March 4, 2010
Most American companies view recruiting diversity as a burden for business, unrelated to the idea of having diversity in the workplace but rather the hassle associated with finding diversity candidates. It’s no secret that diversity recruiting is not a common result of the standard recruiting process. Many companies find that diversity candidates are not resembled in the majority of resumes on Monster, Careerbuilder, and other large job sites. However, there are overwhelming benefits to integrating a diversity of cultures in the office. Several companies have found first hand that the diversity of culture has led to several new ideas that have increased efficiency or led to new products.
Take the Frito Lay organization for example, their desire to recruit diverse candidates led to their product Doritos. Increasing diversity in the workplace will also increase creativity. Not all problems can be answered with one solution; other cultures can bring new ideas, which a homogeneous culture might not stimulate. Therefore, diverse recruiting strategies will bring benefits to the workplace, which are always worth pursuing.
Additionally, in an examination of common western culture in comparison to eastern culture, one noticeable difference is the view of relationship management. Eastern cultures rely on strong relationships between whom they work with. As a result, many customers of companies in the Far East have strong relationships with those they work with. Recruiting diversity more specifically from Asian countries can create stronger relationships with customers and strengthen the ties between those you work with. One downside to diversity in the workplace can be barriers in communication, however those barriers subside over time leaving the benefits of recruiting diversity.
Byron West
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Filed under Diversity Recruiting
Tags: Recruiting, Hiring, recruiters, hire velocity, job search, jobs, job, diversity recruiting, diversity hiring, diversity jobs, hirevelocity, job boards, customer relationships
February 19, 2010
As we look forward to emerging out of this recession and reducing unemployment, a new and highly anticipated generation of employees is moving into the workforce. There seems to be a lot of skepticism about how effective the “me” generation will be. Growing up in a culture centered on instant gratification and focused on efficiency, this new generation of the workforce will bring a new set of cards to the table. No longer is the time dedicated to a job, a justified means to being promoted. Generation Y will now see their performance as the most justified reason for upward mobility in the company. In addition 35% of Generation Y employees wish to communicate with their boss several times a day. What is to be expected from these new employees should be clear, obtainable, and concise. Focused on efficiency, the more communication will be essential in obtaining the optimal performance from new workers.
In addition, Generation Y, or the “me” generation, seeks to obtain the security and status their parents obtained much earlier in life. In a recent survey Generation Y respondents ranked “working with a manager I can respect and learn from” as an 8.74 on a 10 point scale. With most new employee’s eyes set on upward mobility, the ability to gain wisdom from their managers is becoming ever more crucial. Skepticism about this new workforce has led Generation Y to be referred to in a negative connotation. However, I believe that the new mold of employees can bring new effectiveness to companies through their aptitude with technology and ambition to jump through the necessary hoops to achieve success. Most of Generation Y has grown up with computers and has become extremely proficient at navigating the Internet. Their awareness with new developing technologies will bring technology options that may have gone unnoticed. Nevertheless, with the new employees coming into the workforce, I think we can all anticipate what Generation Y will bring to the table.
Resources:
Questions and Answers about GENERATION X/GENERATION Y. www.bc.edu/wfnetwork. Sloan Work & Family Research Network, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2010. <wfnetwork.bc.edu/pdfs/GXGY.pdf>.
Byron West
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Filed under Recruiting Update
Tags: BC, Boston College Research, Gen Y, Generation X, Generation Y, hire velocity, Hiring, instant gratification, Internet, jobs, Me Generation, Recession, Recruiting, Sloan Work & Family Research Network, unemployment
February 8, 2010
A good recruiter not only finds the best talent, but does it quickly and efficiently as well. With Salesforce.com’s application exchange recruiters can find myriad applications to do just that.
While Salesforce is not an applicant tracking system, by utilizing its extensive database of applications, Salesforce can be equally as valuable as a Candidate Relationship Management tool. The PowerDialer application uses a powerful telephony tool, changing the way you reach out to candidates. For high-volume recruiting environments, the application can increase call efficiency by up to 400% through automatic updates of activities, automatic pre-recorded voicemail tool, and their powerful auto-dialer feature. Other applications such as Jobscience allow recruiters to distribute job openings and manage resumes all within the Salesforce platform.
Organization is fundamental in recruiting and that is where the Customer Relationship Management aspect of Salesforce comes in. By embracing Salesforce’s activity and task management features, recruiters can create a more organized and efficient workflow while keeping up a fast pace.
The true value of accurate candidate tracking truly adds to a more pleasant candidate experience. Qualified candidates are more likely to apply to a requisition after speaking to a recruiter that is familiar with them and any previous conversations they may have had.
Byron West
President
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February 1, 2010
One thing that remains uncertain for the future is the speed at which hiring will pick back up. Several analysts say that the level of unemployment rests in the volatility of the market forces, but recent articles are speculating a speedy recovery of the executive employment market. The recession has put many current executives’ retirement on hold but as the security of their retirement begins to return, companies are seeing a greater need for replacing their long time executives.
A recent press release by ExecNet reveals a growing confidence among recruiters for the future of executive employment in America. ExecuNet cites that amongst its 172 recruiter surveyed “56 percent are confident or very confident the executive employment market will improve during the next six months”. Although the speed of executive hiring may not return as it did in 2001, hiring in the business leadership market will soon be picking back up.
Mayclim, Troy. “Top Of Employment Market Stabilizing .” www.execunet.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2009. .
Byron West
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January 22, 2010
Several recruiting experts across the board say that cost per hire is irrelevant, and in most cases they are absolutely correct. When cost per hire is not calculated correctly, its value is relatively minimal.
PwC Saratoga’s most recent report on the United States’ Human Capital Effectiveness, cited that the average cost per hire was $2,658 in 2007, a 4% decrease from the previous year. The report uses six different elements, which are taken into consideration when finding the cost per hire: Advertising, Agency and Search Firm, Referral bonuses paid to employees, Relocation costs, and Company recruiter costs. These elements seem to cover most of the costs, which are related to hiring, but Figure 1-A shows all costs related to an individual hire, sometimes overlooked by companies. These additional elements of the hiring process can even double the cost per hire. However many talent acquisition experts believe that the statistic is still completely irrelevant to the hiring process. Todd Raphael of ERE LLP, says that the cost per hire statistic reveals nothing. He refers to an occasion in which Texas Instruments even paid $25 million to retain a techie, but his productivity was worth well more than that. And to his point, not all employees are created equal. Even fast food restaurants have steep changes in compensation between a manager and a cashier, but used in the right context, cost per hire reveals a rough estimate on hiring costs. Statistics like those by PwC Saratoga show cost per hire across the board from a macroeconomic point of view, but its true effectiveness is found when comparable positions are averaged together. The cost per hire of an executive drastically differs from that of a customer service representative. The statistic may not play a large role in determining whether a company should hire an executive as quality can often cover the costs. Yet, in most other cases, cost per hire allows companies to focus on the means by which they go about the hiring process and whether tools like job postings or agency fees are truly necessary.
Several companies have edged away from cost per hire, and have seen their hiring process become increasingly costly. If consumers lost sight of the price of a cheeseburger at McDonalds versus Wendys, there would no longer be a dollar menu. Thus, it is essential to use cost per hire as an instrument that gives insight into the cost of the hiring process.
US Human Capital Effectiveness Report: Executive Summary. http://www.pwc.com/us/en/hr-saratoga/publications/2008-2009-human-capital-effectiveness-report.jhtml. PwC Saratoga, n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2010.
Todd Raphael “Cost per hire: don’t even bother“. Workforce. FindArticles.com. 21 Jan, 2010. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FXS/is_6_81/ai_87509062/
Byron West
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January 15, 2010
The American Staffing Association began compiling data related to temporary and contract employment in June of 2006. Since then, the ASA Staffing index has served as an indicator of the level of temporary employment across the country. During the early months of 2007 & 2008, temporary employment hovered around the 100-point mark. However, with the onset of the recession, we saw a steady decrease in the later months of 2008. This remains consistent with the previous state of our economy.
This past July, temporary employment hit rock bottom and has since risen 23%. The significant increase doesn’t seem very evident on the graph in comparison to previous years, but in contrast to the steady decline we saw in November and December of 2008, the increase is reassuring.
So what does this mean for businesses, the recruiting industry and the greater economy? Temporary employment has always served as a great indicator for the direction in which permanent employment will head. With temporary employment increasing throughout the past two months and a relatively small drop in temp employment in the last week of the year, we can expect unemployment to decrease in the near future. Since August of 2009, unemployment has remained around 10%, but as we begin the new year, temporary employment indicates that the unemployment rate will once again fall below 10%. A strong recovery is not clear, but a recovery nonetheless is nearing. With the beginning of a new year, we are excited to see a recovery in the staffing and recruiting industry.
Karaer, Alexandra. “BLS: Temporary Help Continued to Add Jobs in December.”
Staffing Week: n. pag. Web. 14 Jan. 2010.
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Byron West
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December 10, 2009
With 18 days till Christmas, many people are beginning to notice the elaborate Christmas decorations in malls, airports, and grocery stores. But why do so many retail centers choose to spend so much money on Christmas decorations, which they will be taking down a month later? One explanation is to improve the customer’s shopping experience. If a mall chooses not to decorate during the Holidays, customers will most likely choose another, more festive mall for their next shopping spree. The whole idea of improving the customer’s shopping experience seems to be common knowledge in the retail world, but why do recruiters overlook the applicant’s experience?
One explanation may be that there are so many applicants; it just isn’t feasible to ensure each applicant has a good experience. Well, isn’t that the case in most retail situations? An average Walmart store serves over 3,000 customers per day, which exceeds the number of applicants most recruiters see per day. Thus, it’s just as feasible to ensure an applicant has a good experience as it is to ensure a customer at Target has a good experience. The next question would be, how important is it to ensure the applicant has a good experience?
After simply emailing unselected applicants, saying that someone more qualified has been given the position, we received great amounts of feedback telling us how much that simple email meant to them. With 10% of the country unemployed, it’s easy to overlook the importance of your company’s reputation in the hiring process, but in years to come, when unemployment goes down, the steps you take to improve your reputation for giving the applicant a pleasant experience will mean a lot. For example, if you apply for a job at a Consumer Goods company and are treated poorly, that could be a determinant in which product you choose at the grocery store. Your brand name is everything, and it includes your reputation in the hiring process.
Something that should not be overlooked is how easy it is to improve the candidate’s experience. Many applicants will say that no response from a company at which they applied would classify that company as failing to provide a good experience for the applicant. Therefore, it is as easy as creating an automatic response in your ATS (Applicant Tracking System) to thank the applicant for applying and giving them a little knowledge about their current status. In addition, mass emails to those applicants which failed to qualify, will also shed a more positive light on your company.
Simple steps such as these can help to improve your brand name, which can prove to be crucial in tough hiring times.
Byron West
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December 1, 2009
In this tough economy, competition for open job slots is fierce. So how do you catch the recruiter’s eye? What sorts of things do you do to maximize your potential of being hired?
The first thing to keep in mind is the recruiters’ perspective. Most recruiters are glancing through hundreds of resumes a day, searching for the one that best fits the job description. Thus, you only have one chance to make the right impression. Make your resume catchy and sophisticated. The standard size 12 typewriter font doesn’t do you any good. Instead, take advantage of free resources, such as resume templates on Google docs or in Microsoft Word. Additionally, make sure that you include every accomplishment that may work towards your advantage.
Once your resume is aesthetically pleasing, your next concern is how to give the greatest visibility to your resume. Companies like Resume Rabbit can post your resume to over 80 job sites for $59.95, but that may not be entirely necessary. With Yahoo! Hot Jobs, Careerbuilder, and Monster being the most popular places recruiters dig for resumes, posting to all three will give your resume proper visibility. Keep in mind that posting your resume to these sites costs you nothing. So, cast a wide net.
As an active candidate for any position your approach should be a more aggressive one. In addition to posting your resume, searching for relevant job postings can be beneficial in staying up to date with new jobs. While searching for posts on the big three (Hot Jobs, Monster, and Career Builder) may be effective, there are still more efficient resources that can be used. Sites such as Indeed and Simply Hired are increasing in popularity, and for a good reason. By taking advantage of these sites, job seekers can view postings from various job boards and career portals simultaneously. Using Indeed and Simply Hired can cut the time you spend searching for jobs in half.
With competition for open jobs increasing more and more, its essential to cover all the angles involved in being an active candidate. Creating a powerful resume and posting it to the right sites is a great way to give yourself wide spread visibility in the eyes of recruiters. In the same sense, using Simply Hired and Indeed ensures that you are aware of any job postings which could relate to you. Taking advantage of these resources can make your path to finding a new job a quick and painless one.
Byron West
President
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Filed under Job Searching
Tags: Careerbuilder, hire, hire velocity, Indeed, job search, Monster, recruit, recruiters, Recruiting, resume, Simply Hired
November 24, 2009
The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released that unemployment rose by 558,000 people to 10.2% in October. The 0.4% fluctuation from September’s (.8% unemployment rate brought into question the relapse of the economy and what the forecast for the future might be. However history has shown us that the last thing to decrease after a recession, especially one as severe as 2007’s, is unemployment (See Figure 1). As a result, it’s time to realize that soon, the economy will begin expanding again.
With projected growth in several industries topping over half a million in new jobs over the next seven years, its important to understand that the economy is in the process of bouncing back. Hospital Healthcare is projected to add almost 700,00 jobs by 2016, and the tech industry is expected to add almost 500,000. Thus, the current set-back, is nothing more than a set-back. With GDP growing, companies will soon be in search of new employees to relieve current workers of the stress that comes along with their increasingly heavy workloads.
Figure 1
Berchem, Steven. Annual Economic Analysis Puzzles Through the Data and Explains the Trends. N. pag. American Staffing Association, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. <http://www.americanstaffing.net/statistics/economic2009.cfm>.
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