Making the Most of Seasonal Hires
Filed under: Hiring, Job Application, Job Interview Tips, Job Searching, Jobs, Seasonal Hiring, Staffing, Temp Staff
With Black Friday and Christmas just around the corner, many businesses need to add extra workers to the payroll in order to meet the demands of the season. Hundreds of thousands of seasonal workers will be joining the ranks of employees nationwide, and with so many new workers punching in each week, companies need to make sure they’re getting quality and not just quantity. Here’s how to make sure the workers you hire will be a good fit for your business.
- Look for Qualities and Skills That Will Benefit Your Business
Scan each resume and application for skills that will help the applicant perform better on the job. Prior experience, IT skills, telemarketing skills, and other industry-specific knowledge can reduce needed training time and can also make the difference between someone who is just clocking time and someone who is actually bringing value to your company. Determine your non-negotiables and stick with them.
- Treat Each New Hire as a Potential Full-Time Worker
Look for the same qualities in your seasonal workers that you would look for in a full-timer. Seasonal employees can be the best pool from which to select full-time workers since you get to see them in action before making the call.
- Check References
Even if you’re hiring college students or others who will only be around for a month or two, it’s still important to check references closely. Former employers can give you good insight into the professionalism and character of the applicant. If a potential hire can’t or won’t provide references, wave goodbye.
- Evaluate People Skills
The holidays bring out the worst in some people, especially on busy shopping days like Black Friday and the weeks before and after Christmas. Your employees should be able to deal with tired, cranky customers while still maintaining a positive attitude and a smile. That doesn’t mean they all have to be bubbly extroverts, but it does mean they should treat each customer with respect and a friendly demeanor.
- Keep an Eye on Attitude
Once you’ve hired your seasonal workers, watch how they approach the job they’ve been asked to do. Are they giving 100% or more? Do they have the company’s best interests in mind? Or are they just filling time? Seasonal employees that go above and beyond the call of duty may make good candidates for any open full-time positions you have available.
Whether you’re hiring five extra workers or five hundred, treat each interview as a chance to build your business. By choosing only the best seasonal workers, you’ll not only maintain a better working environment for everyone, but you’ll also have the opportunity to invest in new talent to join your team full-time.
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Hone Your IT Skills for the Best Jobs in 2013
Filed under: Hiring, IT Staffing, Job Interview Tips, Jobs
In a technology-driven world, finding skilled IT talent remains high on the priority list for most companies, even in a slow economy. As one of the consistent bright spots in terms of employment opportunities, IT holds out hope for talented young professionals seeking a position in a fiercely competitive hiring environment. But in order to land the Job, you must bring the right skills to the table.
What Skills Are Most In Demand?
IT is one of the most quickly-evolving fields out there, so it pays to keep your finger on the pulse of the industry. Let’s take a look at five of the most sought-after skills needed by companies in order to remain competitive:
- Programming and Development
According to Computer World, programming and development top the list of needed IT skills, with 60% of surveyed businesses looking to hire in the next year. Meeting customer needs and maximizing productivity means remaining competitive in terms of applications, web presence, and software.
- Technical Support
As new technology and new systems come on the scene, businesses need support personnel to teach employees to use them effectively and to handle questions and problems.
- Cloud Architecture
A relatively new skill demand, cloud computing has become a vital aspect of data management. Businesses are looking for knowledge of the field as well as the ability to accomplish needed tasks within budget.
- Virtualization
Honing your virtualization skills, understanding the logical connections behind it, and remaining up to date on the latest developments will be key for those looking to land a position in the field.
- Mobile Management
Smart phones and tablets play an ever-increasing role in the function of both businesses and consumers. Mobile app development and design skills are crucial to remaining relevant in today’s technology climate.
Of course, foundational skills such as security, project management, and networking remain in high demand as well, making IT a diverse and challenging opportunity for young professionals.
How Can You Land a Top IT Job?
Of course, it’s not enough just to get a degree in one of the up-and-coming IT fields. Businesses want someone who has their company’s best interests in mind and can bring more than just book knowledge to the table. Here are five additional things recruiters want in an IT professional:
- Experience
- Leadership
- Attention to Detail
- Thinking Outside the Box
- Business Acumen
In order to break into the IT industry, you must hone these and other high-demand skills. Stay on the front edge of the technological wave, and you’ll be more likely to catch the recruiter’s eye.
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Five Ways to Land a Job After College
Filed under: College Grads, Hiring, Job Application, Job Candidates, Job Interview Tips, Job Searching, Jobs, Staffing
Finding a job after college is no longer a given. College grads struggle to find work in any field, much less the one they’ve chosen for their degree, with a lack of any actual work experience putting them at a disadvantage. The good news is that purposeful preparation can increase the chances of getting hired. Here are five ways to beat the odds.
1. Get a Four-Year Degree
Young workers with a four-year degree still have better chances of finding a job than those who forego a college education. However, getting a master’s degree doesn’t increase those odds much. Be ready to enter the workforce after graduation and don’t rely on grad school to catapult you into a full-time position.
2. Develop Desirable Skills
One of the greatest hindrances to landing a job is lack of experience. You can tackle this problem by seeking out opportunities to get hands-on experience during your undergrad years.
- Find an internship—Internships in your field of interest help you discover what the job requires, learn how to work in an office environment, and develop the skills you need to be successful.
- Get a part-time job in your field—Waiting tables at a restaurant may help you pay your school bill, but it’s not going to help you land your dream job. Find a part-time job with ties to the industry you hope to enter in order to gain valuable experience.
- Participate in practicum opportunities—Practicum, cooperative education, and industry mentoring opportunities all give students the chance to learn from someone who knows the field and to develop needed skills.
3. Manage Your Online Image
You can bet on it. Potential employers will Google you, and you want them to see a polished, professional image. Not that embarrassing picture you took at your cousin’s birthday bash. Keep personal information private and make sure that employers see a person they would be comfortable adding to their team.
4. Cast a Wide Net
Graduates may need to adjust their expectations by being willing to accept a job outside their initial field of study. Great opportunities often come from unexpected sources, and students can prepare for a broader range of job possibilities by taking classes outside their majors and applying for many different positions.
5. Network
Meeting people within the field gives students a foot in the door that could help them land a job after graduation. Join the University Business Association, create a polished LinkedIn profile, and make sure you present yourself professionally online.
College offers young workers an essential way to prepare for their future careers, but these days, students must do more than just get good grades. They must also begin creating a professional image, gathering work experience, and creating a total package that will make them attractive to employers.
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Reducing Your Cost Per Hire
Filed under: Executive Hiring, Hiring, IT Staffing, Job Application, Job Interview Tips, Recruiting, Staffing
Attracting quality talent requires investment. It takes money to attract talent, and it takes talent to make money. However, businesses today must also deal with the realities of a struggling economy and an extremely competitive job market. Let’s take a look at five strategies for reducing your cost per hire while still finding the right person for the job.
Focus on Retention
Retaining the employees you have takes effort, but it’s worth it in terms of cutting recruitment costs (and building a strong company). Implement strategies such as promoting from within, offering incentives and rewards, indentifying and addressing flight risks, and encouraging employee feedback to keep your current workers.
Recruit Internally
Post jobs on your company website, encourage employees to suggest candidates and consider implementing a referral scheme that rewards employees for high-quality referrals. On the negative side, internal recruiting limits your exposure, which is why it should be used as part of a broader recruitment initiative rather than your only plan.
Employ Social Media Recruiting
Social media is not only an extremely cost-effective way to recruit, but also one of the most popular venues for job candidates seeking new positions. That means it’s a good fit both for you and for your target audience. Maintain an active presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media networks by engaging with your audience and selling your company as a desirable workplace. Social media also broadens your reach by enabling your fans and followers to share job postings with their friends.
Reduce Printed Efforts
Printed job advertisements statistically provide lower return on investment than other recruiting methods. That doesn’t mean you should throw them out altogether, but it does mean you can get more bang for your buck by reducing the size of printed ads and the number of publications you advertise in. Redirect those dollars toward online efforts, a cost-effective recruiting venue that continues to surge in popularity and effectiveness.
Focus on Hiring the Right Person
If you hire the right person to start with, you won’t have to re-allocate resources toward filling that same position again in a year or two. Employing a talent agency can help you connect with a broader base of qualified candidates, especially if you’re looking for someone to fill a specialized position. Do your homework and get to know job candidates in different contexts. Following a person on Facebook and Twitter, for example, can help you read a person’s personality and communication style, filling in the gaps between resumes, interviews, and LinkedIn profiles.
Reducing your cost per hire requires a multi-pronged approach and may mean a major shift in current recruiting efforts. What strategies have you implemented to reduce costs while still finding the right person for the job?
Finding the Right Person for the Job
Filed under: Employee Retention, Job Application, Job Candidates, Job Interview Tips, Recruiting, RPO, Staffing
You’re interviewing job candidate #8. He’s blathering on about his experiences and education, and you’re waiting for that spark of revelation. That instinctive, gut feeling that this will be the right person for the job. It didn’t happen with candidates 1-7. And #8 isn’t looking too promising either. Is there a better way? You bet.
Too often, interviewers rely on gut feelings or instincts to make hiring decisions. The problem is that gut feelings can be wrong. Disastrously so. You might end up with someone who looks good and sounds good, but isn’t a team player or doesn’t perform well in the trenches.
The solution? Base your evaluation on facts. Here are five rock-solid tips to get you started:
- Know the Basic Requirements—What skills are absolutely essential to the position? No matter how good a candidate sounds, if he doesn’t have the basic requirements, you’ll have to invest too much into training with no guarantee that he’ll be able to learn what you need him to know.
- Evaluate Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills—Hard skills are the ones you learn in school: the book knowledge it takes to be an accountant or lawyer or physicist. Soft skills are the ones you learn from experience: how to interact with the client, how to read customers, and how to close the deal. Focus on the hard skills first. No matter how brilliant a candidate is, he won’t be a good match if he didn’t have the drive to finish school.
- Evaluate Results, Not Just Experience—As you’re scanning resumes, look for qualifications that show results, not just experience. For example, developing new IT software that resulted in 20% online growth says more about the candidate than just having experience in IT development.
- Focus on Quality, Not Just a Good Sales Pitch—The interview process is somewhat skewed toward extroverts. People who know how to sell themselves and effortlessly engage in conversation may appear to be a better fit, but may not ultimately be as qualified as a less verbal candidate. You can draw out the cream of the crop by creating sample scenarios and asking the candidate how he would act.
- Get Input From Others—After you’ve narrowed down your field of candidates, ask others in your organization to look over the top ten or twelve resumes and provide feedback. You can also introduce the candidate to team members and superiors after the interview and ask for their impressions.
It’s true that sometimes when you’re making the final call on a hiring decision, you have to go with your gut. But don’t let that become your modus operandi. Choose your candidates based on hard facts and input from your team, and you’ll be in the best position to find the right person for every job opening.
Stand Out From the Crowd: Business Etiquette for Job Candidates
Filed under: Job Interview Tips, Job Searching, Recruiting
The job market these days presents unusual challenges for new talent entering the field. Jobs are scarce everywhere, and each job opening may receive applications from hundreds of talented candidates. Presenting a polished image to the interviewer can make an impression that causes you to stand out from the crowd of similarly qualified applicants. How to develop that image? Brush up on your business etiquette.
- Learn Names
Even before you get an interview, take the time to learn the name of the person who receives your cover letter and resume. Knowing names tells the recruiter that you care enough about the company to do your research and can help your resume stand out from the generic “Dear Sir.”
- Say Thanks.
Believe it or not, it’s a rare job candidate who takes the time to thank an interviewer. Thank you notes used to be common courtesy, but in these days of Tweets and Facebook shout-outs, a hand-written note has become a rarity. It’s still the right thing to do, however, and it will differentiate you from the crowd.
- Turn off the Phone
Not only is it rude to glance at text messages while you’re sitting in an interviewer’s office, but it may also raise questions in his mind about who you’re talking to. Is it a competitor? Another employer? Phone interactions can give the impression of competing interests, a sure deal breaker when it comes to landing the job.
- Keep Your Thoughts to Yourself
At least until you’re out of the building. Never discuss your interview as you’re walking down the hall or riding down in the elevator. You never know who might overhear you. Even if you’re the only one in the elevator, don’t pull out your phone until you’re out on the street.
- Think Twice Before Tweeting
It’s almost second nature for today’s generation to Tweet or post on Facebook about the important (and unimportant) things that happen in the course of the day. But sharing too much about your interview is a bad move. You can bet potential employees will be checking out your social media pages. And you can also bet they won’t want the details of confidential interviews displayed for the world to see.
Good etiquette can make the difference between candidates who get called back for second interviews and those who don’t. Put some effort into making a good impression. Potential employers care about professionalism and courtesy, even before you’ve signed a contract.
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