Tag: recruitment

Best Time of Year to Hire Resources

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

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

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

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

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

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

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

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!

Learn more about our enhanced analytics tools by clicking here and let us exceed your expectations today!

Responsive Site Design

Posted on by Buyer Advertising
In today’s world, the Internet is one of the most important forms of media – and the share of internet usage on mobile devices such as tablets or smartphones is growing exponentially every year! This year, mobile browsing has the potential of overtaking traditional desktop browsing!

A responsive website responds to the screen size of the device you are viewing the website on. Instead of creating different websites for different devices, a responsive website rearranges the elements to fit any screen.

At Buyer, our interactive specialists can help you develop an engaging, dynamic website optimized for mobile browsing. Contact us today!

Buyer Solutions: Mobile/Responsive Career Sites

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

Did you know that over 1 billion job searches are done per month on a mobile device? At Buyer Advertising, our custom mobile solutions will help optimize your jobs for candidates on-the-go!

Buyer’s mobile recruiting solutions offer:

  • Cohesive employer branding
  • Compelling custom content
  • Responsive/mobile ready interfaces
  • Geo targeted job search capability
  • Quick apply functionality
  • ATS/social media integration

Learn more by clicking here, and contact us today to discover how our mobile recruiting solutions can help you!

Three Ways that the Recruitment Landscape is Changing as the Economy Rebounds in 2014

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

After several years of economic depression and stagnation, the United States is seeing a rebound in 2014. While this affects businesses of all types in a variety of ways, it also plays a big role in the look of the recruitment landscape. Here are three of the key ways that recruitment is changing thanks to economic rebounding:

1. More Competitive Packages for Best Candidates

In 2009, there were six applicants vying for every single job opening. In 2014, that ratio has halved, leaving just three applications for every position, according to U.S. News & World Report[1]. While this still gives employees the upper hand in negotiations, the most highly qualified candidates will be harder to recruit. This creates the need for more competitive packages for applicants. These packages will focus on salary, but they may also include fringe benefits, like the option of working from home or flexible hours.

2. Faster Recruitment Process

Ken Sundheim writes that, “An improved economy means heightened opportunity costs (i.e. lost potential sales) when organizations don’t have the manpower to service clients.[2]” In a stronger economy, companies need to cut down on recruiting times in order to be fully employed on a consistent basis. Hiring managers may have to conduct fewer interviews and make faster decisions when recruiting in order to cut down on the time that positions stay vacant within a business.

3. Increased Use of Outside Recruitment Providers

Perhaps the biggest change in the recruitment landscape is that in a booming economy, companies are willing to spend more on the hiring process and pay outside companies to do it. As the recruiting process becomes more complex, Forbes reports that, “U.S. corporations spend nearly $72 billion each year on a variety of recruiting services, staff and products.[3]” Outside recruitment companies are the natural choice for selecting key applicants when time is of the essence for hiring managers.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in January 2014, unemployment had dropped to just 6.6 percent in the United States[4]. This along with other signs of a rebounding economy signal the three changes listed above, which will play a role in today’s recruitment landscape.

[1] http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/01/08/8-ways-the-economy-is-still-affecting-the-job-market

[2] http://www.ere.net/2013/12/18/how-an-improved-2014-economy-affects-recruiting/

[3] http://www.forbes.com/sites/joshbersin/2013/05/23/corporate-recruitment-transformed-new-breed-of-service-providers/

[4] http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

The Top 5 Characteristics Potential Employees Want to See in Your Company

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

As a hiring employer, it’s natural to become fixated on the qualities and skills that make for a great employee. However, building a successful team starts with what draws these potential employees to apply and consider your company in the first place. It’s important to recognize the best characteristics that make a company desirable in the eyes of potential applicants and, ultimately, a great company to work for.

1. Offer competitive pay and benefits that employees can live on

Committing to wages that reflect the cost of living of the local area and that are competitive to other employers tells potential employees that your company cares about their well-being. Although it may not seem cost-effective on the ledger, employees who are paid good wages tend to work harder and can be more productive. It also keeps the workplace morale high, negating the “our CEO makes” mentality, and cuts down on employee attrition, which alleviates training and staffing costs.

2. Enable career development and employee growth

A workplace that is centered around employee development tells potential applicants that even if they are not employed with your company for the long term, the experience they will gain while working there will be invaluable – which, in turn, could help them find larger opportunities later on during their career. Employers can encourage and offer employees an opportunity to better their own talents and skills through cross-training, ongoing training, classes and other seminars, paid for by the employer, and can then reap the benefits of a more developed staff. Additionally, identifying an internal career track for employees can motivate them to push the envelope and set higher goals within their work.

3. Recognize employees and provide open communication

Potential employees want to know that their work, thoughts and opinions matter to the company’s big picture. Allowing give-and-take communication between management and employees establishes trust and respect and can promote teamwork. When employees are given a voice that they know will be heard, they are more likely to suggest ideas for better efficiency and improvement of work processes.

4. Define success and be flexible with how to get it

It’s important to have clear goals for success because it keeps employees focused. But, it is also beneficial to be flexible with how those goals can be achieved. Doing so can alleviate stress in the workplace and can keep workers happy and motivated. Assuming goals are met, employees like to know that their bosses can be flexible when it comes to working autonomously, schedules, breaks, work location, etc.

5. Offer an appealing work environment

A positive and safe working environment allows employees to feel comfortable in their surroundings. Luxury perks like free food and snacks, casual dress codes and relaxing areas are always great selling points. But, providing a great working environment may be as simple as recognizing it as a place where employees can fulfill their needs to collaborate, hang out and have privacy.

How to Identify the Best Candidates for Open Positions

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

These days, finding the right employee takes more than having the right credentials. Just because an employee is well-qualified does not necessarily mean that they will be a great fit for your business. Learning how to recognize top talent is a valuable skill that can save time and money. Here are some ways to identify the best candidates for an open position:

Figure Out What You Want

According to career giant Monster.com, creating a set of “success factors” before you begin the interview process is a very effective strategy – these factors include specific habits, traits, skills or motivations that the ideal candidate will possess[1]. Creating this list ensures that management and human resources are in agreement on what they are looking for. During each interview, be sure to carefully listen to the candidate’s responses to see if they meet these criteria.

Enlist Help

Filling a position is easy, but filling it with the right person will take some time and dedication. If you do not have the time to invest in the hiring process, or are not sure where to begin, consider enlisting the help of a recruiting firm. They can help you find or pre-screen candidates in order to find the best possible pick.

Prescreen Candidates

Many candidates will look good on paper; prescreening the applicants allows you to weed out the ones that may not be good for the job. This can save time for both the company and the applicant. Telephone or video chat interviews can be time-efficient and cost-effective ways to do this. Be prepared with a short list of questions that will help you identify whether the applicant meets the basic requirements you are looking for. If that interview goes well, an in-person interview can be scheduled to further discuss their qualifications.

Provide a Company Description

Along with a job description, consider providing applicants with a brief introduction to your company. While many candidates will still conduct their own research, this gives businesses a chance to communicate their culture, vision and values. In addition to basic company information, be sure to include details about the work environment, company mission and what role the company seeks to play in the community.

Finding the right candidate is about much more than simply filling a position. You want to find someone that will fit in well with the culture and goals of your company. Follow these tips, and you will be well on your way to selecting the perfect candidate.

[1] http://hiring.monster.com/hr/hr-best-practices/recruiting-hiring-advice/acquiring-job-candidates/best-job-candidate.aspx