What College Graduation Means for Your Recruiting Efforts
Filed under: College Grads, Diversity Recruiting, Hiring, Job Candidates, Jobs, Recruiting, RPO, Staffing
Graduation day is an imminent reality for college seniors all across the country. As the moment of truth arrives, hundreds of thousands of new workers will be flooding the job market, looking for positions. That sudden upsurge in job seekers can be both a great opportunity and a daunting task for employers. How do you attract the best and the brightest from among those college grads while also choosing workers that will be a good fit for your company and stick with you for the long haul?
Think Like a College Student
College students don’t generally have much experience in the work force or in how professional communication works. They’re more in tune with the world of social media and smartphones, which means that in order to reach them, you should communicate your message in a variety of venues:
- Connect on Social Media—Consider creating a Facebook page for your recruitment efforts. Post job openings on Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn. Don’t rely solely on job boards to get your message out.
- Create a Mobile App—Make it easy for the smartphone generation to find your job openings with a Jobs App like this one from Sodexo.
- Take Advantage of Video Interviews—Video interviews make it possible to check out candidates in other parts of the country without blowing the travel budget. As much as possible, try to make these actual person-to-person interviews rather than using pre-recorded questions so you’ll have a chance to evaluate the candidate’s personality as well as his or her knowledge.
Make Your Brand Attractive
If you expect the best new workers to stick around, you’ll need to do a good job of managing your brand image and promoting the benefits of working for your company.
- Build Your Employer Brand—Put some thought into what makes your company unique, what is desirable about your workplace, and what kind of working environment you provide. Communicate your brand on your website and through video and social media.
- Promote Benefits—Employee training, opportunities for professional development, and opportunities for advancement can all be attractive reasons to join your company.
- Provide a Mentor—Remember that college grads haven’t had much experience in navigating the complexities of a real life work situation, so they’ll need someone to show them the ropes. Formal training as well as touching base in an informal setting from time to time can go a long way towards helping young workers become invested in the company.
As graduation approaches, take the time to reach out to the next generation of workers. By creating a strong employer brand and comprehensive recruiting strategy, you can grab the attention of the young workers who will become the future of your company.
What Are the Best Jobs for 2013?
Filed under: College Grads, Hiring, IT Staffing, Job Application, Job Candidates, Job Searching, Jobs, Recruiting, Staffing, Unemployment
Looking for a job? The U.S. News list of Best Jobs for 2013 comprises the top 100 careers in the fields of Business, Healthcare, Social Service, Technology, Construction, and Creative. The list provides an excellent starting point for college grads and others looking to enter a new career.
How the Lists Were Developed
Finding a good job depends on more than just making a good salary. The top jobs in each field were chosen based on a number of criteria including:
- Demand—Which jobs are most in demand in the current market? Which fields offer the greatest opportunity for new talent to find and hold a satisfactory position? How quickly are positions typically filled and how difficult is it to obtain a position?
- Salary—Which fields offer the greatest potential for good entry-level salaries as well as opportunities for growth?
- Personal Satisfaction—Which jobs provide a sense of personal fulfillment, investment, and personal growth? Which positions offer opportunities for personal development and statistically show high levels of employee satisfaction?
Which Jobs are the Winners for 2013?
Six of the top ten best jobs on the U.S. News list are in the medical field. The remaining four are IT positions. As medical practices seek to add patients, the demand for doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other medical professionals will remain high. And as society becomes increasingly digital, IT administrators, developers, and analysts will be needed to keep businesses competitive.
Although we can’t cover every job on the list here, let’s take a quick look at the top positions in each field.
- Business—Market Research Analyst, Financial Advisor, Accountant, Compliance Officer, Audit Clerk
- Healthcare—Dentist, Registered Nurse, Pharmacist, Physician, Physical Therapist
- Social Service—School Psychologist, Interpreter and Translator, Substance Abuse Counselor, Speech-Language Pathologist, Landscaper and Groundskeeper
- Technology—Computer Systems Analyst, Database Administrator, Software Developer, Web Developer, Computer Programmer
- Construction—Cost Estimator, Construction Manager, Plumber, Glazier, Cement Mason
- Creative—Public Relations Specialist, Architect, Art Director
In today’s highly competitive job market, choosing a satisfying, lucrative career that’s also in high demand can seem like a difficult prospect for new workers entering the job market. Knowing what companies need, what they’re willing to pay, and what jobs tend to offer a satisfying experience can help make the process a little less intimidating. As companies compete to attract the best talent in the field, workers can make themselves more desirable by pursuing the right training and marketing themselves effectively.
Is Temporary Staffing Right for You?
Filed under: Consulting, Hiring, IT Staffing, Job Candidates, Job Searching, Recruiting, Recruiting Update, Staffing, Temp Staff
Thirty-six percent of businesses will add a temporary worker to their team this year. It’s a trend that has been steadily growing as companies feel the squeeze of rising costs and a struggling economy. Although some companies remain squeamish about hiring potentially unreliable temps, many temporary workers actually prove to be better workers than their permanent counterparts. Not convinced? Consider these reasons a temp may be good for your business.
Benefits of Temporary Staffing
As jobs become more scarce, increasingly qualified workers are packaging themselves as “free agents,” using temporary work as a springboard to permanent positions. For businesses, the new temporary worker dynamic offers some significant pluses:
- Accommodates flexible working hours and seasonal fluctuations. Temporary workers can help fill in the gaps in productivity as more employees take advantage of flex hours. They can also help handle increased workload during the holidays, tax season, and other times when business picks up temporarily.
- Gives employers an opportunity to evaluate workers before hiring. With no long term commitment, temporary positions allow employers to closely evaluate a worker’s abilities and performance on the job with the option to bring them on board permanently if they like what they see.
- Lower hiring costs. For short term, specialized work assignments, it can be cheaper to hire a temporary worker rather than a permanent employee with benefits. If you use a staffing agency, you’ll be saved the cost of recruiting, screening, payroll expenses, and in some cases, training.
Bringing Temporary Workers On Board
Creating a positive relationship with temporary workers can help establish brand loyalty, build rapport with workers you may want to hire permanently later on, and create brand ambassadors among those who don’t remain as a permanent part of the team. Include these elements in your onboarding strategy for new workers:
- Realistic expectations—Don’t hold out promise for permanent job potential if you can’t or don’t intend to follow through.
- Adequate training—Make sure temps know exactly what you want and that they’ve been adequately trained to perform as expected.
- Positive HR experiences—Accurate time records, paperwork, payroll expectations and legal processes all contribute to an overall positive experience with your company that will pay off down the road.
- Integration into the team—Whether you plan to hire permanently later on or not, every temp work should feel like a valuable team member in order to perform at his full potential.
- Exit surveys—You can gain valuable insight about your work environment by interviewing or surveying temporary workers as they leave your company.
Don’t be shy about hiring temporary workers. As increasingly qualified workers are joining the ranks of the unemployed, you may find some star performers among the seasonal employees you bring on board.
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?
Revolutionize Your Recruitment Strategy With Social Media
Filed under: Branding, Consulting, Marketing, Recruiting, Social Media
If you want to catch a fish, you have to go where the fish are. Makes sense when you’re carrying a rod and reel, but when it comes to landing the big fish in terms of talent acquisition, many business professionals aren’t in the right pond.
Statistics show that the gap between consumer and professional usage of social media is widening. Businesses aren’t keeping up with social innovations and new networking opportunities, and that’s detrimental for the job force. The good news is that job candidates want to connect; they’re broadening their networks and polishing their online resumes. All you have to do is get them to bite.
Goals for Social Media Recruiting
Social media recruiting isn’t like posting a job on Career Builder. Job candidates expect a more personal, interactive approach when they’re on Facebook. Your social recruiting strategy should accomplish two goals:
- Sourcing—Obviously, your number one goal is finding the right applicants. Social media is a great place to do that, because it’s where the largest pools of talent congregate.
- Transparency—Social media also helps job candidates get to know your company and establishes your identity as a desirable employer.
How to Attract the Right Candidates with Social Media
For most businesses, the question isn’t primarily whether they should engage in social media recruitment strategies. It’s how to create an effective strategy in the first place.
- Diversify—Establish a presence on multiple social media networks. Start with the Big Three (Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn) and then expand from there. The goal isn’t to have accounts at as many places as possible; rather, it’s to establish and maintain a presence on those networks that will bring the most benefit to your company.
- Use Social Referrals—Your job postings aren’t just appearing to your contact base. They’re also being shared with friends of friends, a process known as social referrals. Make the most of this opportunity by remaining in close contact with the movers and shakers at key companies.
- Engage—By interacting with your target audience, you not only present yourself as a transparent company, but also gain insight into the identity and personality of potential job candidates.
- Marketing—Sell your company using the same marketing techniques you use to sell a product: brand promotion, target audience, strategy development, content creation, ad development, metrics, etc.
- Follow Up—Social media is becoming an essential tool for identifying desirable job candidates, but don’t throw out the tried and true methods. Once you’ve narrowed down your pool of candidates, follow your normal protocol for interviews and follow-ups.
With more than 60% of adults maintaining a social media presence to some extent, social media recruiting places you in contact with the largest available pool of potential talent. It’s a trend you can’t afford to ignore.
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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.
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