization and position in question. Extensive discussions with executives and managers, exit interviews and regular conversations with current employees can help establish a strategy for making successful hires.

Although it’s true that talented employees are typically interested in furthering their career goals, it should not be assumed that compensation is the only reward they have in mind. Many talented employees move on simply because they’re frustrated with management or they perceive that the company doesn’t offer a realistic path for career advancement. Every HR recruiter should be aware of the career opportunities that may be available to prospective employees.

Achievement and Advancement

Talented employees are more likely to stay with a company that demonstrates an interest in their career goals. Constant communication at every level of an organization is the only way to avoid unexpected resignations. Every level of leadership should emphasize the implementation of a professional development program that includes the career objectives of future leaders. The importance of related training and development for managers and executives cannot be overemphasized.

The career goals of one talented employee may be quite different from that of another high achiever. It’s vital that the leadership of a company create the conditions necessary to prompt an employee to strive for success. While one employee has a desire to occupy the office of a high-level executive, another high achiever may only be interested in high-stakes commission checks. Ambitious employees can’t stand failure. It’s only natural that they keep their future prospects in mind. A professional HR department does everything possible to allow talented employees to reach their highest potential.