Tag: strategy

Disadvantages of a “Tortoise Mindset” Within the Hiring Process

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_016Do you remember the old adage from Aesop’s Fables, “slow but steady wins the race?” Not a bad philosophy to live by the majority of the time, however, you probably shouldn’t apply this advice to your company’s hiring process especially when you consider the toll it will take on the “candidate experience.” Research has found that companies need an average of 23 days to screen and hire new employees, which is up from 13 days in 2010 [1]. While it’s obviously important to be thorough throughout your hiring process in order to avoid costly mistakes, if the process runs too long, your company could potentially lose out on some of the best talent that’s out there.

Negative Perceptions

The longer the hiring process, the more frustrated candidates become – which will inevitably lead to negative perceptions about your company. In addition, the impression you leave may have a ripple effect on future candidates. A Robert Half study revealed that when forced to endure a lengthy hiring process, nearly 40 percent of job seekers lost interest in the position and elected to pursue other opportunities. Additionally, more than 30 percent indicated that a drawn-out process made them question whether the employer was good at making decisions in other areas of their business [2].  Many candidates view their first and only interaction with a company (during the recruitment process) as a significant indicator of what it’s like to work there – so, if it is poor, then the likelihood of applying in the future is further diminished. Talent acquisition teams trying to build a “talent community” will certainly feel this impact.

Decline in the Quality of Hire and Other Side Effects

You might assume that taking more time to make a hiring decision would result in better hires. While that might be true in some instances, it could also precipitate a falloff in candidate quality due to the fact that top candidates will take themselves out of the running and go elsewhere.  The longer the review process takes the more insecure and disillusioned your best candidates will become.  The top 10 percent of candidates are often gone from the marketplace within 10 days [3]. This is an undeniable reality. The speed at which you engage your candidates is critical when competing head to head with talent competitors. Beyond the obvious fact that you may lose some great candidates along the way, there are some potential side effects which will be felt in other areas of your business including a slowdown in innovation, production schedules, product delays, employee morale, revenue generation and a fatigued work force.

The Buyer Conclusion

Clearly, there are numerous ways in which a slow hiring process will do damage to your company from a recruitment as well as a business standpoint. Fortunately, just by making some minor adjustments, you can improve your situation quickly and rather dramatically. The easiest and perhaps least disruptive steps that can be taken to shorten your hiring cycles merely involve better communication. Did you know that approximately 75 percent of workers who utilize a variety of sources to apply for jobs never hear back from employers [4]? By keeping candidates informed and involved in the process, your organization portrays itself as effective, efficient and considerate of the people they want to join. Maintaining communication with candidates throughout the hiring process should be a priority and is the foundation of a positive relationship with current and future employees.

If you are interested in learning more about how Buyer can help streamline your hiring process, I’d love to hear from you. Contact me, Michael Wishnow, Vice President of Relationship Development, at mwishnow@BuyerAds.com. I can also be reached by my mobile (978) 985-1163 or direct at my office (857) 404-0864.

 

 

[1] https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-deal-with-a-long-hiring-process-1453231053

[2] http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/9330-quick-hiring-process.html

[3] https://www.eremedia.com/ere/the-top-12-reasons-why-slow-hiring-severely-damages-recruiting-and-business-results/

[4] https://www.eremedia.com/tlnt/best-ways-to-communicate-with-job-candidates-in-the-social-media-age/

How Technology is Changing Human Resource Management

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_10Technology is changing every sector of the economy at a rapid pace. One of the biggest changes is in the way that information is shared. When human resources managers are seeking to recruit staff members, post jobs or keep track of applicants, technology is interwoven throughout every process. Consider these three ways in which technology is changing the way that your organization finds, evaluates and trains new people to work in your organization.

Recruiting Through Social Media

More than 92 percent of human resources officers report that they use social media as a recruitment tool [1]. Most adults actively participate in at least one social media network. Human resources teams can post job openings through a variety of methods on social media. They can use a person’s university affiliation, experience, likes and interests on social media as recruitment techniques. Social media also allows for the implementation of viral recruiting techniques. For example, if your company has dozens or hundreds of seasonal jobs to fill, shares and retweets on social media are fast ways to recruit the staff you need.

Digital Job Postings and Applications

Long gone are the days when you had to fax a job advertisement to the newspaper, wait for them to print it and then wait for applications to come in through snail mail. You can now use technology to almost instantaneously deliver job postings to dozens of recruitment websites, university posting services, professional networks and social media outlets. Applicants do not have to carefully print their applications. They can deliver them to you through your platform or send them electronically through email, allowing you to get responses within minutes of posting an opening.

Information Storage and Retrieval

When your recruitment strategies on social media are successful, you could end up with hundreds of applications. Technology facilitates the storage and retrieval of all of this information. When you have another, similar job opening, you can refer to your database and see which qualified applicants might fit the bill. Cloud computing makes it easy and cost-effective to store a great deal of digital information for recruiting.

[1] http://www.gethppy.com/hrtrends/technology-changing-human-resource-management

What is the Future of Applicant Tracking Systems in Recruiting?

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_16In today’s competitive economy, employers still hold the edge when it comes to filling a job that pays well and offers great benefits. These openings could attract dozens, perhaps hundreds or even thousands of applicants. Sorting through so many applications could take all of your time, which is why applicant tracking systems in recruiting are so important. As many as 50 percent of mid-size employers use these systems while up to 90 percent of large corporations use them [1]. Consider these ways that applicant tracking systems could be of use or change in the future.

Improving the Quality of New Hires

Applicant tracking systems in recruiting will continue to provide an opportunity to boost the quality of the new hires that you bring into your corporation. These tracking systems can help you to use pre-identified standards, such as certain programming languages in computer systems jobs or fluency in Spanish for sales jobs. The automatic selection of candidates with the ideal qualifications helps you to avoid wasting your time reading through applications of people who do not have what you are seeking in a new hire.

Complying with Laws

Now and into the future, you will be able to use applicant tracking systems in your recruiting procedures to comply with local, state and federal hiring requirements. For example, if your organization were to receive a complaint about the recruitment or hiring practices, you could refer to the data collected by your applicant tracking system to back up your practices and provide key details about the numbers of applicants and their demographic information.

Instantaneous Messaging with Applicants

When a fantastic application comes into your tracking system, you may want to contact that person right away and have the individual come in for an interview. The future of tracking systems will allow for instant messaging or calling of the applicant. Being able to quickly contact a fabulous candidate gives your organization the best chance of adding that person to your organization instead of letting the person slip through the cracks and end up with one of your competitors.

 

[1] http://www.hireright.com/blog/2014/02/four-key-benefits-of-an-e-recruiting-solution-ats-applicant-tracking-system/

Building a Strong Company Blog By Including Employees as Authors

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_08Including your employees as authors on your company blog helps to build a stronger company culture. The different voices that your employees have to offer also provide your blog with a wider perspective and range of writing styles. According to Marketeer, corporate blogs with 15 posts per month generate an average of 1,200 new leads [1]. Allowing more people to participate in blog authorship can expand your reach even more.

Offering a New Perspective

Each employee in your company offers a new perspective on what it means to be a member of the organization. Writing from the same perspective all of the time can be boring to your audience. If every blog is written by the CEO, your readers will have no way to know what the rest of the people think. Allowing different employees to author blog posts shows that you value every member of your company equally. Including various employees at different levels of your company also demonstrates that every person’s voice is respected.

Exploring How Employees Joined Your Company

Companies often seem like impersonal, huge entities to the public. Including employees as authors on the company blog provides a more personal view of what happens in your company. Employees can explore their career history and how they came to be a member of your business. Each person’s career takes a different path, and this sort of biography can be fascinating for your loyal customers and business partners to read. This information also shows how your employees have the skills and experience to do their jobs.

Highlighting Employee Work

While the general public and even the other workers at your company know what the CEO, CFO and COO of your company do, they might not have a good idea of what your business analysts, customer support staff or human relations coordinators do on a daily basis. Allowing your employees to write blog posts about how they contribute to your organization highlights the fact that your company would not be what it is without everyone there working together to help the entire business succeed.
[1] http://marketeer.kapost.com/corporate-blogging-stats/

Recruitment Strategies for Finding Candidates with Strong Communications Skills

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_20No matter which industry your organization is in, communications skills are critical to success. According to a survey of 600 employers in the tech industry, communications skills were the most important factor in hiring [1]. Every interaction with a potential customer can be made or broken by the quality of communications skills offered by your employees. When recruiting candidates, consider these three strategies for assessing and finding each person’s skills at communicating in the workplace.

Applicant Testing

Applicant testing is a good recruitment strategy for finding people who have strong vocabularies and written communications skills. As a part of an application to work in your organization, you can include a series of questions that require a written response. These could be solutions to a problem commonly faced by your organization or a subjective, situational question about how to handle an issue with a client. These answers will give you an idea of how the candidate communicates in written form.

Group Interviews

Group interviews are an excellent recruitment strategy for determining a candidate’s communication skills. During a group interview session, you can evaluate the candidate’s vocabulary. Consider whether the person directly answers the questions you ask or beats around the bush. You may also consider the tone of replies, such as whether the candidate is too casual or colorful in his or her responses, or whether he or she is too technical for the audience. Group interviews are also a good way to get a read on a candidate’s body language. Straight posture, regular eye contact and appropriate distance and dress are all important forms of communication in the workplace.

Reviewing Past Experience and Checking References

When your organization posts a job opening, you will receive dozens or perhaps hundreds of applications. Check out those cover letters and resumes for signs of communications skills. Poor grammar or excessive use of jargon suggests that a person has poor communication skills. When you find an applicant you are interested in, call his or her references and focus on different types of communications skills, such as oral presentations and written reports.

[1] http://www.mba.com/us/the-gmat-blog-hub/the-official-gmat-blog/2014/aug/employers-want-communication-skills-in-new-hires.aspx

How Managing Your Organization’s Online Reputation Attracts Better Talent

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_30On a daily basis, one of your customers, employees, or potential job recruits is posting something about your company on the Web or a social media platform. Although the comments may not be accurate, everything that is written online contributes to the public’s opinion of your organization. The novel aspect of social media is their conversational tone: Knowledge sharing takes place through processes including discussion with questions and answers (online forums), collaborative editing (wikis) or storytelling with reactions (blogs) [1]. While you can’t control what customers or potential job candidates say, your organization can respond to posts online.

Many organizations have a social media specialist that is tasked with managing the company’s brand and reputation. This includes responding to online customer complaints, providing factual information when inaccurate information is online, and extending resolutions to unhappy customers.

Potential job candidates often search for reviews online before they make a decision about a job offer. Social media can be a positive tool for your company’s reputation if managed properly.

Enlist your current employees to be brand ambassadors. It is not necessary to forbid employees from posting on social media about your organization; simply providing some guidelines to your workforce can significantly improve what they post online. It is possible to respect their rights while requiring them to protect the reputation of your company.

The top talent has numerous job opportunities available to them. Competition is stiff, so your online reputation can encourage them to join your organization or not to join.

One powerful tool online is employee reviews. People truly take the time to read a credible review. If there are numerous negative reviews by customers, employees, and others, this is a red flag for a potential job recruit. If everyone is saying the same thing, something is probably wrong within your organization.

Being an employer who engages your employees, satisfies your customers, and creates a good corporate culture is the best protection of your online reputation. Top talent will definitely be attracted to a company that has a positive online reputation.

 

[1] https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/managingsocialmedia.aspx

 

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Conducting Team Interviews

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_04When you are interviewing qualified applicants for a position in your organization, more than one manager or human resources specialist may need to converse with the applicant. Team interviews provide an opportunity to involve everyone in your organization who wishes to participate in the interviewing process. Before you get everyone seated at the table, consider these advantages and disadvantages of conducting team interviews.

Advantage: Creates a Teamwork Atmosphere

If you want to show that a teamwork atmosphere is important in your organization, a team interview allows you to highlight this. Each person on your interview panel will be able to show how his or her department functions with the others. This will allow you to gauge how well the candidate will fit into your corporate culture. Another benefit with panel interviews, says Meisenhelter, is that by participating in the interview process, team members gain a vested interest in the hiring process and in seeing that new employees succeed [1].

Advantage: Allows for Natural, Honest Responses

During a team interview, you will be able to ask more unusual and varied questions than in a traditional interview setting. Some candidates find the situation a bit stressful, which allows you to see how they respond to stressful situations. According to the Gainesville Business Report, this may lead to a more natural and honest response from the candidate [2]. When faced with a panel of interviewers, candidates will be able to offer less-prepared answers. These answers will give you an accurate picture of the candidate’s qualifications, skills, and demeanor.

Disadvantage: Takes More Coordination and Time

The managers and human resources staff will need to coordinate their questions. Even so, if each person on the panel has two questions to ask the candidate, the interviewing process could take a few hours for a single applicant. If your organization plans to interview 10 or more people, this could consume a considerable amount of your valuable time.

Disadvantage: May Overwhelm Some Candidates

Introverted candidates may feel overwhelmed during a team interview. Candidates who work well in one-on-one situations may clam up when faced with a group of people firing off questions their way. A naturally shy but highly skilled and qualified candidate may not perform or showcase his or her skills as well during a team interview when compared to an individual or paired interview.

[1] http://hiring.monster.com/hr/hr-best-practices/recruiting-hiring-advice/interviewing-candidates/panel-interviews.aspx
[2] http://gainesvillebizreport.com/pros-and-cons-of-doing-group-interviews/

The Pros and Cons of Promoting from Within for Management Positions

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_03When your organization has a management position to fill, you may not have to look far to find the ideal candidate for the job. Promoting from within is an affordable solution and can also save time and resources. “By offering promotional roles to internal candidates, employers foster a sense of loyalty, engagement and long-term satisfaction by allowing growth from within [1].” While there are many great reasons to promote from within for managerial vacancies, there are also some disadvantages. Keep these pros and cons in mind if you are thinking of promoting from within your organization:

Pro: Seamless Transitions
Transitions can be a challenge when you’re bringing a person into a job. The time spent bringing an outside person up to speed about your corporate culture, policies, and day-to-day operations is considerable. A current employee is already familiar with what is required for success in your organization and understands the company’s goals, mission, and vision.

Pro: Proven Fit and Loyalty
An employee who has been in your organization long enough to be considered for promotion is proven to be loyal. The fact that the employee wants to stay rather than taking his or her skills elsewhere is a testament to the quality of the work environment. The employee is also known to be a good fit for your company and will likely have many strong working relationships within your organization and with your business partners and clients.

Con: Negative Emotions of Other Workers
When former coworkers see the employee moving up the ladder, these coworkers may feel jealous. Some may even become hostile and actively make the situation difficult. If more than one employee applied for the position, the candidates who did not get the job may feel disillusioned and unwilling to work with the person who was promoted. If the promoted employee will be managing his or her former coworkers, relationships could become tense and difficult.

Con: Same Skill Set
When retaining the same employee, your organization is not gaining any new skills, knowledge, or experience. If the management position requires a skill that your otherwise highly qualified employee is only moderately competent at, you could be missing out on an outside person who is well-developed in that particular area of expertise. As The Society for Human Resource Management explains, bringing in skilled external workers to meet the demands of a strategy shift or difficult corporate turnaround can be especially beneficial [2].

[1] https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/recruitinginternallyandexternally.aspx

[2] http://www.careerprofiles.com/blog/hiring-innovative-talent/internal-vs-external-recruiting-knowing-when-to-search-for-outside-talent/

 

Building a Stronger Corporate Culture Through Organizational Volunteering

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_27When people are engaged with the community and participate as citizens, the entire world benefits. Even at the organizational level, volunteering within the community helps to build a stronger corporate culture. As you develop your company’s goals and human resources programs, consider these ways in which you can build a stronger corporate culture through organizational volunteering.

Increased Employee Engagement

Organizational volunteering helps to boost employee engagement with your company. Engaged employees are happier at work and in their overall lives. Happy people are more pleasant to work with, listen better, and offer more positive interactions with coworkers, managers, and clients. According to Open Source Learning, organizations with engaged employees enjoy a 16% increase in profitability, an 18% increase in productivity, a 12% increase in consumer loyalty, and a 60% boost in the quality of the work that they perform [1].

Enhanced Social Capital

Social capital is a concept that addresses how the community sees your company. When your employees are volunteering on behalf of your organization, your name gets out there. The community sees your organization as a positive influence on the community and as an entity that is invested and cares about the people and neighborhood. When your employees see that the organization they work for is viewed positively and thought of as an asset to the community, this strengthens your corporate culture. Studies have shown that socially tied workers have higher levels of trust, are less likely to be opportunistic, and are more likely to cooperate and share information [2]. Your employees will gain pride in your organization and will feel that they are making a difference both at work and in the volunteering that they do as a part of it.

Shared Information and Skills

Organizational volunteering can also boost your corporate culture by allowing your employees to help each other develop and strengthen their soft skills. For example, sorting donations at a food bank and loading them onto shelves allows employees with strong organizing skills and stacking skills to help others. Volunteering in a community garden allows your skilled gardeners to share their knowledge of fertilizers, compost, and seeds with the rest of your staff. The sharing of information and uplifting of skills strengthens relationships, which can extend into the workplace.

[1] http://www.gordontraining.com/free-workplace-articles/productivity-profitability/#

[2] http://www.globoforce.com/gfblog/2015/social-capital-what-it-is-why-your-employees-need-it/

Should You Seek or Avoid Recent Graduate Hires?

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_13When your organization has job openings, you may find that the applications include a slew of recent college graduates. As a human resources manager, you might be unsure of whether or not to take the risk of bringing aboard a recent graduate. Employers say they’re planning to hire slightly more fresh college graduates this spring than they did last year (5.8% more), according to a preliminary survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers [1]. Keep these pros and cons of hiring a new college grad in mind the next time your company needs to fill a staff vacancy.

Pro: Modern Skills

One reason to hire a new college graduate is that they are often familiar with current technology. New graduates are typically adept at navigating through complex software, apps and hardware. They may not need to be instructed on how to safeguard confidential data on their work-issued smartphone, tablet or laptop if they are already familiar with doing this. Recent college graduates are skilled at choosing the right piece of technology to do a certain task. Many college graduates also have relevant skills such as strong communication, a multilingual background and a broad foundation through their coursework, volunteer work and past related projects.

Pro: Salary and Benefit Expectations

Because recent college graduates usually have a shorter work history, they can be given a lower benefits package. Compared to a person who has worked for a decade or more, a new graduate may not expect a generous benefits package that includes things such as family health insurance or weeks of paid vacation. New graduates also command a lower salary compared with experienced workers. Enthusiastic graduates will often be happy to begin on a probation period or a paid internship, meaning you have some time to assess their abilities before committing to putting them on a full time salary [2]. The smaller salary and benefits expectations may make it more economical for you to hire a recent college graduate.

Con: Less Experience

New college graduates have less overall work experience. This means that they may not have developed the specific skills that your job opening requires. As a result, your current staff members may have to take time out of their busy schedules in order to bring the new hire up to speed. However, this may also be true for people who have spent many years in the workforce. Less experience may mean that new hires are more open to doing things in different ways, including the way you prefer.

 

[1] http://www.chron.com/local/education/campus-chronicles/article/Employers-plan-to-hire-more-graduating-seniors-10630079.php

[2] https://www.workitdaily.com/hiring-graduate-benefits/