Tag: hr strategy

Using Technology to Anticipate Your Future Hiring Needs

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image_08Whether you are a startup business or an already established company, planning ahead for the future is a necessity. Being prepared for the future means considering where your company is at today and where you would like it to be tomorrow. Find out how technology and strategic workforce planning can go hand in hand to help you anticipate your employment needs for the coming years.

Utilizing technology can make workforce planning more efficient and provide improved results. Special workforce planning software allows you to analyze your company’s current workforce trends and make educated projections for trends in the future. By plugging in internal and external data, software can help you arrive at more accurate results. Not only can software help you plan for the future, but it can also help guide you along the way by monitoring your progress and alerting you to any variations from the master plan.

Another key benefit is that software can help your company adapt to changing conditions. The talent that was critical for success a few years ago may not suffice in an environment with new challenges that demand new solutions. Workforce planning is not limited to software only, but utilizing your technological resources wisely can better support your executives, HR department, and hiring managers throughout the process. Have a one-on-one session with your IT consultant and discuss the kinds of workforce planning software that are available and which one in particular would be a good fit for your company’s needs.

In summary, using technology to plan for the future creates a culture where workforce planning is based on data and better equips executives in evaluating how changes in objectives and the environment impact staffing levels. Most importantly, approaching workforce planning in a way that fits your company’s needs and aligns with your future goals is key to a successful future.

 

Best Practices for Branding Your Company

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image_02The way your brand speaks to others can have a great impact on the success of your company. According to LinkedIn’s 2015 Global Recruiting Trends Survey, 56% of 4,125 global talent leaders in 31 countries surveyed for said they believe cultivating their employer brand is a top priority [1]. Good branding takes a lot of thought, hard work, and the consolidation of resources. Here, we will discuss some of the best branding practices that can help your company find its unique identity in a competitive market.

Purpose of Your Brand

Before you get into the intricacies of branding, start with the fundamentals. One of the most important steps is defining the purpose of your brand. While you are still in the discovery phase, ask yourself some questions. What kind of impact do you want your business to have on others? What ideals does your company value? Who is your target market? What goals do you want to achieve in your company’s future?

Developing Your Brand

Now you are ready to build your brand. Understanding your target market and knowing what they want is key to developing your brand. From there, focus on your brand identity. Find out what separates your company from the rest, and once you have that figured out, focus all of your attention on building up from there. After you have developed your brand, you need to exert your passion and energy into preserving your brand long term. Keeping your brand consistent will keep your brand memorable and your customers happy.

Marketing Your Brand

Now that your brand has been established, you need to communicate your brand to the public. This can be done in the form of business cards, websites, and even social media. Establish your presence on sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+. Further your brand through other channels such as physical networking. Create partnerships and referral networks with those who will be able to help positively promote brand awareness. Hold events that center around your company’s purpose and its core values. When using a PR strategy, select media outlets wisely. You want to make sure your brand is always represented in a positive manner. When marketing your brand, not only are you reaching out to customers, but you are also reaching out to your future employees.

[1] http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/240951

 

Why You Should Keep Up-to-Date on Social Media for Recruiting Needs

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image_018People seeking employment are turning to corporate social media accounts to learn more about a business’s culture and environment. While traditional websites and career search boards can provide those searching for a job with nuts-and-bolts information, such as work hours and skill-set requirements, keeping up-to-date on social media allows jobseekers to gain a more complete picture of the corporation.

Cultivates Interest

Once jobseekers are certain that they meet the skill and academic credentials for a position, they next want to know whether their personality will fit well at a particular company. Current social media posts cultivate a candidate’s interest in becoming a part of the organization. By seeing that the company is up-to-date in industry trends and is building brand loyalty with its clients, candidates will be more eager to join such a company.

Engages Qualified Individuals

Today’s workers want more out of their work than just a paycheck. They want to be engaged and passionate about what they do, which is particularly true of the Millennial Generation. This generation is also the most likely to use social media to engage with potential employers.

Promotes a Team-oriented Environment

Active sourcing of job candidates through social media helps to promote the development and maintenance of a team-oriented work environment. Recruiters can show images and embed video clips of a variety of employees collaborating on projects. Social media is an efficient and effective way of showing potential staff members how current employees are working together to solve problems and showcase their talents.

Inspires a Creative Workforce

Social media is a newer way of communicating with people who are creative, highly educated and concerned about making a difference in the world. These candidates tend to think outside the box when solving problems and create a dynamic environment in which to work. Human resources staff who recruit candidates through social media are better able to promote the workplace as a creative community in which an employee’s time investment pays off through work that is satisfying personally, professionally and mentally.

 

Using Social Media to Recruit the Best New Graduates

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image_01According to a report by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 8.3% of employers plan to add new graduates to their employee roster in 2015 [1]. Clearly, the combination of a solid college education and experience are coveted by most employers. While some recent graduates may not have obtained much work experience, their skills and freshness are still traits that most employers want in order to strengthen their companies. While recruiting and hiring recent college graduates is nothing new, there are new methods to ensure that you hire the best.

Waiting for prospective candidates to knock on your door is not one of those methods. Instead, you must think about how you can engage this young talent to build a strong foundation for your company. Employers in NACE’s survey are catching on to what it takes to use social media as a recruitment tool. You can avoid struggling with these methods of communication by utilizing the following tips to optimize your company’s social media presence and connect with young talent.

Build an Online Employer Brand

If you have not already done so, begin posting information about your company’s culture that features recent college graduates hanging out. Prominent social media platforms are excellent ways to introduce your company. Go beyond job listings and post company events and employee photos. Blogs written from the perspective of current employees can indirectly convey to college graduates why your company is the greatest place to work.

Make Personal Connections

Introduce the names of real people behind corporate HR social media accounts. For instance, @GreatCoJobs can include a line with names of people who update your Twitter account. Another example is for each person to have their own accounts, such as @StanAtGreatCo and @MaryAtGreatCo.

You can also humanize your company’s social media presence by granting people handling different accounts the freedom to interject their own observations and personality into updates.

Provide Exclusivity

Leave job postings listed on your corporate website and use social media to give followers something that is not readily available. Contests, impromptu virtual meetups and behind-the-scene peeks at your company are diverse ways to make meaningful connections.

Invest energy, time and strategic thought into recruiting the best new graduates. Your company could reap the payoff for years to come.

[1] https://www.naceweb.org/s11122014/job-outlook-hiring-2015.aspx

 

Optimizing Your Company’s Rankings on the Most Popular Search Engines

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image_11In this current employment market, cream-of-the-crop recruits are in high demand. Now more than ever, organizations must be prepared to compete globally to hire the top talent.

The Internet is the most widely used tool for jobseekers in search of prospects. Those who know they have the goods to offer have so many choices when it comes to finding the right employer. How is your organization going to compete for the individuals who can give your business a cutting-edge advantage?

Search Engine Optimization and Inbound Marketing are the name of the game. Organic search drives 51% of all visitors to business-to-business and business-to-consumer Web sites, whereas paid-search drives 10% and social 5% [1]. Companies must rank high on the most widely used search engines in order to be found quickly. Ranking high on these search engines does not happen by chance. There must be a strategic marketing plan in place to position your company for success.

A strategic Inbound Marketing approach is comprehensive, and the results are measurable. When your organization utilizes this critical business strategy, there will be impressive results. The best of the best will start knocking on your door.

A strategic marketing approach must be ongoing. It is not a one-time solution, so working with a reputable Inbound Marketing company is crucial. Search engine algorithms change frequently, so experienced Internet marketing specialists are equipped to adjust the strategy to meet any challenges. Staying on the cutting edge of recruiting top talent is essential to your company’s bottom line. Money spent on marketing is certain to yield a high ROI.

Your Internet Marketing specialist will design a comprehensive strategy. They will then optimize your website and all of your content distributed online. Any adjustments that need to be made will be discussed with you and your firm. The real key to a great Internet marketing strategy is consistency.

These specialists are able to analyze what works and tweak the strategy to best work for your recruiting needs. At any given time, your organization will be able to see how many visitors are landing on your site, what practices are working and what strategies need to be changed. As an organization, you don’t have to worry about these details. Let a skilled, reputable Internet Marketing firm bring in the goods.

 

[1] http://www.business2community.com/online-marketing/21-spectacular-seo-and-search-marketing-stats-and-facts-01258892

Boosting Productivity with Responsive Design on Your Company Website

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image_05Did you know that global mobile data usage increased by 80 percent from 2013 to 2014 [1]? It’s no secret that an unattractive company website is bad for business, but in today’s mobile age, even the most attractive design is worthless if it doesn’t look as good on a phone as it does on a computer. Responsive design, the practice of making a website easy to view and navigate across multiple platforms, is becoming critical to productivity, from hiring to employee satisfaction.

Keeping a Modern Image

Any company with an outdated image is going to have a harder time attracting new hires. Having a website that looks and reads perfectly on both desktop and mobile platforms shows new hires that you understand the needs of a changing market and are quick to adapt.

Increasing Exposure

With an increasing number of prospective hires job hunting from mobile platforms, job openings that can’t be viewed and researched from a tablet or smartphone are going to go unnoticed by tech-savvy talent. Maximize your impact by making your careers page and job listings easy to find regardless of the viewing platform. Highlight your company’s mission statement and show off the benefits of working for your company in a concise and attractive manner.

Perfect Forms

Counter-intuitive applications and post-hire forms are a quick way to frustrate good talent into procrastinating or worse, looking elsewhere. Make sure your resume submission system, applications and any forms you need after a job is offered can be viewed and filled out on each platform without frustration. Adding a way to save progress and return to it later is a nice touch that won’t go unnoticed.

Optimize Training and Employee Portals

Poor training and employee portals leave staff as dissatisfied as managers. Tidy and accessible materials, login and upload abilities make productivity possible whether an employee is in the office or waiting at the dentist’s office. As readability and search-friendliness are crucial for responsive design, it may make your materials more intuitive and effective overall.

While responsive design is a way to stand out today, it’s rapidly becoming essential for any company hoping to attract and retain top talent. Invest early, test extensively and watch your HR productivity soar.

[1] http://www.edelmandigital.com/2015/01/16/friday5

The Latest Trends In Recruitment Marketing

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image_30Recruiting top talent to your organization requires a lot more these days than an ad in a newspaper or a posting on a real or virtual bulletin board. Your organization must truly engage with past, present and future clients and employees to get word out about who you are and what you need. Staying on top of the latest trends for recruitment marketing will help to ensure that you get the tech-savvy, highly skilled and creative staff members you desire.

Taking to the Skies

One of the leading trends in recruitment marketing is the use of cloud services. Organizations like yours are using the cloud for activities related to hiring, recruitment and retaining of staff. Some ways you can use the cloud include storing of resumes and references.

Creating Online Communities

The creation of online communities allows you to directly engage with potential candidates. Applicants can post questions to be answered by members of your team. Your current staff can also use these forums as a way to engage with one another, especially if your organization has staff around the state, country or world.

Establishing Digital Recruitment Strategies

If you’re looking for new team members that are attuned to technology and communication, you need to market yourself digitally through social media. Today’s applicants are increasingly looking to websites such as Twitter, Facebook and others to find out about potential opportunities for employment. Make yourself known so that qualified candidates can easily find you.

Shifting to Mobile Marketing

Members of Generation Y, Generation X and even the Baby Boomers are trending away from the use of desktop and laptop computers. Instead, they are using tablets and smartphones to conduct their communications, Internet searches and quests for employment. Optimizing your website for use on mobile devices will help applicants navigate through your application process more easily.

Engaging through Social Media

Building an online community on social media is another must-do for recruitment. Above and beyond posting your job openings, you should also use social media to build a following of customers and add to your contingent of partners across many industries.

 

How to Recruit, Hire, and Retain the Best of Generation Y

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image_10Generation Y, also known as the Millennial generation, are people born between the years of 1982 and 2000. This generation of workers operates under a much different life plan and moral code than their predecessors, the Baby Boomers. They’re even different from Generation X, who are currently in their prime working years. These proven strategies will help you to effectively recruit, hire and retain the best of Generation Y.

Recruiting Generation Y to Your Organization

If there is anything Generation Y is known for, it is walking to the beat of their own drummers. To find the best and brightest of Generation Y, you may need to recruit outside the “ivory tower” and look to places such as community organizations, international volunteer programs and other places where members of this generation are spending time before and after their college years.

Hiring with Purpose

During the hiring process, prepare your human resources staff for an onslaught of questions from the applicants. They will want to know their purpose in your organization and how they will fit into the culture. You’ll need to offer clear-cut explanations for not just their specific job duties, but how their work will make an impact on the world around them.

Fostering Growth and Opportunities

Members of Generation Y are committed to lifelong learning and want to be challenged in what they do. Your organization can retain these highly motivated employees by offering continuing educational opportunities as well as work-related perks such as tuition reimbursement, on-site workshops and partnerships with community organizations who can benefit from their expertise while teaching them additional skills such as creative thinking and resourcefulness.

Offer Flexibility and Alternative Reward Systems

In order to be able to maintain their outside interests, volunteer activities and continuing education, members of Generation Y want a workplace that offers flexibility. Alternative work hours other than the typical 9 to 5 business hours are key to helping members of this generation stay with your organization. Telecommuting is another option to retain these tech-savvy staff members. Also consider alternative reward systems such as more vacation time rather than bonuses.

 

What Are the Best Practices for Achieving Workforce Diversity?

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image_014Diversity in the workforce is a proactive undertaking that is much different from the legally binding requirements of affirmative action and equal employment opportunities. A diverse workforce takes into account much more than gender, race and ethnicity. These best practices will help your organization set and achieve reachable diversity goals.

Start at the Top

Just like a parent should set an example of desired behavior before expecting their children to follow, so should the leaders of your organization. A diverse management team shows that you’re committed to the cause from the bottom up and the top down. The top members of the organization should speak positively of diversity and communicate their commitment to this ideal situation. Be sure to include a business case for diversity that can be shared with your stakeholders and other interested parties.

Create Organizational Diversity Goals

Simply having the idea of “diversity” on the minds of hiring managers isn’t enough. The human resources staff, hiring managers, CEO and others must come together to create organizational goals around diversity. Perhaps this means adding a new manager with a different cultural background or considering the addition of staff with unusual experiences. Whatever the goals are, they need to be in writing and widely shared.

Enact Mentoring Programs

A work site mentoring program shows that you’re committed to helping diverse members of your staff achieve their personal and professional goals. Mentors can be within your organization or from partnerships you have within the community, such as at local colleges and universities. The mentoring program should include activities during the workday as well as optional events during evenings and weekends.

Recruit Widely and Broadly

While every organization has their favorite recruitment events and locations, expanding beyond these can help you achieve your goals for a more diverse workplace. Look to partnering with community organizations in your city as well as those in nearby small towns and villages where recruitment events are rare. Take your show on the road to satellite campuses of large universities. Consider recruiting from vocational schools and community colleges where appropriate.

 

Increase Brand Awareness and Your Recruitment Reach by Implementing Fresh Content

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image_16When you need to increase awareness of your brand and bring in new, energetic staff members to your team, one way to do so is to implement fresh content across all of your media. Your website is the first place prospective candidates go to find out about you. Old, outdated content that is no longer relevant or that never changes from one day to the next is a sure way to turn off high-quality applicants. Consider implementing these four types of content to keep your recruitment and brand up to date.

Informative News
When you’re launching a new company-wide initiative, releasing a new product or making updates to an existing service, let your customers and potential employees know about it. Take care to not only release statistics but to create small sound bites of 88 words or less about what’s going on this week at your organization.

Videos
Actions speak louder than words, and today’s job seekers want to see what your company is up to. Uploading relevant videos to your website and social media pages helps applicants really get a feel for what your organization is doing. Videos should not be highly choreographed or edited but should provide a glimpse of the important goings-on at your headquarters and facilities.

Asking Questions
Another way to increase your brand awareness and keep recruits interested in your organization is to ask questions as a part of your overall content stream. Be welcoming to any and all responses, including those that might not be as positive as you would like. Even criticism helps to keep the conversation going. The more likes and followers, the more of your content that will be shown on your followers’ feeds.

Success Stories
Your customers and potential recruits love to hear success stories related to your brand and not just self-serving ones. Let your customers, current employees or former staff members who have retired or moved on tell others about their successes with you. Perhaps an episode of exceptional customer service or a fantastic mentoring program is just what your recruitment marketing needs to draw in the best of the applicants.