If you’re not yet familiar with the government’s recently revised stipulations for hiring unpaid interns, might I suggest pouring yourself a nice glass of Merlot, perhaps turning down the lights and putting on some Al Green, while you sit back and get to know them a little bit better…?
That’s because the Obama administration recently announced that it intends to crack down on companies that don’t comply with the rules regarding unpaid internships, in reaction to recent criticism that such practices unfairly favor privileged students and enable employers to take advantage of free labor.
Six Rules for Employers Offering Unpaid Internships According to a document on Internship Programs, released in April by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, employers are not required by law to pay their interns only if they meet all of the following criteria:
The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational environment
The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern
The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff
The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded
The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship
The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.
Why All the Fuss? So what’s so bad about not paying interns, anyway? You might ask. After all, shouldn’t they be grateful just for the opportunity to get real world work experience, network with industry professionals and get school credit?
In an ideal world, yes. But it seems that far too many employers have interns doing menial tasks that offer little educational experience or quality training. Other companies, meanwhile, hire interns under the (false) promise that the interns will be offered a full-time position once their internship is complete. Another criticism of unpaid internships is that they favor students from well-to-do backgrounds whose parents are well-connected in the industry (and can afford to work for free) over those who come from lower-income backgrounds.
Unfortunately, many employers that fail to meet the above criteria still manage to get away with not paying their interns. Illegal practices concerning unpaid internships often go unreported, it seems, because many interns do not file complaints for fear that they will lose their current internship or be branded as troublemakers and endanger their chances of future employment at other companies.
Advantages to Offering Paid Internships Aside from helping organizations avoid any potential legal problems, offering paid internships offer a number of benefits for employers. For one thing, paid internships help employers attract a bigger group of qualified individuals, as financial need prevents some highly qualified students from pursuing unpaid opportunities. Paid internship also help ensure students stick to a time commitment; furthermore, students that are paid as if they are professionals are more likely to act the part, too.
Of course, now you might be asking: Why have interns at all if we have to pay them? In a recent Student Branding Blog post, career counselor Karen Obringer lists the following ways companies benefit from hiring interns:
Internships enable companies to train potential future employees
Interns provide new energy to the office
Interns provide new ideas and technology into the office
Interns can do the work that the full-time staff haven’t had time to accomplish or even start
Interns can help evaluate current company practices and offer suggestions of alternate options
Can’t afford to pay your interns? The career counselors at Washington University in St. Louis suggest that employers consider offering an alternative mode of payment, such as transportation reimbursement, free parking, complimentary meals, or free training or workshops.
What are your thoughts? Do you agree that employers take advantage of interns? Do you believe interns should be paid? How do you compensate your interns in other ways?
Rejecting a candidate because they have too many credentials? On the surface, it seems absurd: Here, it seems you’ve been handed the opportunity to snag executive-level talent at an entry level price…and yet you know that doing so means you could soon be dealing with a very bitter employee who resents taking a job that is below them, or perhaps you fear they’ll leave the minute a better opportunity comes along…
That’s the dilemma employers face when it comes to hiring overqualified workers – and why so many just say no; however, while you certainly want to be wary of someone who “will just take anything” to make ends meet (not that you don’t sympathize), you could also be doing yourself a disservice by dismissing an overqualified worker outright – and miss the opportunity to score major talent for your organization.
So before you immediately dismiss an overqualified worker, just consider the following questions to help you assess why you’re really discounting them – and if you should reconsider…
How do I define “overqualified”? Dismissing someone based only on a resume that is more extensive than what the hiring manager expected might be jumping the gun. For one thing, having “too much” experience is relative. Check with the hiring manager to see how much additional qualification is acceptable before ruling someone out entirely. Not to mention that more experience and qualifications means less time spent training and developing the individual. And finally, just because the person may have more experience doesn’t mean he or she isn’t the best person for the job – it might be worth your time to let the candidate prove it to you.
Are my biases getting in the way? “Every organization has its own internal biases…Hiring managers and recruiters need to acknowledge these biases and realize that great candidates may not fit the typical mold,” one commenter reasoned in response to an earlier post I’d written about not writing off candidates too soon.
Echoing this sentiment, management expert F. John Reh writes that the biggest obstacle to hiring overqualified workers is dealing with underqualified managers who feel threatened by the idea of having someone on their team who is competing for their position or will do anything that might highlight their own shortcomings. What these managers fail to realize, however, is that something done well by their team will actually reflect well on them.
Also, judging from the comments generated by a recent TheWorkBuzz post asking workers to discuss how they felt about being overqualified for their jobs, it’s apparent that many job seekers are frustrated by the “overqualified” label – and many suspect that employers just use this term as an excuse for not hiring older workers. (If that’s true, it’s important to realize that mature workers “offer a wealth of knowledge and experience that has translated into a significant competitive advantage for employers,” according to Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder.)
Am I assuming too much? It’s understandable that you might suspect that a worker with more experience than the minimum qualifications will ask for too much pay; however, posting the salary or salary range for the position in the job ad will help to screen out these applicants. While there’s still the risk that a more experienced worker may still push for a higher salary, that doesn’t mean they won’t ultimately – and happily – accept the salary you offer.
Perhaps you’re worried that a more experienced individualwill be more difficult to manage than someone “greener,” but you shouldn’t screen based on this assumption: wait until the interview process, where you can find out about the person’s personality, work ethic and cultural fit within the organization.
It’s also common to assume that an overqualified worker will be bored in his or her “lesser” role, and is simply waiting for the job market to open up to pursue better opportunities, which is, of course, a valid concern – but it’s a concern that should apply to all of your employees. A recent New York Times article addressed this topic, saying that while studies indicate that workers who perceive themselves as overqualified do tend to report lower job satisfaction and higher rates of turnover, various research shows that these workers tend to perform better – and that managers can mitigate many of the negatives that come with overqualified hires by giving their worker autonomy, treating them with respect, and making them feel valued.
Thoughts? Have you had experience hiring or managing what you’d consider overqualified workers?
You’ve probably heard the stats that say that body language accounts for somewhere between 55 and 90 percent of all communication…and when interviewing job candidates, you likely pay a lot of attention the nonverbal cues they give out that convey their interest, honesty, enthusiasm, confidence, etc. – or a lack thereof…
But how often do you think about how your own body language comes across? It’s likely you’re so focused on them that you forget to think about your own nonverbal cues: Do you unintentionally intimidate candidates? Do your hand gestures and facial expressions convey boredom, irritation or condescension?
Understanding the nonverbal signals you send can be just as important as reading your candidates’ body language – especially since, as the interviewer, you have a direct impact on the candidate’s impression of the company and the resulting decision to accept or reject a job offer.
Unfortunately, sometimes the biggest offenders are the seemingly harmless things we do – tics, if you will – that we don’t even think about – and the negative messages they send candidates. Below are seven messages your body language sends others, and how to correct them:
The Message: “I’m uncomfortable.” The Tip-Off: Sitting with legs crossed while shaking one leg or wiggling a foot. A lot of leg movement in general is both distracting and indicates nervousness. Sit with your legs crossed at the angles, or place both feet flat on the floor to convey confidence and relaxation.
The Message: “You’re annoying me.” The Tip-Off: You’re drumming your fingers on your desk. Rubbing your face can also indicate irritation. You can keep your hands in check by resting them, loosely clasped in your lap or on the table in front of you.
The Message: “I couldn’t be more bored by what you have to say.” The Tip-Off: Rubbing the back of your head or neck indicates boredom, as well as irritation. An innocent enough gesture (maybe you have a headache…or you accidentally wore black without the Blue), but now that you’re aware of the message it sends, try to keep it to a minimum, if not stop altogether.
The Message: “I’m better than you.” The Tip-Off: You’re leaning back in your chair and folding your arms across your chest, which can be seen as arrogant. The same goes for resting one leg or ankle on top of your other knee. Give the candidate your full attention and respect by sitting upright with your torso facing him or her.
The Message: “I’m not taking you seriously.” The Tip-Off: You’re smiling a little too much. You’re probably only trying to put the other person at ease, but be careful to not smile too much when talking about serious subjects, as your grin might suggest that you aren’t taking the discussion seriously enough.
The Message: “I’d rather be anywhere but here.” The Tip-Off: Pointing your feet toward the door – or leaning in that direction – tells the person you’re conversing with that you get heck out of there ASAP. Make sure that you are facing the other person squarely, with your feet flat on the floor or crossed at the ankles.
The Message: “I don’t care.” The Tip-Off: Leaning back in your chair, placing your hands in a “steeple” position, tends to show indifference on your end. Instead, show (or feign?) interest by leaning forward slightly in your chair, and lightly clasp your hands in your lap or placing them near your knees.
Even if you are bored, annoyed, disinterested, etc…It’s still important that you maintain a professional demeanor and treat your candidate with respect. After all, the interview is not the time to evaluate a candidate. Save the eye rolls and exasperated sighs for after the interview, when you have a chance to process everything.
In fact, now that you are aware of how others might be interpreting your nonverbal cues, be willing to forgive these gestures in others, as, your interview subject may not realize he or she is doing the same. While you want to ensure you hire someone who is comfortable within your company, you have to be willing to forgive some degree of nervousness.
Could this be a good sign? CareerBuilder’s latest nationwide survey, released today, shows that small businesses will be hiring in the second half of 2010. Considering small business is one of the major drivers for economic recovery and job growth, I think the answer’s a definite …hopefully?
Findings from the survey of more than 1,300 employers in businesses with 500 or fewer employees indicate that in the second half of the year, 32 percent of companies with 500 or fewer employees plan to add new employees. Twenty-four percent of companies with 50 or fewer employees said the same.
Seeing these plans for growth mean not only good things for small businesses, but should come as good news about the state of the economy overall. In a statement for the press release, Brent Rasmussen, President of CareerBuilder North America, said, “Historically, it has been the small business sector that has created the most jobs at the end of an economic downturn, allowing the overall job market to bounce back faster.”
And according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, small businesses employ just over half of all private sector employees, account for more than half of nonfarm private gross domestic product, and have generated 64 percent of net new jobs over the past 15 years.
“I woke up one morning and just said, ‘I…hate…my…job,’” workplace engagement expert Peter Stark told the audience of HR executives during his presentation during SHRM 2010 in San Diego last month. “The problem was, I owned the company.”
Laughter ensued, and I took the crowd’s immediate engagement with Stark as a good sign that I wouldn’t be wasting my time in a presentation titled “Engaged!” – about how top companies create a culture where employees love to come to work.
Turns out, I was right. Not only is Stark a dynamic speaker, but dude knows his stuff: Stark had studied 250 companies employing 100,000 people. And after narrowing them down to the top 25 percent in terms of employee engagement, he found 10 factors these top companies have in common, which I’ll share with you now…
Oh, but first, a quick side note: Before Stark shared his list, he did something interesting. He challenged the audience to tell him the difference between a leader and a manager…which turned out to be a deceptively difficult task. After listening to a few good (but apparently wrong) guesses from the crowd, Stark revealed the answer: A manager is just a title; whereas a leader is someone whose qualities lead people to follow them. “Followership is a conscious decision, with or without a title,” Stark said. (The more you know…) Anyway, without further ado…your recap of Stark’s list of…
10 Ways to Get Employees to Say, “I Love My Job”
Create a compelling, positive vision with clear goals. The top leaders have a very clear vision of where they’re heading. According to Stark, a great vision is composed of three key qualities: it must come from the heart, be unique to the organization, and be radical and compelling. People have to care about it.
Communicate the right stuff at the right time. Yes, even the “hard stuff”…Stark found that the best of the best companies were better at communicating the hard stuff to their employees.
Select the right people for the right job. Seems like a given, yet some companies are much better at this than others. Why is that? Stark says that what the best companies do differently is have more people involved in the hiring decision than the typical organization, and they have a thorough understanding of the competencies they need individuals to have in order to be successful at their organization. (Side note: Nancy Newell also spoke to the importance of this understanding in her SHRM panel on interviewing. Consistency!)
Facilitate cross-departmental teamwork. It’s important to remember that you all work for the same company – with the same goal. The best companies are better at cross-departmental teamwork.
Do “cool stuff.” When you’re working on cool stuff, Stark says, the rest of the organization has to respond to you; therefore, you become a leader. So practice continuous improvement and innovation. (Warning: The best companies are able to do this because they already have their day-to-day ducks in a row, so you might want to consider that first.)
Recognize and reward excellent performance. While some people aren’t crazy about rewards systems, it makes others work for it. (And, oh yeah, it seems to be working pretty well for top companies.)
Make accountability and performance count. “If I came in and reviewed your performance reviews, could I truly see a difference between employees? And could I see that the manager truly cares about the employee?” Stark asked the audience. Performance reviews are a window into how you treat your employees – and how engaged your employees are likely to be as a result. After all, a manager who can’t take time to write a performance review is unlikely to take the time to communicate clearly with employees on a consistent basis (see #2).
Make sure every employee has the opportunity to learn and grow. Giving employees a growth and development plan is essential, as it tells them, “I care about your success. I believe in you.”
Don’t let problems be any problem at all. The top companies foster a culture that allows for mistakes, because they know they can handle them.
Make it all about the customer. When you’re able to focus on the business side and the customer side, Stark says, it increases your credibility and value in the organization.
Anything you’d add to this list? Chances are you’ve heard several – if not all – of these concepts before; still, it’s always good to have a refresher, as it is probably easy to forget the crucial importance of keeping the very people you rely on to run your business motivated, and at the very least, not….hating…their…jobs.
Look at any “best places to work” list, and you’ll notice that most of the companies listed tend to share the same four employee benefit offerings, SHRM’s Steven Williams pointed out during his presentation on employee benefit programs for the organization’s annual conference in San Diego last month: 1) Health care; 2) Work/life balance; 3) Unique or unusual benefits; and 4) Leave.
It should come as no surprise that companies that offer these types of benefits would be considered great places to work. Unfortunately, with the economy the way it is, and health care being the most expensive benefit to offer, it should also come as no surprise that not every company has the luxury to offer employees health care…
…And not for lack of trying, either: According to 2010 SHRM internal research, despite rising health care costs, employers say the are unlikely to drop health care coverage at their organizations, for fear that doing so will: lower employee morale and satisfaction; hinder their ability to recruit new employees; and significantly increase employee turnover, among other concerns.
Five Ways Employers Can Reduce Health Care Costs
Fortunately, Williams had some advice for these companies, addressing the following five tips for reducing health care costs:
Design the health care premium around each employee’s base salary or tenure
Make available – and encourage the use of – wellness programs. If implemented correctly, employee wellness programs work: they effectively reduce healthcare costs; they help cut down on employee turnover; and they decrease instances of absenteeism. (See more about the benefits of implementing wellness benefits in 7 Habits of Highly Successful Corporate Wellness Programs.)
Emphasize the use of a mail-order prescription drug program on all maintenance prescription drugs.
Require working spouses to elect coverage from their employer, and charge extra to employees whose spouses do not elect such coverage.
Consider association-sponsored plans or partnering with other companies.
What about you? Does your company use any of the above methods to reduce health care costs? What else? Please share with ushow your company cuts back on health care costs in the comments section below!
The last thing you might expect to hear when walking into a presentation about how to inspire creativity from your employees is: “Tell your employees to think inside the box”…and yet, that’s pretty much the advice Disney’s business program consultant, Scott Milligan, had for the audience when he presented at SHRM 2010 in San Diego last month.
“We tell our cast members to think INSIDE the box,” Milligan boasted to the audience of HR professionals during his presentation, “Disney’s Approach to Inspiring Creativity”. (“Cast members,” by the way, is Disney’s term for employees.) After all, he reasoned, how creative is it, really, to tell people to “think outside the box” anymore? (Finally, someone said it!)
The other surprising thing about this idea of “thinking inside the box” is that it seems awfully practical and structured for a company that prides itself on the very idealistic notions of making magic happen and dreams come true, etc…And yet, this structured approach works for Disney.
Thinking inside the box, Milligan said, provides companies guidance and direction, helps them avoid wasting resources and keeps everyone focused. But what is the box? As Milligan explained it, the box is your company’s organizational identity – who you are or what you intend to be – and it encompasses four things:
Your Customers – Who are they? What do they need from you?
Your Vision – What do you want to be?
Your Mission – What do you want to do?
Your Essence – How do we want people to feel when they experience your product or service?
Find Your Essence
A lot of companies, Milligan believes, leave essence out of the equation – and that, he explained, is an unfortunate oversight, especially when it comes to recruiting: In order to find the best people, hiring managers and recruiters must understand their company’s essence in order to seek out and identify the very people who share that essence.
As an example, he cited how Disney makes it a goal to create happiness for people. Milligan then challenged the audience to find their own companies’ essence, and look to that when hiring employees.
(When considering your company’s essence, it might help of it to think of it in terms of how blogger Derrick Daye defines essence: ”…the heart and soul of a brand – a brand’s fundamental nature or quality. Usually stated in two or three words, a brand’s essence is the one constant across product categories and throughout the world.”)
Structure, Not Confinement
Again, while you might think that a company that tells its employees to think inside the box would be fostering a culture of confinement, discouraging creative thinking by setting up rules and restrictions, the box model actually serves the opposite purpose for Disney – and it can do the same for others as well.
“Within that box, companies can expand their identity,” Milligan said, explaining how the box model has enabled Disney to expand its brand identity - from being merely about cartoons to also encompassing live action features and then expanding to theme parks, hotels and resorts and then even on to cruise lines – all while staying focused on the mission to enable “magic” to happen.
What do you think? Does your company think “inside the box” as well? Is essence something that you talk about or communicate at your company? How does it play into attracting and engaging employees?
“The only way to measure a candidate is to measure every single candidate with the same yardstick,” Nancy Newell, principal at Nth Degree Consulting told an audience during her panel “Beyond Behavioral Interviewing: Asking the RIGHT Questions, Evaluating the Answers,” at he annual Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) Conference in San Diego last month.
One of the major flaws with the interview process, Newell believes, is a lack of consistency. Every candidate needs to be asked the same question – or as Newell put it, be measured by the same yardstick – otherwise, the evaluation process is meaningless. You can’t expect to properly evaluate candidates if you’re not holding them up to the same set of standards. Not that maintaining consistency is easy, she admits. There’s no “magic bullet” to getting the right answers from candidates and ensuring the right hire, Newell says. (On the contrary, it takes a lot of discipline and hard work); however, there are steps hiring managers can take to create a better, more consistent process and minimize hiring mistakes – which I went ahead and broke down into a simple Do’s and Don’t's list. Check it out…
DO conduct Behavioral Interviews. Behavioral interviewing is key to hiring, Newell believes, because it helps predict future success on the job by looking into past behavior. Thus, questions should be shaped to look at previous behavior – not potential behavior. A question that begins with “Tell me about a time when…” for example, is much more predictive than “What would you do if…” which tends to lead candidates to say what they think you want to hear, rather than give a real-life example that provides insight into their skills, personality and work ethic.
DON’T go into the interview blind. It’s crucial that you have a clear idea of what you want your end result to look like. Before interviewing any candidate, consider the following questions:
Why am I filling the job? (Are we growing, or are we replacing someone?)
What’s missing on this team?
What do our customers need, require and expect?
Who’s the supervisor? What kind of person works best under this supervisor’s management style?
What sort of person will fit best within this organizational culture?
What skills am I willing to train on, and what skills do I need to hire for?
DO use the same measurement tool on the same candidate. Ask the same questions of every candidate. The minute you stop using the same yardstick, the yardstick doesn’t measure anything. You can’t find your rock star that way. (Follow up questions can be different.) Your candidates are smarter, they’re savvier, and they’re going to challenge your skills as a recruiter.
DON’T tip your hand. Ask the questions first, then talk about the job and the company. Don’t lead them. What you say and when you say it matters. Explain what the interview process is going to look like.
DO get over your own biases. The time for evaluation comes later. The interview process is the time for gathering data.“Get out of your own way,” Newell says. “Get over your own biases, your own assumptions…If the industry equivalent of Kobe Bryant applies to your organization, and there’s a typo on his resume and you screen him because of that typo…your screening process is flawed.” The same goes for writing someone off who doesn’t show up to an interview dressed in the way you might think is “proper.” “You never know where people are coming from…Maybe they’re coming from another job where the dress code is casual.” These minor details don’t necessarily reflect the type of employee this candidate will be.
DON’T be afraid to probe. Keep asking follow-up questions until you get a complete understanding of the situation. “Pull the thread,” Newell says. ”Make sure the behaviors they talk about are consistent.”
DO coach your candidate. Coach them to give you specifics on how they got those results. For example, ask something like, “I’m looking for a time when you demonstrated really good customer service.”
DON’T waste your time. Don’t ask questions candidates are going to lie to you about. Questions like, “Are you planning on staying in the area?” or “Can you do (blank)?” tell candidates what you want to hear. Asking big, broad questions will generate more telling, honest answers. For example, a question like, “Tell me about a time you had to deal with a difficult co-worker,” enables the candidate to tell you what they think a difficult co-worker looks like and how they handle adversity.
DO train everyone involved in the interview process. Not only is it important that everyone is on the same page, and they understand the reason behind the questions they’re asking, especially when it comes to asking follow-up questions.
DON’T be afraid to rephrase a question. When you really want to probe, Newell suggests taking a question and turning it negative, which can give added insight. For example, instead of asking, “Tell me about a time when you accomplished something,” ask, “When did something not go well?” You’ll see not only how people handle adversity but also what, to them, constitutes a problem.
DO create a score card by which to evaluate candidates. Incorporate the critical success factors of your ideal candidate. Think about what’s most important to success in that job, within the company, and then develop a score card based on that information. “At the end of the day, you’ve got to score it.”
That was the message Steven Williams, Director of E-Media Innovations and Business Development at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), had for his audience during his presentation, “Employee Benefits: Just How Competitive Is Your Company?” at SHRM’s annual conference in San Diego last month.
It should come as no surprise that benefits are crucial to attracting and retaining top talent (especially with employers complaining about how good talent is still so hard to come by these days)…but where “HR drops the ball,” as Williams put it, was in communicating these benefits. “It’s very important that you communicate your employer brand,” Williams told the audience of HR managers. After all, he said, you may have a great brand, and that’s great, but it has little impact if no one communicates it.
Get the Word Out “This is not the time to be modest,” Williams told the audience. If companies want to stay competitive, they have to get the best talent, and in order to do that, they have to really step up their recruitment marketing efforts. This means not only offering something unique and desirable to employees, but ensuring prospective employees are well aware of those offerings.
Williams suggested taking a cue from employers with strong brands like Google, Zappos and Southwest Airlines – all of which enjoy various “Best Companies to Work For” honors (and aren’t shy about boasting it). Not only do these companies offer unique benefits (like free gourmet meals for Google employees or getting offered $2,000 to quit at Zappos), but they also make ample use of their resources to advertise these facts – including their own websites, blogs, Twitter and Facebook pages, and, not least of all, their employees: Zappos employees, for example, blog and tweet frequently about life at Zappos, and Southwest employees keep an active blog about their work life. Google includes employee testimonials on its website.
Williams also urged his audience to look for any and every opportunity to communicate their employer brand, including (but certainly not limited to) the following:
Company website(Side note: in addition to including info about your company’s mission and values, benefits, awards and recognition received, or job listings, think of ways you can incorporate various media, such as employee testimonial videos, virtual office tours, or photos from company events.)
“Best Places to Work” lists(Don’t wait around, hoping to be recognized: Submit your company for local, regional and national awards.)
Company lobby(You need a place to hang that “Best Place to Work” plaque, don’t you?
Industry magazines
Policy and procedures manual
Real-Life Benefits You Haven’t Tried One final thing to note: Employee benefits don’t have to be of Oprah-taking-her-entire-staff-on-a-cruise proportions (although that is nice…), so long as they’re meaningful to the employees and they differentiate a company and its employer brand.
Case in point: Throughout his presentation, Williams asked audience members to contribute the unique benefits their companies offered. Here are some of the ones they shared:
Self-funded sabbaticals where employees bank part of their income
Phased back-to-work for nursing moms following maternity leave
Employee concierge service that aids in personal care
Grocery services
Symphony and theater tickets are reimbursed 50%
Back up care hours for moms who must travel for business
All employees are given their birthdays off
A surprise all-expenses paid trip is organized for a long weekend every five years
Employees are encouraged to purchase new outfits and expense them
Free on-site yoga
“Free latte Fridays”
Free employee health screenings
First Fridays, in which employees are treated to lunch out
These perks may seem small, but they’re also the kinds of things employees remember and appreciate (because it shows they are appreciated) and that differentiate them from other employers – so consider those things that make your company unique and don’t be shy about promoting them.
Over the years, CareerBuilder has spoken with some of the industry’s most successful and influential leaders as part of our CareerBuilder Leadership Series to discuss the importance of attracting the right talent in order to maintain success. Time and again, these discussions reiterate the important role people play on every aspect of the business – from shaping the way these leaders lead to driving organizational growth, to increasing the bottom line.
We recently incorporated highlights from these conversations into CareerBuilder’s Mid-Year Hiring Forecast, but you can see them here, below:
“A company is its people. The other resources that are available – cash, inventory and fixed assets – aren’t really valuable unless they are properly deployed by people who have the best interests of the enterprise at heart, are motivated to do the right thing – both in terms of being honest and doing business with high integrity – and people who align themselves with the goals and mission of the enterprise. The people in a company are everything.” – Bob Carr, Chairman and CEO of Heartland Payment Systems, on the impact people have on organizational growth.
“As a company, it’s important to us to be viewed as a thought leader and organization that is both innovative as well as active in certain public policy debates. I think people want to join organizations that they think are leaders, that have good values, and that value diversity. I think one of the things that we do well as an organization is value diversity, both in the traditional senses of gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual preference, disability, et cetera, as well as diversity of ideas and approaches to solving problems. That makes us an attractive destination for talent.” – Ronald A. William, Chairman and CEO of Aetna, on the importance of employment branding to set yourself apart
“We made an acquisition in 2007, and the company that we acquired had a brand line: “Never settle for less.” We decided to adopt that brand line across the enterprise because, ultimately…that’s what the culture is – that’s what this company is – for people. It kind of plays like going to work anywhere else should be thought of as settling for less….The reality is that we’re in the people business. People are the core of what we do: They are the face to our customer, they are our brand, and in many cases, they are the extension of our customers’ brands. We have to care about them – we don’t have a choice. It’s that big of a deal.” – Tom Nightingale, Vice President, Communications and Chief Marketing Officer, Con-way, Inc., on the importance of fostering corporate culture.
“At the center of every leader comes a passion for people, because leaders never get to where they are by themselves. They always get there because they have people around them who can be inspired, who believe in the journey ahead and get the work done as you go forward. You have to have the ability to rally people and inspire people to believe. That’s part of it. The other part is you have to give people respect, have to give people their dignity and you have to be a good listener. You can’t ever demand respect along the way, and if you don’t give people their dignity, you’ll never get people to believe.” – Jon Luther, Executive Chairman of the Board, Dunkin’ Brands on how people influence his leadership philosophy
“People truly are the cornerstone of our ability to serve our clients – without them, our business would not exist. Every client relationship is formed from the talented individuals we place front and center to act as an extension of their business. Our employees are our greatest advantage, and the service we provide places our company’s integrity and reputation in the hands of our employees every day. We place a great deal of trust in them and believe they will deliver on Kelly’s promises to provide the highest quality service and solutions to our customers, employees, shareholders and communities.” – Carl Camden, CEO, President and Director of Kelly Services, on the role people play on day-to-day business
“It’s important to understand each of your employees’ gifts, goals and passions – both in- and outside of work – as those passions can be leveraged and further drive performance at work. We all work to live, and it’s important to understand the ‘live’ part and to tie people’s goals to that life or focus. It creates that leverage in performance….Our people are our most valuable asset. It’s important to give them the freedom and responsibility that will maximize their potential, and thus their impact on your company.” – Mary Delaney, President of Personified, a CareerBuilder company, on the importance of engaging your people.
“I don’t believe that [micro management] fosters creativity and excitement in the workplace. My personal philosophy is to hire the right people, give them their job description and what their key result areas are, and then let them go ahead and figure out how they are going to achieve those results…We believe that nobody’s perfect, and you’re going to make mistakes, and your mistake is like an education. We are here to guide you, but you’ve got some freedoms and some flexibility to make your own decisions on how you’re going to run your business.” – Martha O’Gorman, Chief Marketing Officer at Liberty Tax Service, on the importance of giving employees freedom to do their jobs
“Ensuring you have the highest quality of talent in place makes your job as a leader that much easier. When you have people in place who you can rely on and have confidence in, you don’t have to be concerned that the day-to-day basics won’t get done. Especially today, if you have people who are underperforming or fall short of expectations when you’re already tight on headcount…it really hurts your ability to move your business forward.” – Richard Castellini, Chief Marketing Officer of CareerBuilder, LLC, on the importance of having the right talent in today’s economy.
What is your leadership philosophy? Please share your own thoughts and insight in the comments section below…
Below are seven standout traits that a vast number of these wellness programs share, with examples of how – in our readers’ own words – companies’ employee wellness programs embody these traits.
1. They Don’t Focus Solely on Weight Loss
“Our approach to exercise is very ‘functional,’ meaning it’s not intended to help you ‘look’ a certain way but to help you feel better all the time and to do your job, at work or at home, with energy, full range of motion and injury-free.” – Dave Parmly
“Pressley Ridge believes wellness goes beyond the typical medical and stress concerns, but also into mental and personal growth as well. That is why Pressley Ridge offers Employee an Assistance Program at no cost to employees. This is a confidential assistance to employees and dependents 24 hours/day on a toll-free number and face-to-face professional counseling sessions and access to their website with a wide range of tools, resources and information. “ – Phillip Novak
“My organization promotes wellness through Farmer’s Markets, healthy competition (Like the Biggest Loser), smoking cessation programs which are no cost and they cover any cessation programs like the patch, gum and lozenge. Additionally, they promote a healthy mind through increased awareness and programs. There is an entire website through the company that is dedicated to healthy mind, body and habits.” – Raina
2. They Have Buy-In from Leadership
“Our company gives a very generous discount on the cost of our benefits for employees who participate in the wellness program…But perhaps the most important thing our company does to promote the wellness program is that is it embraced by our CEO and senior leaders within the company. Wellness is not viewed as an ‘HR initiative’ but as a core part of who we are as a company.” - Noreen
“We have partnered with a local gym and our Senior Leaders are on board. We are trying to get as much employee participation as possible, to let them know that we care about their healthy work environment!” – Tori Hinote
“Our CEO understands the importance of weight loss and healthy weight maintenance to offset the costs associated with healthcare – both now and in the future.” – Donna Cornwell
3. Employees Are Never Far From Resources
“We have an onsite fitness center with a trainer that provides continuous fitness challenges, boot camps, etc. We also have a physician’s assistant who works on site full time so we have immediate access to the seasonal ailments and we have our prescriptions delivered to the office.” – Janet J.
“Our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provider conducts voluntary annual blood draws onsite at our headquarters. They also arrange for branch associates to visit their local lab to have the screenings performed.” – Recruiter
“Our company provides free access to on-site exercise facilities. We also provide access to education on exercise, diet, cooking, lifestyle and behavior modification (including a stop smoking program).” – Mark
4. They Sweeten the Deal with Incentives
“We offer a Creating Wellness Program to employees…Those who participate for 6 months then receive $25/month in wellness bucks (for gym memberships, yoga, Pilates, etc.) as a reward for continued involvement.” – Rick Thompson
“Recently, we sponsored an 8 week fitness challenge and gave away an Ipod Touch for the winner… This year, our grand prize drawing will be for either a gym membership, Fitness equipment or a Nintendo WII with WII ACTIVE.” – Jenny
“Each quarter employees are asked to set a Health Improvement Goal. We pay them $50/Qtr for meeting their goal…We have had tremendous success with this approach.” – Kimberly
“Our company has a $300 wellness credit toward health insurance premiums for non-smokers andthen provides programs for employees to quit smoking.” - Ally
5. They’re Not Limited By Smaller Budgets
“We have researched local ‘healthy’ vendors such as local gyms, Jamba Juice, Whole Foods, etc. and invited them to come onsite to talk about their products. It’s been working out great and it’s no cost to the company!” – Stefan
“Although our wellness budget was reduced to ZERO this year, we continue to come up with new and interesting wellness initiatives… We are even offering cost-effective prizes, like jean days and premier parking!” – Holly
“Our company just started our official ‘Steps to Wellness’ Program… The employees complete a “scorecard” with several tasks and turn the completed card in for a chance at a “Day Off With Pay”. The more staff who enter, the more days off we will raffle.” – Sue K
“We have…raised funds to assist with our program by producing a cookbook that we sold.” – Mary Wicker
“One really fun wellness initiative that my company implemented is building an employee vegetable garden…We just started the garden project this year and participation has been huge. This is a really fun project and is relatively inexpensive!” – Kathryn
6. They Assign Measurement to Gauge Success
“We work with our insurance carrier to hold an annual health fair each year that consists of blood work for a variety of areas and each employee is given the results that day. The results are discussed with health coaches from our insurance carrier and given advice as to how to improve results in any areas that reflect a health issue. These statistics are used to determine where we need to concentrate our efforts to best improve the wellness of our employees…Since we have implemented the program our data from the health screenings have shown improvement each year which in turn helps to keep our health insurance cost down.” – Mary Wicker
“In the year 2009 our corporate headquarters developed a 3 component program to get the employees premium costs down and in the long run, help them develop healthy life habits… This year the Myers Lawn and Garden site is conducting their 2nd annual health fair since the first one in August of 2009 was so successful…Employee participation is growing and the savings are too for both the employee and the company.” – Lee Herman
“The goal is overall health of our employees. If we can prove that we have lowered healthcare costs and possibly insurance premiums for our employees, because of healthier lifestyles, we have been successful!” – Tori Hinote
7. They Empower Employees
“The company promoted wellness with the staff by also ‘promoting’ US…For example, I had always wanted to be a nutrition education writer, a secret desire of mine…The company decided to start putting out a monthly newsletter in the club for our members and not only was I asked to be a columnist, but I was asked to be the editor as well. Our whole staff took part in the newsletter, writing about their known specialty in the field. This tactic was most rewarding for me, as I had the chance to really reach a long time goal of mine. This made me feel like I was on top of the world, how do you get more ‘well’ than that?” – Renee S.
“List Innovative Solutions is extremely active in the community…and encourages its employees to do the same by sponsoring the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team in Training Program…this allows our employees to be active and also give back at the same time.” – Jennifer Bonner
“We encourage all employees to offer ideas on the ‘Healthy Life’ bulletin board so everyone gets a chance to bring something to the table!” – Dustin Shay
As I stated in my earlier post on readers’ company wellness programs, it’s great to see how many organizations take an active interest in their employees’ health – not just for employees, but for the companies themselves, as wellness programs can help employers cut costs related to healthcare, turnover and lost production.
What do you think? Care to add an “8th habit” that makes your own company’s wellness program successful?
Below are seven standout traits that a vast number of these wellness programs share, with examples of how – in our readers’ own words – companies’ employee wellness programs embody these traits.
1. They Don’t Focus Solely on Weight Loss
“Our approach to exercise is very ‘functional,’ meaning it’s not intended to help you ‘look’ a certain way but to help you feel better all the time and to do your job, at work or at home, with energy, full range of motion and injury-free.” – Dave Parmly
“Pressley Ridge believes wellness goes beyond the typical medical and stress concerns, but also into mental and personal growth as well. That is why Pressley Ridge offers Employee an Assistance Program at no cost to employees. This is a confidential assistance to employees and dependents 24 hours/day on a toll-free number and face-to-face professional counseling sessions and access to their website with a wide range of tools, resources and information. “ – Phillip Novak
“My organization promotes wellness through Farmer’s Markets, healthy competition (Like the Biggest Loser), smoking cessation programs which are no cost and they cover any cessation programs like the patch, gum and lozenge. Additionally, they promote a healthy mind through increased awareness and programs. There is an entire website through the company that is dedicated to healthy mind, body and habits.” – Raina
2. They Have Buy-In from Leadership
“Our company gives a very generous discount on the cost of our benefits for employees who participate in the wellness program…But perhaps the most important thing our company does to promote the wellness program is that is it embraced by our CEO and senior leaders within the company. Wellness is not viewed as an ‘HR initiative’ but as a core part of who we are as a company.” - Noreen
“We have partnered with a local gym and our Senior Leaders are on board. We are trying to get as much employee participation as possible, to let them know that we care about their healthy work environment!” – Tori Hinote
“Our CEO understands the importance of weight loss and healthy weight maintenance to offset the costs associated with healthcare – both now and in the future.” – Donna Cornwell
3. Employees Are Never Far From Resources
“We have an onsite fitness center with a trainer that provides continuous fitness challenges, boot camps, etc. We also have a physician’s assistant who works on site full time so we have immediate access to the seasonal ailments and we have our prescriptions delivered to the office.” – Janet J.
“Our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provider conducts voluntary annual blood draws onsite at our headquarters. They also arrange for branch associates to visit their local lab to have the screenings performed.” – Recruiter
“Our company provides free access to on-site exercise facilities. We also provide access to education on exercise, diet, cooking, lifestyle and behavior modification (including a stop smoking program).” – Mark
4. They Sweeten the Deal with Incentives
“We offer a Creating Wellness Program to employees…Those who participate for 6 months then receive $25/month in wellness bucks (for gym memberships, yoga, Pilates, etc.) as a reward for continued involvement.” – Rick Thompson
“Recently, we sponsored an 8 week fitness challenge and gave away an Ipod Touch for the winner… This year, our grand prize drawing will be for either a gym membership, Fitness equipment or a Nintendo WII with WII ACTIVE.” – Jenny
“Each quarter employees are asked to set a Health Improvement Goal. We pay them $50/Qtr for meeting their goal…We have had tremendous success with this approach.” – Kimberly
“Our company has a $300 wellness credit toward health insurance premiums for non-smokers andthen provides programs for employees to quit smoking.” - Ally
5. They’re Not Limited By Smaller Budgets
“We have researched local ‘healthy’ vendors such as local gyms, Jamba Juice, Whole Foods, etc. and invited them to come onsite to talk about their products. It’s been working out great and it’s no cost to the company!” – Stefan
“Although our wellness budget was reduced to ZERO this year, we continue to come up with new and interesting wellness initiatives… We are even offering cost-effective prizes, like jean days and premier parking!” – Holly
“Our company just started our official ‘Steps to Wellness’ Program… The employees complete a “scorecard” with several tasks and turn the completed card in for a chance at a “Day Off With Pay”. The more staff who enter, the more days off we will raffle.” – Sue K
“We have…raised funds to assist with our program by producing a cookbook that we sold.” – Mary Wicker
“One really fun wellness initiative that my company implemented is building an employee vegetable garden…We just started the garden project this year and participation has been huge. This is a really fun project and is relatively inexpensive!” – Kathryn
6. They Assign Measurement to Gauge Success
“We work with our insurance carrier to hold an annual health fair each year that consists of blood work for a variety of areas and each employee is given the results that day. The results are discussed with health coaches from our insurance carrier and given advice as to how to improve results in any areas that reflect a health issue. These statistics are used to determine where we need to concentrate our efforts to best improve the wellness of our employees…Since we have implemented the program our data from the health screenings have shown improvement each year which in turn helps to keep our health insurance cost down.” – Mary Wicker
“In the year 2009 our corporate headquarters developed a 3 component program to get the employees premium costs down and in the long run, help them develop healthy life habits… This year the Myers Lawn and Garden site is conducting their 2nd annual health fair since the first one in August of 2009 was so successful…Employee participation is growing and the savings are too for both the employee and the company.” – Lee Herman
“The goal is overall health of our employees. If we can prove that we have lowered healthcare costs and possibly insurance premiums for our employees, because of healthier lifestyles, we have been successful!” – Tori Hinote
7. They Empower Employees
“The company promoted wellness with the staff by also ‘promoting’ US…For example, I had always wanted to be a nutrition education writer, a secret desire of mine…The company decided to start putting out a monthly newsletter in the club for our members and not only was I asked to be a columnist, but I was asked to be the editor as well. Our whole staff took part in the newsletter, writing about their known specialty in the field. This tactic was most rewarding for me, as I had the chance to really reach a long time goal of mine. This made me feel like I was on top of the world, how do you get more ‘well’ than that?” – Renee S.
“List Innovative Solutions is extremely active in the community…and encourages its employees to do the same by sponsoring the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team in Training Program…this allows our employees to be active and also give back at the same time.” – Jennifer Bonner
“We encourage all employees to offer ideas on the ‘Healthy Life’ bulletin board so everyone gets a chance to bring something to the table!” – Dustin Shay
As I stated in my earlier post on readers’ company wellness programs, it’s great to see how many organizations take an active interest in their employees’ health – not just for employees, but for the companies themselves, as wellness programs can help employers cut costs related to healthcare, turnover and lost production.
What do you think? Care to add an “8th habit” that makes your own company’s wellness program successful?
“How isn’t it?” Is more like it…Two weeks ago, we asked you to share with us if and how your organization promoted employee health and wellness.Aside from giving you the chance to brag about how your organization could easily give Jillian Michaels a run for her money in the fitness coaching department, we also wanted to give you the chance to share with each other creative – and often cost-effective – ideas for promoting employee wellness.
As it turns out, many of you have not just one or two, but several initiatives in place to help employees focus on improving their health – an effort that is as much a benefit to your company as it is to your workers: If implemented correctly, company-sponsored wellness programs effectively reduce company healthcare costs, employee turnover and incidences of employee absenteeism, according to Dr. Steven Williams, Director of E-Media Innovations and Business Development at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), who recently presented on this topic during the Annual SHRM Conference in San Diego last month.
So what are you doing to promote employee wellness (and, in effect, cut costs)? Let’s take a look at the results…
READERS’ RESULTS: THE TOP 15 CORPORATE WELLNESS BENEFITS
With so much great feedback, it was nearly impossible to list all the initiatives individually, but several, listed below, were shared by a lot of you (see the full list of comments here):
Contests – most particularly, those inspired by TV’s “The Biggest Loser,” complete with some pretty lucrative awards (including iPods and hundreds of dollars in cash) – were among the most popular ways employers are motivating employees to get healthier.
In-house Weight Watchers programs offered for free or at a discount
Rewards systems where employees can exchange points earned through activity for “prizes” such as spa certificates, health club discounts, or gift cards toward sports apparel shops
Health living newsletters sent to employees on a weekly or monthly basis, complete with healthy living tips, exercises and recipes
Online tracking programs where employees can easily log and assess their progress toward a specified goal
Healthier snack alternatives to typical vending machine fare
On-site fitness facilities where employees can work out solo or participate in classes (often for free)
Organized sports teams or walking/running groups
Cash or discounts toward healthy purchases, including fitness gear, weight loss programs, smoking cessation programs, or participation in community run/walks
On-site health fairs that include health assessments, massages and free, in-person consultations with community health professionals
Smoking cessation programs
Partial to full-paid health club membership fees
Free health screenings and assessments, accompanied by professional advice for understanding and improving the results
Employee assistance programs to help employees better their work/life balance, and providing help with everything from legal consultation to financial planning to stress management to childcare referrals.
Regular “lunch-and-learn” sessions where local wellness professionals present on healthy lifestyle topics
THE BEST OF THE REST – Here, in your own words, some other interesting perks that stood out:
“We are getting rid of one of our coke machines and replacing it with a cooler that will hold 100% fruit juice.” - Sarah Benedum
“We have onsite showers for those who go out for a run during the day or bike to work.” - Kathy
“We’ve initiated walking groups, Weight Watchers, heart-healthy cooking demonstrations, team fitness challenges, and even a Salsa dancing class.” - Robert
“For the month of July we have a ‘submit a healthy recipe’ contest planned. At the end of the [company’s summer-long] walking challenge, the recipes will be compiled into a book and distributed to our employees.” - Raelene Neumann
“We have a Holiday Weigh In which runs from Thanksgiving week to the day after Super Bowl. The goal is to maintain or lose weight during the most challenging time of the year.” - Jane
“Our agency sponsors an annual Wellness Day complete with…a spa corner featuring makeovers and massage and free organic vegetable plants for all participants.” – Rachel S.
“One really fun wellness initiative that my company implemented is building an employee vegetable garden.” - Kathryn
“The company promotes healthy living by providing health conscious snacks such as granola bars, fresh fruit, nuts and more. Water, protein shakes, fruit juice and sports drinks are also readily available at no cost to employees.” - Melissa
“Our Fun Committee regularly organizes events for holidays, birthdays and, well, just for fun. Hat Day, High-Five Wednesday, Hula Hoop contests, Wii competitions -random, silly but fun and stress relieving.” - Carol
“The company donates 40% of the fundraising amounts for [community] events that their employees choose to participate in, this allows our employees to be active and also give back at the same time.” – Jennifer Bonner
“We…have drop-off and pick-up for our dry cleaning and a mechanic who comes on site to take care of things such as oil changes and other maintenance issues. Things like dry cleaning and auto care may not sound like a wellness issue, but when it keeps you from making additional errands with our already overloaded schedules, it reduces stress.” - Janet J.
Anyone else looking at the latest Employment Situation report, released this morning by the BLS, and feeling like the die hard fan of a pro sports team that just can’t seem to get it together? (Cubs fans, you know what I’m talking about…Ditto for Saints fans pre-Super Bowl XLIV.)
I’m referring to the news that U.S. payrolls declined in June – quite a setback after six months of job growth. And here, we thought we were doing so well! (Okay, well, maybe not so well, but at least the economy was gaining jobs…) But now here’s this huge blow, and it’s not only frustrating, but also a little scary to see the economy lose momentum like this. Am I right? And yet, despite these setbacks, we continue to watch and to root for economic recovery because it’s simply what we’ve always done. And we’re not just hoping it will recover, but we believe it will - one of these days - because it has to. It just has to. (Sound familiar, sports fans?)
Sappy sports analogies aside, here are the, ahem, highlights of today’s unemployment situation report:
Employers cut 125,000 jobs in June, the most since October 2009. (The loss was driven by the end of 225,000 temporary census jobs.
Businesses added a net total of 83,000 workers, representing an improvement over May, but below March and April totals.
The unemployment rate fell to 9.5 percent – mainly because 642,000 people gave up on their job force, and thus are no longer counted as unemployed.
The underemployment rate, however, is down to 16.5 percent (a modest improvement over the 16.6 percent in May
Despite the disappointing report, we’re not out of the game yet (seriously stopping with the sports references now, I swear). In fact, the results of CareerBuilder’s latest Hiring Forecast indicate that 41 percent of employers are planning to hire in the second half of the year. For more highlights from the forecast, watch this clip of CareerBuilder CEO Matt Ferguson on Squawk Box this morning, as he discusses the hiring outlook for the next half of the year:
Remember in Back to the Future II, when Marty travels to 2015 and sees that future Marty has the technology to video-conference in to his office from his very own living room and it was completely awesome? Funny how that technology is actually a reality now. (I can only hope this means good things for the hover board…) Sadly, video-conferencing is as far as Robert Zemeckis got in predicting what the workplace of the future would look like…
We here at The Hiring Site, however, wanted to explore what impact those changes will have on the employer. Read on, and then give us your thoughts below.
The Prediction: A More Diverse Workforce - “By 2020, the American workplace population will be more diverse: 63 percent white, 30 percent Latino, and 50 percent female. Four or even five generations, from Boomers to Generation 2020, will be working at once,” Meister and Willyerd say. What It Means for You: Certainly, a more diverse workforce means new challenges in recruiting and engaging these various groups, but if employers are up to the task, the payoffs will be significant. Employers can leverage the experiences and backgrounds of a diverse workforce for a broader exchange of ideas, knowledge and opportunities.
The Prediction: More Corporate Social Responsibility -“Companies that once only operated for profit will place new emphasis on the importance of its people, as well as the impact the company’s existence has on the planet. The new bottom line will incorporate profit, people and planet,” the authors say. What It Means for You:Not only will an increased focus on social responsibility benefit the community, but it will also help employers’ recruiting efforts: A recent Staffing Industry Review study found that job seekers gravitate to social responsible companies.
The Prediction:More Social Technology – “Vlogging, Twitter, intranet chat rooms, Skyping — even today, there’s a vast array of online communication tools, with more to come.” What It Means for You:More tools available by which to facilitate communication mean more ways to facilitate learning and collaboration – both within and across departments. Of course, there’s such a thing as too many choices, and companies that don’t take the time to find the social technology that fits within their culture may not fully realize these benefits.
The Prediction:Mobile Workplaces -“Increasingly powerful mobile phones are replacing laptops as the main work device.” What It Means for You: Ideally, a more mobile workforce means a more productive workforce – and more opportunities for flexible work arrangements; however, if employees feel as if they’re on call 24/7, it can blur the line between work and life altogether. In a recent CareerBuilder survey, 17 percent of workers said they feel like their work day never ends because of the technology connecting them to the office. As workplaces become increasingly mobile, employers will have to work that much harder to ensure their workers do not get burned out and allow themselves technology-free time when away from work.
The Prediction: More Work/Life Flexibility - “For younger generations, work is a significant part of their life, but they don’t compartmentalize it like older generations tend to. It isn’t about work-life ‘balance;’ it’s about work/life integration.” What It Means for You: While advancements in technology make it increasingly easy for employers to offer flexible schedules, flexible schedules may not work for every company culture. Employers who want to offer this benefit should take a good look at their company culture and see what may need to change first.
The Prediction: Serious Play as a Training Tool – “‘Sims’ (Simulated Games) is the new buzz word in training: online Sims allow employees to learn new jobs through low-risk direct practice.” What It Means for You: Some companies are already embracing “serious games” to train employees. As this type of technology becomes increasingly accessible to employers, virtual training programs could very well become standard. Employers would be wise to start looking into these types of training programs now to stay ahead of the curve.
The Prediction: A Different Kind of Mentoring –“One-on-one mentoring is still a powerful way to develop employees, but companies will also use reverse-, micro- and group-mentoring.”What It Means for You: Mentoring will become increasingly important as employers deal with the impending talent shortage (see #10). Employers shouldn’t wait until then, however, to create opportunities for colleagues to collaborate and teach one another.
The Prediction:The Democratization of Information -“Digital record keeping makes company information accessible to all.”What It Means for You:More transparency means more accountability on leadership’s end to ensure they’re putting the organization’s stated mission and values into practice. Good news for employers who already do this. Bad news for those who don’t. Where do you fall?
The Prediction: An Increase in Personal Branding – “Social technologies track personal ratings, referrals and reputations.” What It Means for You: Considering nearly half of employers already use social networking sites to recruit, it comes as little surprise that savvy candidates will also utilize these sites to build their personal brands. This could be a win/win.
The Prediction:Talent Shortage – “There’s a big gap between all the Boomers retiring and the number of Generation X’ers available to fill their shoes.” What It Means for You:Again, no surprises here as employers already complaining that, despite the plethora of job seekers out there, they still can’t find the right talent for their positions. This shortage places an even greater demand on employers to start providing training, development and mentoring programs now to build and retain their future leaders.
What’s your take? What changes (or challenges) do you foresee the 2020 workplace?
Earlier this week, my colleague over at our job seeker blog, The Work Buzz, Kaitlin Madden, told me about an article she’s working on about what constitutes a deal breaker for hiring managers or recruiters. So I thought I’d help her out by asking for your feedback…
What do you consider a deal breaker…during an interview? On a resume or in a cover letter? During salary negotiations?
That is, what’s the one thing a candidate can do – or, rather, has done – to immediately take him or herself out of the running for consideration?
Got any stories to share? Maybe a few words of wisdom? (It could end up working out in your favor…After all, the more we educate job seekers on the behavior that they should avoid – or altogether abolish – the more head- and heartache it’ll save everyone in the end…)
Please give us your thoughts in the comments below! (Got something to say, but don’t want to leave it as a comment? Feel free to email me your stories instead!)
You know when people ask if you should read the book before you see the movie? Well, that’s kind of how I felt upon reading Tony Hsieh’s new book, Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose, his personal account of helping develop and become CEO of successful online retailer Zappos.
The book is divided into three parts. The first is a look back at Hsieh’s childhood, wherein Hsieh shows signs of drive, business-savvy and entrepreneurship from a young age, setting the stage to become a successful business owner before turning 30. The second part of the book focuses on his life as CEO of Zappos and the inner workings of Zappos’ famous corporate culture. The third part of the book recounts Zappos’ Amazon buyout, bringing us to present day and Hsieh’s new role as a public speaker on the topics of culture and values. Hsieh concludes the book by driving home its central theme that, basically, as long as you do what you’re passionate about, everything else will fall into place.
Does It Deliver? I had the pleasure of seeing Hsieh give an incredible keynote at SXSW in 2009, so I was excited to read the “book version” of the speech – and learn even more about the inner workings of the company made famous for its unique culture, superior customer service, and innovative use of social media. In person, Hsieh is a dynamic speaker, with the ability to captivate audiences and clearly convey the passion he feels for running his business, giving his customers that “wow” feeling, engaging his employees and, of course, delivering happiness.
… And yet, something gets lost in the translation to paper.
The book falls flat in storytelling and short on expectations. Perhaps it’s his decision not to use a ghostwriter that works against his pursuit to truly convey the entire story to his audience. While his decision to do so is brave (he admits that he is not a writer, but makes no apologies for it) and consistent with his mission to maintain transparency, it is also distracting. He has a tendency to “tell” rather than “show” – a cardinal sin in any English writing course – and his overuse of cliché acts as filler to distract from the lack of any real emotions he might convey.
In fact, it is only through the employee anecdotes – placed throughout the section about core values to illustrate how employees incorporate these values into their lives – that the reader finally gets a true feel for the culture. At one point, Hsieh himself even mentions that his employees’ stories are among the biggest crowd-pleasers at his speaking engagements…which is why it’s disappointing that of the countless stories Hsieh claims his employees could tell about their experiences at Zappos, only a handful of these stories appear in the book. Sure, Hsieh tells plenty of his own stories, but he relies so heavily on hackneyed phrases to describe significant events that his stories lose any unique perspective and distract from the details that his audience truly craves.
We never find out, for example, what made him decide to create a formal set of core values, when he fought so long to stay away from something that once seemed “so corporate,” or how he came up with the unlikely decision to pay new employees $2,000 to quit. And it remains a mystery as to why some things with which so many other companies struggle – mainly, letting employees use social media as both a job seeker and customer engagement tool – comes so easily to Zappos. The whole concept of using Twitter to recruit and retain employees is all but glossed over – which is surprising in light of the fact that Zappos basically set the bar for using Twitter for business purposes.
The Verdict If you’re looking for a rags-to-riches memoir of a company that came into its own, you won’t find it here. (Compared with other companies, the obstacles Zappos has had to overcome seem relatively mild.) Nor will you find a comprehensive business book explaining how to better your corporate culture.
While Hsieh talks at length about the things that make Zappos such a unique culture, he says very little about how Zappos’ actually got to that point. What’s missing are the details of the growing pains the company went through to get to that point. Even for a company that seems to get everything about culture and internal communications right, it’s hard to believe some of those lessons weren’t learned the hard way. What you will get is an overview of life at Zappos and, in that, several tips and new ideas for creating or strengthening your own corporate culture (and possibly the urge to apply for a job at Zappos).
Ultimately, Hsieh seeks to inspire the reader to pursue his or her passion, and, were Hsieh a better writer, he might come close to achieveing that. But he falls short of of properly conveying the level of passion he so adeptly shows in person, and thus, fails to say anything on paper that truly resonates with audiences. My advice? Skip the book, look for Hsieh at a speaking event, and see the live version instead. You’ll get your money’s worth.
Disclosure: I received a free promotional copy of Delivering Happiness.
While you were busy figuring out what to spend today’s $59 on, suddenly thinking that having lactose intolerance wouldn’t be that bad, or (shameless plus alert) seeing all the free stuff you could get when you visit Booth #1419 during SHRM 2010 in San Diego!…here’s what was happening in the world of workforce management this week…
If you or someone you know abuses the “Reply all” button, you should read this.
There’s been growing evidence to suggest that not only do American workers need to better care of their health and wellness (recent studies show correlations between job stress and weight gain, and working overtime and heart health), but also that companies benefit from wellness programs, which help them cut back on costs related to healthcare and lost productivity.
Since this seems to be the latest trend and all, it got us wondering over here at The Hiring Site what else companies are doing to promote employee health and wellness. So now, we’re asking you, our readers, to share…
How is your company promoting employee health and wellness? Whatever your organization is doing to encourage employees to focus on their health – whether through something similar to the efforts mentioned above or some other initiative – we want to hear about it!
Aside from satisfying our own curiosity, we hope that this idea share will help you discover and think about new ways to promote employee wellness. You could discover new, inexpensive ways to offer a unique benefit that will not only help you cut costs at your own organization, but make you even more valuable in the eyes of current and future employees.
And just to (naturally) sweeten the deal, by participating in the comments section below – you’ll automatically be entered for the chance to win $200 worth of fitness gear – including a duffle bag, eco-friendly stainless steel water bottle, heart rate monitor, digital bathroom scale and an iPod Shuffle!
HOW TO ENTER: Simply answer this question – “How is your company promoting employee health and wellness?”– in the comments section below, and you’ll automatically be entered to win more than $200 worth of fitness gear – complete with a premium quality duffle bag, water bottle, heart rate monitor, digital bathroom scale, and iPod Shuffle. Just be sure to abide by the terms and conditions.
CONTEST DETAILS: Entries will be accepted from 12:00 a.m. CST on Monday, June 14, 2010 until 11:59 p.m. CST on Friday, June 18, 2010. Each account may only submit one answer for consideration; subsequent entries will not be considered. Spam responses will not be considered. The winner will be picked at random and notified via e-mail the week of June 21, 2010. Please read the full list of official contest rules and regulations.
To pick up your free report on talent compensation…which you have until June 18 to register for by going to www.careerbuilder.com/shrm2010/report. (Did we mention it’s worth $150? No? Well, it’s worth $150. Just a little fyi…)
To see presentations on topics that you get to pick. That’s right: You have from now until June 20 to visit www.careerbuilder.com/shrm2010/vote and select up to three topics that you’re most interested in learning about. CareerBuilder is creating its presentation schedule around your interests, and is choosing its presentation topics based on audience vote…Check back after the 21st to see the finalized schedule – or simply stop by booth 1419 during conference breaks.
We’re throwing a birthday party! On Monday, June 28, CareerBuilder celebrates the one year anniversary of our Applicant Experience service – and everyone’s invited to join us. Stop by the booth between noon and 2 p.m. for free food and drinks!
To speak with our recruitment experts about ways to better your recruitment process. Our recruitment experts will be on hand to answer questions and discuss ways to help you meet your recruitment related goals, solve your most baffling talent questions or simply make your life easier overall.
(More) free stuff. Who needs another conference T-shirt? You do! (But trust us..thesearen’t your mother’s conference T-shirts…) As a token of our appreciation for visiting us at booth 1419, we’re giving away some great door prizes – so don’t miss out!
Want to let others know you’ll be visiting us at SHRM? RSVP on Facebook.
Can’t Make It to SHRM This Year? Follow us on Twitter (#CBSHRM10) for real-time updates on all the conference action – and check back here for daily recaps from the conference room floor.
For more information on what we have in store for SHRM 2010, visit www.careerbuilder.com/shrm2010 or if you have specific questions, feel free to leave it in the comments section below!
Well, it’s the first Friday of June, and while it may just be a coincidence that there are free donuts available on the very same day the latest Employment Situation report is released, it is awfully convenient: After seeing these numbers, you might be in need of some comfort food.
Because while jobs did grow this month, they fell far short of analysts’ predictions. And while the unemployment rate did go down, it’s largely because many unemployed workers gave up their job searches. Here are the highlights:
Total nonfarm payroll employment grew by 431,000 in May (driven by the hiring of 411,000 temporary Census workers)
Private employers added just 41,000 jobs in May – down sharply from 218,000 in April and the fewest since January.
The unemployment rate decreased from 9.9 percent to 9.7 percent (which seems like good news until you realize that it reflects that people gave up searching for work.)
The underemployment rate (those who’ve given up looking for work and part-timers who would rather be working full time) fell from 17.1 percent in April to 16.6 percent in May.
All told, 15 million people were unemployed in May.
Understandably, this month’s report is being called “disappointing,” and, indeed, it is; however, I’m kind of trying to view this report like I did the ending of “Lost” (no spoilers here, I promise). While both fell short of my expectations and left a lot of unanswered questions, I also kind of saw this coming all along…That is to say, there’s nothing to me all that shocking in the report.
After all, the overall takeaways from the report remain are the same as they’ve been in previous months: Private employers are still hesitant to bring on full-time workers, jobs are still being added – but still at a frustratingly slow pace – and it still looks like it’s going to be a while before there is significant relief for the roughly 15 million unemployed Americans.
While you were busy snagging your free donut, snagging free ice cream, and gorging on both to numb the pain while watching a particularly bittersweet “Golden Girls” marathon, here’s what was happening in employment news this week…
Employers are attempting to cut down the fat – in more ways than one.
Leading up to tomorrow’s unemployment report, CareerBuilder CEO Matt Ferguson appeared on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” this morning to discuss regional job market trends based on CareerBuilder.com listings.
Regional Job Market Trends Among the highlights of Ferguson’s interview:
In terms of jobs opening up, there has been a continual, but moderate increase of job postings on CareerBuilder.com, indicating that employers are starting to hire again
Big cities, like New York and San Francisco, are seeing the most improvement in terms of the number of jobs available
General positions, such as those in the sales, marketing, healthcare and hospitality, are making the biggest comebacks right now
The Silicon Valley job market is also tightening up, with IT execs claiming they are having a hard time filling open positions
New Tool to Help Employers Ferguson also discussed the official launch of hireINSIDER, a new tool from CareerBuilder with benefits for both job seekers and employers. According to the press release:
hireINSIDER also benefits employers who may not have the time or resources to respond to an increasing amount of applications in a tough economy. By providing the feedback that job seekers need, it helps to alleviate the negative impact that a lack of response can have on a company’s employment brand. Employers can also utilize hireINSIDER’s technology to gain a better understanding of the demographics of their applicant pool.
Tomorrow, the BLS releases it’s monthly employment report. Check back here for highlights from the report.
While most of the discussions we’ve had here on The Hiring Site about social media recruitment focus on its benefits, I wanted to take the opportunity to address a recent whitepaper by talent management firm Taleo about social media recruitment’s potential risks. (The main risk being, according to the paper, that companies could, in theory, be accused of practicing discrimination by advertising their opportunities on sites whose user demographic disproportionately represents the workforce demographic.)
While it’s good to be aware of the potential risks Taleo mentions in the whitepaper, it is important to point out that these risks represent the exception, not the rule.
The biggest risk comes from when companies use only social networking sites to source candidates, which could put them at risk for discrimination, according to Taleo, because advertising on just one type of social networking site that attracts only a certain demographic could be seen as an intent to exclude others. (For instance, because the demographic of LinkedIn users disproportionately represents the demographic of the entire workforce, using LinkedIn to source candidates, it could be argued, excludes some groups from getting equal opportunities for employment at your organization.)
But smart companies already know better than to limit their recruiting efforts to just social media because they recognize that social media is just one part of an overallrecruitment mix, used to supplement other talent engagement and attraction efforts.
“Anyone who suggests social media be the sole source for any company’s recruiting, or recruiting for a specific position for that matter, is giving bad advice,” says Melissa Murray, Emerging Media Consultant at Personified.
For instance, used in conjunction with postings, hiring events, internal referrals, college tradeshows, etc., social media adds another channel to attracting the right talent to an organization. And while some companies use it for sourcing, it is best used for employmentbranding and attractingcandidatesto apply to jobs.
(This isn’t just good legal advice, by the way – it’s smart marketing. Using a variety of channels by which to advertise your open positions will ensure you get in front of a wider range of diverse candidates, each with different skills to offer and ideas to bring to the table.)
In fact, if anything, Taleo’s report is simply a reminder of what companies should be doing anyway (and, for the most part, already are) when it comes to recruitiment, namely:
Plan ahead. Discuss potential risks and contingencies with your legal team, PR department and human resources managers before getting involved in social media.
Train your recruiters – whether internally or with the aid of a third-party consultant – on the social networking tools that your company plans on using – in addition to general training on Affirmative Action, EEOC and your company’s own practices to improve its diversity and inclusion efforts.
Create social media guidelines for your company and make sure your employees – or whoever is representing your company in the social media space – are well-versed in these guidelines.
“Bottom line,” says Murray, “If a company’s application process is compliant, and they’re inviting candidates from a variety of platforms, they’re creating a diverse pool. It’s up to their sourcing team and hiring managers to select from this pool in a way that supports the company’s diversity initiatives.”
So long as you view social media as a complement to – and not a replacement for – your overall recruiting process, you can still reap the benefits of a social media recruitment strategy.
According to the survey of nearly 4,800 workers, 56 percent of workers say they are more in need of a vacation in 2010 than they have been in past years. With less anxiety over job stability and the economy, 36 percent say they feel more comfortable taking a vacation this year than they felt in 2009.
Not only are they more likely to take a vacation, but workers say they’re taking longer vacations, too, with 23 percent saying they plan to take a week off this year (up from 19 percent who said the same last year) and 12 percent will take off two weeks or more.
And while 21 percent of workers say they still can’t afford a vacation this year, that’s slightly less than 25 percent who said the same in 2009. (Hey, a slight decrease is still a decrease – we’ll take it!)
Beach BlackBerry Bingo While employees are a little more lax about taking time away from the office, many still plan – and are expected by their bosses – to check in while they’re away:
49 percent of employers say they expect employees to check in with the office while they are away (down slightly from 50 percent who said the same last year)
37 percent indicated that checking in would only be necessary only if they are working on a big project or there is a major issue going on with the company (down from 40 percent who said the same last year)
And where 28 percent of workers said they planned to contact the office during vacation regardless last year, slightly fewer workers – 25 percent – said the same this year.
Companies Need Employee Vacations, Too Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder, says that it is to a company’s benefit when workers take advantage of their vacation benefits. “Utilizing time off to recharge batteries is even more important today as staffs have shrunk over the last 18 months and workers are dealing with added responsibilities and pressure,” she says.
Now that it’s prime time to schedule some days off, help ensure that your employees’ time off is a true break from the office:
Encourage your employees to take advantage of their vacation benefits. They’ll appreciate that you’re looking out for their best interests – and the time off…and that can only improve morale.
Encourage your employees to check in with one another – If you are operating with smaller staffs, having more than one person out of the office can negatively impact productivity. Ask that your employees be flexible with one another and work together to schedule vacation time before booking anything.
Encourage your employees to plan ahead – Give yourself – and your vacationing employees – peace of mind by planning for the unexpected. Before they leave, encourage your employees to start keeping a record of important information, key contacts and deadlines that will come up while they are gone and give it to a coworker they have trained to fill in for them while they are gone.
Lead by example – If you are a supervisor, you should go through all the steps of planning and executing a successful vacation away from the office. That way, your workers will be more comfortable doing the same.
While you were spending precious work hours your leisure time playing the best new party game EVER, opening a moral and ethical can of worms, or withdrawing $20 fast cash in solemn tribute to the inventor of the ATM, here’s what was happening in the world of workforce management this week…
True story. According to a new CareerBuilder survey of more than 2,700 employers and 4,800 workers nationwide, 33 percent of workers said they are likely to start looking for a new job when the economy picks up.
(Could you imagine losing an entire third of your employee base? That would be like, say your staff was the Jonas Brothers, okay? And Joe Jonas suddenly up and leaves to join another band. Consider the toll that would take on the quality of…Okay, maybe that’s not the world’s greatest analogy, but the point is, it would be bad.)
Anyway, in the same survey, nearly the same amount of employers (32 percent) say theyare concerned about losing their high performing workers in the second quarter of this year (as, apparently, they should be).
What Makes Good Employees Stray? Dissatisfaction with pay (32 percent), career advancement opportunities (27 percent) and work/life balance (22 percent) were the top reasons employees gave for wanting to leave their current jobs, an increase from the 29 percent, 24 percent and 20 percent, respectively, who said the same in 2009.
The increased levels of dissatisfaction could be attributed that increased workloads, longer hours and fewer resources related to the recession may be contributing to higher job dissatisfaction.
What Makes Good Employees Stay? Understanding what you’re employees want is the first step to keeping them motivated and happy and retaining them. After competitive pay and benefits, the following incentives topped hospitality workers’ “most wanted” list of employer offerings:
Good career advancement opportunities (60 percent)
A good work culture (57 percent)
Company’s financial stability and growth potential (52 percent)
Training and learning opportunities (47 percent)
Less stressful work environment (45 percent)
Flexible work arrangements (43 percent)
Sense of ownership in their position, that they can make a difference (42 percent)
Camaraderie, more family-like work environment (34 percent)
Asked what they were doing to hold on to top talent and reduce turnover, employers listed the following:
Offering more flexible work arrangements
Investing more in employee training
Promising future raises or promotions
Offering more performance-based incentives, such as trips and bonuses
Providing a higher title without a higher salary
What is your company doing to keep Joe Jonas in the band retain workers?
Despite a recovering job market, there appears to be no year-over-year increase in employers’ summer hiring plans this year, according to CareerBuilder’s Annual Summer Hiring Forecast, released today.
According to the survey of more than 2,700 employers nationwide, 22 percent of employers plan to hire seasonal workers this summer, in line with estimates from 2009. Fifteen percent of employers say they are planning to hire the same amount of summer workers as last year, while 5 percent plan to add fewer.
“While companies have begun to take steps in the right direction toward rebuilding their workforces, their summer hiring plans clearly show that they are still waiting to see what the future brings before they move forward with recruitment,” said Rosemary Haefner, CareerBuilder’s vice president of human resources, in the press release.
Summer plans? Of those employers who say they plan to hire seasonal workers this summer,
71 percent will offer the same pay to seasonal workers this year as they did last year, while 14 percent will offer more…
…and 57 percent will consider bringing these employees on full-time in the fall.
What’s a seasonal worker worth? Here’s a breakdown of the compensation offerings from employers this summer:
43 percent of employers are offering $10 or more per hour
30 percent will offer between $8 and $10 per hour
9 percent will offer less than $7 per hour
6 percent will offer $20 or more per hour
Who’s hiring? Across all industries, those doing the most hiring include:
Retail – 40 percent
Hospitality – 33 percent
Office support – 28 percent
Customer service – 21 percent
Landscape/maintenance – 16 percent
Research – 13 percent
Sales – 12 percent
Restaurant/food service – 12 percent
While the moderate hiring forecast inevitably means more competition among job seekers, it doesn’t necessarily mean recruiting and hiring managers are going to have it any easier when it comes to finding qualified workers. If you’re in the market to hire, follow these tips from QSR Magazine:
Think “seasonal,” not “temporary”: The term temporary implies that workers aren’t really invested in the company when in fact you want employees who are sufficiently invested in the company and its future. (Workforce.com also has a great article about how to manage “nonstandard” work arrangements.)
Consider rehiring: Managers often keep track of former seasonal workers who are on breaks from school again and may be interested in coming back for work again. You also save money on training this way.
There’s no time like the present: Summer workers begin looking up to two months in advance…meaning employers would do well to start their candidate searches now in order to get their pick of the seasonal talent litter.
Set clear expectations from the start: To avoid confusion/trouble/plain-ol’-awkwardness later on, ensure your employees understand from the beginning that they are being hired as seasonal help, that their hours or a full-time position are not guaranteed, or anything else they need to understand about their contracts.
In case you missed the BLS’ employment report released Friday, check out a quick recap in the First Business video below, where Brent Rasmussen, President of North America at CareerBuilder, talks about the highlights of the report and what it means for the current and future state of the job market:
Among the highlights of the report:
Employment rose by 290,000 in April, surpassing the 185,000 predicted by economists
The unemployment rate, which hit 9.9 percent, increased due to the number of people who, previously discouraged from looking for jobs, have resumed their job searches (the unemployment rate only captures those who are actively looking for jobs)
Hourly wages increased slightly last month, to $22.47 from $22.46
The average work week increased to 34.1 hours from 34 hours in March
The manufacturing industry sector experienced the biggest boost in growth, adding 44,000 jobs; followed by temporary help services (26,000); health care (20,100); construction (14,000); retail (12,400); mining (7,000); computer systems design (7,000) and federal government (66,000 – due largely to temporary workers hired for the census)
The transportation and warehousing and information companies industry sectors all cut jobs last month
While recovery is well underway, its status as a slow one has yet to change. With the economy growing at just a 3.2 percent pace in the first quarter of this year, it has a long way to go to catch up for the 6 percent to 8 percent per quarter gains it needs in order for employers to start hiring significantly.
From the blunt (“What don’t you like about working for your company?”) to the bizarre (“If you walked into a room filled with jars and I was one of the jars, what would I have to contain to stand out from the others?”), the only thing more surprising than the actual questions our readers submitted were the surprisingly insightful lessons they gleaned from those questions.
So without further ado, I present The Hiring Site readers’ nominees for the most difficult-to-answer interview questions they ever received from job candidates…and what they took away from the experience:
“What is your company’s mission statement?” Seems like an innocent enough question, but Christina Thais was still relatively new to her company when a candidate asked her this during a phone interview, causing her to go blank. Another reader, Angie, had a similar experience when a candidate asked her to describe the company’s corporate culture. Since then, Angie writes, she has “taken the time to really think about how to communicate our corporate culture to future candidates.” Lesson learned: Both Christina and Angie’s experience highlight how important it is to ensure your employees understand the company vision, mission and values and constantly look for opportunities to communicate these things. Not only will the constant reminders keep you and your employees accountable for upholding these values and objectives, but the ability to recite these things off the bat is a sign to candidates that you actually “walk the walk.”
“What don’t you like about working for your company?” After being asked this question, reader Jessica writes, “I now prepare myself with potential similar difficult questions that may come up during the interview process.” Lesson learned: Alas, you can’t anticipate every difficult question that’s going to come your way, but you can anticipate that difficult questions will come up, and when they do, your best bet will be to simply tell the truth. After all,if you’re dishonest or bend the truth, you risk the chance of setting false expectations for the candidate. A sugar-coated answer might help you fill the position, but it won’t stay filled very long. [Side note: This is also a good attitude to have if you, like one reader, Bridget, ever get a question like: “If you walked into a room filled with jars and I was one of the jars, what would I have to contain to stand out from the others?” “I’m still not sure how to answer that question,” Bridget writes.]
“So what’s in it for me?” Another reader, NL, remembers being “appalled” when a potential candidate for an entry-level receptionist position asked this, the second in a line of questioning that began, “Why should I accept an offer to work for this company? Obviously, you’re not Google, with candidates sending you flowers, balloon telegrams or banging on your door to get it in.” Lesson learned: Not only did the candidate’s attitude reveal that she would not be a good fit for the company and that “phone screens are essential!” but it also seemed to confirm what NL already knew: It’s more than okay to not be Google. “Considering that every other candidate had heard about us prior to even applying…we are doing something right.”
“Will you be keeping in touch? WILL you?” It’s easy to forget how heavily candidates depend on that post-interview phone call from you…until one of them actually says so. Such is what happened to one commenter, J., who was met with bitter disbelief after promising to keep in touch with one candidate, who had apparently been (falsely) told one too many times by recruiters that she’d be called back. Lesson learned: The confrontation taught J. ”that a response to a candidate is not a courtesy, it’s an essential part of the process and should never, ever be overlooked or taken lightly. We are dealing with real people with real lives and very real concerns and challenges. Every one of them deserves respect, and a response.” Couldn’t have said it better myself.
“How many healthy choices do you offer in your vending machine?” When Eileen Hershkowitz received this question as well as many others about various working conditions at her company that promoted a healthy lifestyle, she realized that the candidate was seeking affirmation that her company not only talked about employee wellness, but truly executed that in its culture. Lesson learned: Eileen writes, “The candidate really had a valid point in my mind and made me re-think how important areas such as break rooms, and choices in vending machines and/or cafeterias can affect how your employees view your organization in the commitment to its most valuable resource.” In other words, it’s in the every day things things companies do – not just through quarterly bonuses, annual awards or periodic celebrations – that communicate to your employees that you sincerely value their efforts, support them and want to ensure their success.
“What are the specific steps you as my manager take to ensure my success in this position, and what are your procedures for preparing for my termination if I’m not?” After getting this question at the end of a sales position interview, reader James was understandably thrown off guard. After all, not many people ask about the firing process; however, James wrote that it made him consider how his accountability practices play into his goals for his team’s performance. Lesson learned: “Interviews (especially for sales positions) need to include detailed expectations for success and ‘how’ the candidates will be held accountable for that success so that he/she knows exactly what will be expected of them should they get the job.”
“Why isn’t anybody that works at your company happy?” Sure, it’s not the most eloquently phrased question, and perhaps a tad on the presumptuous side, but when a candidate threw this question to one anonymous reader, rather than take offense and immediately dismiss the candidate, the interviewer instead took the opportunity to find out where the candidate had gotten such an impression and clarify any misconceptions about the company. Lesson learned: The interview process provides an opportunity to find out how well your company is executing its employment brand, and give insight into how to better execute it.
“What do you do if he (the owner) dies?” Despite its bluntness, reader Brett found this question to be smart once he realized that the candidate was thinking long term, and was concerned about the company’s viability should he be hired. Brett writes that this question “made me start to think – we prep for a lot of things like talking salary & benefits because we think about what we’d want to know… but you never know who’s sitting on the other side of the desk and what their wants/needs are…” Lesson learned: Brett brings up a good point about the importance of doing the right research to understand candidate attitudes, behaviors and perceptions when recruiting and trying to sell your company to candidates.
The overall lesson?
At the very least, questions like these can give you insight into how an individual thinks and his or her motives for taking a job, as well as a glimpse into their soft skills, what kind of employee they will make and how, if hired, they would potentially sell your company to others, to name just a few additional benefits.
At the most, these questions can help prepare you for future interviews and give you insight into something about your company that needs to be addressed (see “Why isn’t anybody who works at your company happy?” above) – whether it’s better communication about the company mission statement, or the fact that you need to better manage or build your external employment brand.
What about you? Any questions of your own to add to the list? And if so, did you learn from the experience?
In yet another sign of a recovering job market, a new CareerBuilder survey released today shows that laid-off workers’ job searches are beginning to improve as well. According to the nationwide survey of 900 workers who were laid off in the past year, 51 percent of workers who were laid off in the last three months have found new full-time or part-time positions.
The percentage shows a marked increase from the 44 percent of workers who said the same in a November 2009 survey.
“As consumers and businesses grow more confident in the economic outlook in the U.S., hiring managers are beginning to add new staff at an improved, but cautious pace,” says Brent Rasmussen, President of CareerBuilder North America, in the press release.
Among the highlights of the survey:
40% of the newly employed workers surveyed reported they were able to negotiate comparable or higher pay for their new position, while 61% took a pay cut.
57% of workers laid off in the last six months have been re-hired by their former employer who laid them off from their jobs.
71% of workers who were laid off in the last six months and have not found jobs would be willing to work for their former employer, 22% of whom said they would only return if offered more money.
64% of workers who were laid off in the last six months and landed new jobs said they found work in a different field than where they were previously employed.
63% of workers who found new jobs in the last six months plan to stay with their current employers when the economy turns around
37% of workers who found new jobs in the last six months plan to look for new jobs as the economy improves.
46% of workers who were laid off in the last six months and found jobs relocated. Of those workers, 93% moved to another city versus another state.
What do these findings mean for you, the employer? A few thoughts…
While many job seekers are willing to negotiate a lower salary, this may be temporary, as indicated by the nearly 4 in 10 workers who’ve indicated that they plan to look for new jobs as the economy improves, making it crucial that you start thinking about a talent compensation strategy to ensure you’re offering the salary that is not only fair to your organization, but also competitive enough to attract new employees and compel your current ones to stay.
And while offering competitive compensation can go far in attracting and retaining talent, you also need to think about the intangible benefits employees crave, such as career growth opportunities and work/life balance. Learn more about ways to retain your best talent.
Perhaps you only want to consider local candidates, but if you’re having a tough time getting the right talent in your area, think about how 42 percent of workers report that they would consider relocating for a job opportunity, and consider expanding your geographic talent search.
Finally, as the need for talent increases, don’t discount former employees as talent sources. (Even if your open positions differ from those the former employees occupied, consider the 64 percent of workers who made use of their transferrable skills by taking jobs in a different field). After all, former employees are already familiar with the culture, have established relationships and may have an easier time making the transition to a new role in a familiar environment than someone completely new.
While you were busy breaking barriers in the comic book world, sending “shockwaves” throughout the NFL with your draft pick, or really, really, really wishing you’d remembered to clean out your cookies…here’s what was happening in the world of workforce management this week…
We’ve all heard stories about “difficult” interview questions. Rarely, however, do those stories focus on the interviewer, so…For our latest “We Ask, You Win” contest, The Hiring Site is asking you to share with us: Has a job candidate ever asked you a question that you found particularly difficult to answer?
Perhaps, for example, a candidate asked a question that threw you off-guard and made you change the way you prepare yourself or your team for interviews…
Or maybe a candidate asked about something you never would have thought would be important to them (like your corporate social responsibility or green initiatives), thus making you rethink how you sell your company to job candidates…
Or perhaps a candidate asked about something your company didn’t currently offer (like a certain benefit), that you had never considered before…
Whether you didn’t know the answer, didn’t know how to answer, or perhaps you knew that the answer wasn’t what the candidate wanted to hear…We want to hear from you to tell us the question, how you handled it and, most importantly, what you learned from the experience.
By sharing your experiences of how you handled a difficult interview question – or how you later wish you’d answered it – you will be helping your fellow hiring managers and recruiters…
Prepare better for the interview process
Gain a better understanding of what potential employees want in employer
Enhance your overall recruiting process
And just to sweeten the deal….Just by telling us how a job candidate “stumped” you – and the lesson that came out of it – you’ll automatically be entered for the chance to win a 5th Generation iPod Nano.
(Free advice and the chance to win a new toy? Doesn’t seem like such a bad deal.)
How to enter: Simply answer this question – “What interview question from a job seeker has ever stumped you, and how did it change the way you think about your company’s recruitment process?”– in the comments section below, and you’ll automatically be entered to win a brand new 5th Generation iPod Nano. (Feel free to post anonymously, too. It won’t hurt your chances to win – so long as you abide by the terms and conditions.)
Contest details: Entries will be accepted from 12:00 a.m. CST on Monday, April 19, 2010 until 11:59 p.m. CST on Friday, April 23, 2010. Each account may only submit one answer for consideration; subsequent entries will not be considered. Spam responses will not be considered. The winner will be picked at random and notified via e-mail the week of April 26, 2010. Please read the full list of official contest rules and regulations.
Looks like the rumors (being rumors and all) were false: TBS announced today that Conan O’Brien has signed a deal to star in a late night talk show on the network, effectively putting to rest earlier speculation that FOX was going to sign the former “Tonight Show” host.
I wrote earlier about how ,as an employer who’s hoping to attract a top talent like O’Brien, FOX was doing everything right…so how did TBS, a cable television network that isn’t exactly known for its original late night programming and certainly doesn’t bring in the same audience numbers that FOX does, secure this coveted hire?
Oddly enough, it was the perception that TBS is not a network like FOX that became a crucial part of its employee value proposition. As noted in an NPR story published today, after dealing with all the “affiliate politics at NBC,” O’Brien was apparently wary to sign a deal with FOX only to have to deal with demanding affiliates all over again. (The tactic is not unlike what I posted last week about how AOL was leveraging its status as a “non-Google” to attract former Google employees.)
Finally, in a move that seemed to cap the deal for TBS, according to Media Decoder, the network wisely utilized what we in the recruiting world call an “employee referral.” Here’s how it happened…
TBS’ offer to put O’Brien in the 11 p.m. time slot and push George Lopez’s show to the midnight slot was eerily similar to the very proposal that eventually led to O’Brien’s bitter departure from NBC. Needless to say, O’Brien was unwilling to do to Lopez what he felt had been unfairly done to him, and initially refused the offer. That’s when TBS enlisted the help of its own employment brand advocate, if you will, Geore Lopez himself, who personally called O’Brien to sell him on the offer.
So just to recap what we’ve learned today: FOX’s employee value proposition was good. But as far as O’Brien was concerned, TBS’ was better. Employers would be wise to take a cue from TBS, which smartly did its homework on its ideal candidate, then leveraged what it knew about that candidate’s perceptions, values and needs to market itself and appeal to that candidate as an employer of choice. Well done, TBS.
Can you remember the last time you heard the phrase “You’ve got mail”? (And NOT counting all the times it’s followed the question “What movie is the Oxygen network going to be playing this Friday night?”) Feels like a while, huh?
Well, prepare for a blast from the past, because the company that used to be America Online is suddenly a hot commodity again…or at least it is among job seekers…
In the past year, AOL has successfully recruited employees from high-profile companies like Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft, TheNew York Times and Time Warner, prompting AdAge’s Michael Learmonth to ask, “Why does everyone want to work at AOL all of a sudden?” in a recent article for the online magazine.
You can’t blame the guy for asking: Nothing against AOL, but it’s been roughly a decade since the company’s heyday as the “goliath of Internet service providers.” So how is it suddenly an employer of choice among what is surely a highly sought-after talent demographic? Well, it’s simple, really: Basically, AOL is a lesson in employment branding done right.
By understanding the specific talent demographic its brand appeals to, AOL gets one of the most crucial elements of employment branding right: It knows what it stands for – as well as what it doesn’t stand for – as an employer.
“Employment branding is about knowing who you are as an employer, but just as importantly, it’s about knowing who you aren’t,” says employment branding expert Mary Delaney, President of CareerBuilder’s human capital consulting company, Personified.
In AOL’s case, the company knows it’s no Google…nor is it trying to be. Sure, Google enjoys a reputation as a top company to work for, but that doesn’t mean that it’s the right fit for every single worker ever. Understanding this, AOL seems to be using its smaller position in the industry as its employee value proposition: By marketing itself as a place where employees will be challenged to expand their knowledge and help rebuild what was once an industry giant, AOL is appealing to a candidate base that is hungry for career, professional development and training opportunities, factors that a recent employment branding study found to be among the top reasons employees chose their employers.
The takeaway here? All too often, companies try to sell themselves as something they are not – effectively making promises they can’t fulfill – when, in fact, they should be embracing what differentiates them from other companies and focusing on what they do offer.
As AOL demonstrates, companies need to look at what is unique about their culture – and what demographic is attracted to that – rather than waste their time trying to appeal to a group of candidates that would fit better elsewhere.
With the launch of Unvarnished, a new social networking site that lets users rate their colleagues, users can post anonymous reviews about anyone they want – and understandably, it’s creating a whole lot of controversey.
Enabling users to anonymously criticize people and rate them on a five star system is a mean-spirited move, many believe. One reviewer warns that it “could cost you your next job,” and TechCrunch calls it “a clean, well-lighted place for defamation,” while Gawker puts it even more eloquently, describing it as “the ultimate distillation of all the most evil social networking practices…where strangers can set up your ‘profile’ and mock you before potential employers.”
Aside from just being, well, mean, there could be legal implications as well. Some lawyers have weighed in about Unvarnished, calling the site a “litigation nightmare” that “essentially encourages defamation…and it’s smartly leveraging Facebook’s very popular format to do so.”
Here’s how it works:
Only users with active Facebook accounts can access the site (presumably to discourage people from creating fake profiles just for the purpose of badmouthing others). Users can only register after they’ve written a review of the user who invited them.
Here’s the brutal part: Any member can create a profile for any other member, and the reviewee cannot remove the profile and has to accept every review. So it then falls on users to proactively manage their online reputation by posting updates or requesting reviews, moderate others’ reviews and report abuse. While reviews can’t be removed, those that are considered unfair or too negative receive lower rankings.
The site is still in its testing phase, and users have to be invited to to join, but already there are hundreds of users, thousands of reviews and over 400,000 professional resumes housed on the site.
Still, despite the criticism that the site creates an easy pathway to defamation and career ruin, site creator Peter Kazanjy argues that Unvarnished is not meant to be mean-spirited, but instead “a site that encourages candid and nuanced information about prospective hires, bosses and business partners.” Meanwhile, there is at least one person coming to Kazanjy’s defense: craigslist founder Craig Newmark, who wrote on SFGate.com that the site “might work, given what I’ve seen in fifteen years of customer service. People do look out for each other.”
What are your thoughts? Would you use a site like Unvarnished to screen candidates or has does it take social networking too far?
In the following excerpt from CareerBuilder’s recent interview with Jim Greenwood, chief executive officer of Concentra, Greenwood discusses the importance of giving colleagues an opt out, getting the right people “on the bus,” and what it means to be “chief encouragement officer.”
How do your people affect your business, particularly as it relates to patient care? To [our] patients, the Concentra brand is defined by the warmth and respect they experience from our people. In some of our worksite settings, where we have taken health care to the workplace, there may be only one or two Concentra colleagues who represent our brand on a daily basis. Each and every one of these colleagues has an opportunity to deliver a positive, memorable customer service experience.
What is your philosophy as it relates to people and their impact on your daily business?
We believe that a patient’s healing process begins when they enter one of our medical centers, and therefore we strive to create an environment that is warm and welcoming. This philosophy, coupled with skillful care that is delivered in a respectful manner, forms the foundation for our organization.
How do you engage with and relate to your employees?
I consider myself the “chief encouragement officer” of the company. Outstanding service begins with me, and as leaders, our senior team members view themselves as servants – our leaders realize that they are here to equip the colleagues we serve and to lead by example. I personally write dozens of notes to outstanding colleagues each month (or sometimes to their spouse and family members). These notes go to the homes of colleagues who have impressed a patient or a co-worker in a remarkable manner, who are celebrating an anniversary, or who have been noticed for sacrificing in other ways. I started asking our leaders to send in examples of such colleagues a couple of years ago, and now there is a consistent flow of great care stories from internal support organizations and client facing colleagues. Many of our senior leaders are now doing the same thing.
How do you define Concentra’s culture? As a leader, what role do you play and what is your impact on the culture?
Our core values drive our culture. They are: Healing Focus, Selfless Heart and Tireless Resolve. As leaders, it is imperative that we make decisions in concert with these core values; including hiring decisions, promotions and unfortunately, in some cases, terminations. The leaders set the tone for our culture, and if we have someone in a position of authority who does not share these values, they are not going to model positive game changing behaviors or serve their people well.
What are the most important leadership lessons you’ve learned?
Our duty is to serve our 6,000 colleagues, who in turn will serve our patients. Happy, fulfilled colleagues are much more likely to deliver a positive customer service experience to our patients. As a leader, it is important to focus on the people who actually want to improve, learn, and maximize their potential. My time as CEO will be a mere chapter in the Concentra story; I hope to make the company better each and every day, for as long as I am in this role.
I understand that in the past 5-6 years Concentra has centralized many of the corporate recruiting functions. How has this been received by the organization and how has it improved your efficiencies?
We aligned regional field recruiters with each of the five zones to better serve the hiring managers. This regional alignment has been well received and has allowed the regional recruiters to assume most of the interviewing administration, management and tasks. This model has allowed our regional recruiters to develop a partnership with the hiring managers in the field, to develop a clear understanding of the local cultures, and thereby to source candidates who best fit the profile for success.
What other advice would you share with your executive peers though this piece?
As leaders, we work diligently to establish cultures, get the right people on the bus, train those people, [and] coach and equip them to reach their potential. I am encouraged by the fact that more and more CEOs are gaining an appreciation for the importance of creating a culture of health within their workplace. My message to these peers is that YOU can make a difference. You can improve the health of your people and, in doing so, enhance their productivity, their customer service levels, and their loyalty to your organization!
Any closing remarks?
In my opinion, America is facing a health crisis, not a healthcare crisis. As leaders, we need to change this culture in order for our nation to compete in a global economy. If we don’t act, the threat of additional job migration to other parts of the world will become a reality. More importantly, for the first time in the history of our country, the life expectancy of our children is likely to be less than ours.
About Concentra Concentra is a leading national health care company focused on improving America’s health, one patient at a time. Through its affiliated clinicians, the company provides occupational medicine, urgent care, wellness and preventive services, physical therapy, physical examinations, travel medicine and drug testing from 300 medical centers located in 40 states, with over 100,000 employer clients.
With 162,000 jobs added in March, the nation’s economy saw its largest job gain in three years, according to the latest Employment Situation report, released by the BLS today.
While the unemployment rate remained at 9.7 percent (and will likely stay that way for a while), the increase is a sign that economic recovery is sustainable, and healing in the job market has definitely, finally, offically BEGUN!begun to turn a corner.
Not exactly the kind of good news that warrants a ticker-tape parade, but hey, I’ll take it.
Highlights from the report include the following:
Employers added 162,000 jobs in March, the most since the recession began but below analysts’ expectations of 190,000. The total includes 48,000 temporary workers hired for the U.S. Census.
Private employers added 123,000 jobs, the most since May 2007.
Among industries: Manufacturers added 17,000 jobs, for a third straight month of gains. Meanwhile, temporary help services added 40,000 jobs; health care added 37,000; leisure and hospitality added 22,000; and the construction industry added 15,000.
The average work week increased to 34 hours from 33.9 (a positive sign as most employers are likely to work current employees longer before they hire new workers).
Average hourly earnings fell by two cents to $22.47, but average weekly earnings rose by about $3 to $629.37, partly reflecting the longer work week.
The “underemployment” rate – made up of Americans who are working part-time but prefer full-time work and discouraged workers who have given up searching for jobs – ticked up to 16.9 percent from 16.8 percent.
Latest Job Forecast Supports BLS Findings
Further evidence of the recovering jobs market can be found in CareerBuilder and USA Today’s latest quarterly job forecast, which showed that for the third consecutive quarter, more employers plan to increase their headcount in the next three months, while fewer will cut staffs.
This morning, CareerBuilder CEO Matt Ferguson appeared on CNBC’s SquawkBox to discuss the results of the forecast and what they mean for the current state of the job market and the economy:
BLS Experts Answer Consumer Questions in Live Chat
Finally, the BLS conducted its first live web chat this morning devoted to the employment report. You can see of full transcript of the chat here, or continue reading for chat highlights:
This morning, the BLS held a live web chat with a panel of experts from both the Current Population Survey (CPS) and the Current Employment Statistics (CES) programs on hand to answer users’ questions. Below are some of the highlights of that chat, with user questions in bold:
Is there an estimate for how many census workers will be hired for the current census and when those hires will occur? Are these employees full, or part-time? How does the BLS treat these employees? Are they counted as “regular” employees? Current information on the census intermittent worker impact on CES estimates can be found on www.bls.gov/ces/cescensusworkers.pdf. To be considered employed in the CES survey, workers need to receive pay for any time during their pay period including the 12th of the month. Workers getting paid for just one hour would be considered employed. The CES survey cannot distinguish between full- and part-time workers. For future hiring expectations for census intermittent workers, you should consult the Bureau of the Census or visit http://www.census.gov/
Why have people on extended unemployment benefits dropped by over 50% since the beginning of the year while those on EUC are up? BLS does not produce the data on unemployment benefits. The Employment and Training Administration is the source of that data. Information is available on the Department of Labor website at http://ows.doleta.gov/unemploy/claims_arch.asp.
Why was the weather effect in February not larger given the severity of the snow storms and past similar storms, i.e. Jan. 1996? It is not possible to determine specifically how weather impacted employment estimates from data reported through the CES survey. The dynamics of the economy, as well as differences in weather systems, vary.
What states are enjoying a growth in employment? Details on statewide job growth can be found in the Regional and State Employment and Unemployment news release issued most recently on March 26, 2010. In February, nonfarm payroll employment decreased in 27 states and the District of Columbia and increased in 23 states. The largest over-the-month increases in employment occurred in Florida (+26,300), followed by New York (+5,800), Alabama (+5,600), Wisconsin (+5,200), Nevada (+5,100), and South Carolina (+5,000). Nevada experienced the largest over-the-month percentage increase in employment (+0.5 percent), followed by Florida and New Hampshire (+0.4 percent each) and Alabama, South Carolina, and Vermont (+0.3 percent each). Over the year, nonfarm employment decreased in 49 states and increased in 1 state and the District of Columbia.
Unemployment rates for Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) and cities are issued in a separate release, several weeks after the Regional and State news release, cited above. Currently, data is available for January 2010
Why is this report released on Good Friday? The BLS news release schedule for major economic indicators, including the Employment Situation, is announced prior to the beginning of the calendar year, allowing advance notice to all users, and is rarely subject to change. BLS schedules news releases any day the Federal government is scheduled to be open, based on when data will become final.
Why is the civilian non institutional population listed as 237,159? The civilian non institutional population is 237,159,000. The figure excludes persons under the age of 16, members of the Armed Forces, and those in institutions such as prisons.
Does the payroll data differentiate between part time and full time? The payroll data does not differentiate between part- and full-time workers. The CPS survey does have employment by full- and part-time workers.
How are the adjustments to prior months reports determined? The CES survey is a voluntary survey, and respondents report employment for their pay period that includes the 12th of the month. BLS first produces estimates with less than full response. We collect data on a continuous basis and update our estimates during the 2 months following initial release. In addition to additional sample, BLS also recalculates seasonal factors using the latest estimates. Once a year, BLS resets its employment level (for March) to an actual count and revises seasonally adjusted estimates back 5 years. The latest of these benchmark update was for March 2009, released on February 5, 2010.
Does the BLS make available the raw data results of the surveys? The mission of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is to collect, process, analyze, and disseminate essential statistical data to the American public, the U.S. Congress, other Federal agencies, State and local governments, business, and labor. In order to maintain credibility and trust with our survey respondents, confidentiality protections for our data are essential. Protecting the confidentiality of data is central to accomplishing the BLS mission. More information can be found on this subject at http://www.bls.gov/bls/confidentiality.htm.
What are the standard errors on the employment number and unemployment rate? At the 90 percent level of confidence, the standard error on the change in CPS employment is about +/- 400,000, and the standard error on the change in the unemployment rate is about +/- 0.2 percentage point. For the payroll survey, at the 90 percent level of confidence, the standard error on the monthly change in nonfarm employment is about +/- 100,000.
Who do you survey to get the temp employment number? The CES survey samples Temporary Help companies to estimate employment in Temp Help. Our sample includes firms of all sizes.
When will the data from the 2010 Displaced Worker Survey supplement be available for download? Those data should be available in the fall of this year.
Does the BLS break out employment by size of firm? The BLS does break out employment by size of firm from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program. For more details see: www.bls.gov/cew
How are independent contractors and the self-employed counted? In the household survey, independent contractors and the self employed are counted as employed if they are operating their business. If their businesses are closed and they are actively seeking other employment, they would be considered unemployed.
Why is March selected as the bench mark month as opposed to other months? March is selected for the annual benchmark, because it has less seasonal variation than most months and no holidays.
Where can I find more specific information about the BLS’ unemployment calculation methodologies? You can find a number of documents describing the concepts and methods used in the unemployment calculations at: http://stats.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#ces_cps
What are some of the common reasons why the numbers in a prior months’ report could be revised? CES estimates may revise from additional sample received, corrections to previously reported data, and recalculation of seasonal adjustment factors using the most current data.
It goes without saying (at least, I hope it does) that you should know the behaviors and perceptions of your target audience before embarking on any sort of recruitment marketing campaign – that is, any sort of successful recruitment marketing campaign.
…Which is why you might find the recent findings from online advertising network Chitika interesting. Chitika recently studied users on MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and Digg, to find that each social site has a distinct makeup of users with unique tastes.
For instance, Twitterers mostly consume news, MySpace users want games and entertainment, Facebookers are into both news and community, and Digg’s audience has a mixed bag of interests.
Among the most interesting findings from the study:
Nearly half the traffic (47%) that Twitter generates falls into the news category
Facebook users top interests appear to be news (which accounts for 28% of traffic), community (17%) and how-to/DIY (13%).
MySpace users are most concerned with video games (28%) and celebrity and entertainment content (23%).
Digg users have nearly equal parts interest in news (18%), celebrity/entertainment (18 %), and video game content (17%), but the majority of their interests (26%) fall into “other.”
What do these findings mean to you as a recruiter?
For one thing, as this Mashable article points out, it should serve as a reminder of how integral social media has become as a communications tool. “It’s important information for marketers, advertisers and brands hoping to appropriately leverage each site,” writes Mashable’s Jennifer Van Grove.
Ditto for recruiting: This glimpse into social networkers’ behavior should give you an idea of not only which social networks your ideal talent is using and how they are using these networks, but also how you should shape your message based on which site you choose to spread that message.
(For instance, MySpace might not be the ideal place to recruit for many employers, but it could be a great avenue for employers who are looking for younger workers with enthusiasm for entertainment or video games to reach this audience. Want to get the attention of news-hungry Twitter users? Don’t just tweet out jobs. Link to interesting articles about something fun /exciting/positive/etc. your company is doing right now.)
Secondly, and more to Van Grove’s point, these findings represent exactly the type of research employers and recruiters should be conducting in order to build and enhance their recruitment strategy. As any marketing expert would tell you, you need to truly analyze and understand the behaviors of your target audience – in your case, current and potential employees – to ensure that your recruitment marketing dollars are being spent in the best possible way.
Recently, a colleague of mine over at The Work Buzz answered a reader’s concern that, I suspect, is becoming more and more common in today’s workplace:
Certainly, there are valid reasons for following or “friending” your colleagues on social networking sites like Facebook, Bebo or Twitter; however, many people believe in keeping their professional and personal lives separate. A perfectly valid and reasonable choice, of course, but it can make for an awkward situation when that Facebook friendship request comes around…
And when said request is from a colleague someone you manage or are superior to, the situation can be that much more sensitive. While you might not feel comfortable having access to information on your employee’s personal life, this concern might not have occurred to your employee, and ignoring or declining their request could send the wrong message.
That said, we here at The Hiring Site decided to look at this issue from the manager’s viewpoint, and give some tips for declining an employee’s social networking friendship request – without damaging the workplace relationship:
Explain why you rejected the request: Rejecting a friendship request is quick and easy…until your face-to-face with the person you just rejected. Fortunately, all it takes is a short, simple explanation to alleviate any awkwardness. Work Buzz blogger Anthony Balderrama suggests saying something that’s light hearted, but gets the message across that you don’t mix your professional and social lives. Try something like, “I prefer to keep that profile separate from any work stuff just to be safe. I don’t want anyone seeing the embarrassing high school pictures. I was so goofy!” Suggest instead that you two connect over LinkedIn, Brightfuse or another site meant specifically for professional networking.“Few people will hold a grudge about a Facebook rejection (if it comes with a good explanation). But careers can and have been ruined by the wrong people seeing the wrong information,” Balderrama writes.
Be honest: The “I want to keep my personal and professional lives separate line” can come back to bite you if it’s not the truth – especially if the employee you just rejected finds out that you’re online friends with other people at the company. Maybe for whatever reason, you just don’t want to be friends with that particular employee, but if you’re not honest, that employee is likely to find out you lied to him or her, which is a quick way to kill morale – not to mention your own credibility.
Of course, there’s always the option of just sucking it up, accepting the request, and living with the consequences – but that could also mean being privy to more information about an employee than you may want or feel comfortable with…
What are your thoughts? Ever had to reject an employee’s friend request – or wished you had rejected it? Share with us (anonymously, if you prefer) in the comments section below!
Hearing that the FOX network may announce on May 17 that it is recruiting Conan O’Brien (who famously severed ties with former employer NBC recently) for a new TV gig perked our ears over here at The Hiring Site for two reasons…
One, we’ve been going through serious “Celebrity Secrets” withdrawal, and two (because we always have talent recruitment on the brain…don’t be jealous), FOX’s move actually mirrors two current recruiting trends, which, just for a little hump-day fun, I thought I’d point out…
Recruiting Candidates Going Through Career Transitions: Of course, while Conan’s departure from NBC wasn’t exactly a layoff, it was a case of NBC failing to recognize a good thing while it had it find the right fit for someone with Conan’s skills. By jumping on the opportunity to negotiate a deal with the newly unemployed Conan, FOX seems to be going the same route as many employers and recruiters lately and sourcing talent that other companies were forced to let go. While it might not be as simple as picking up the latest issue of Variety to find that a coveted candidate is suddenly available, many recruiters have found luck by going to outplacement firms to look for quality candidates with real-world work experience and transferable skills who are making the transition to new jobs or careers.
Rehiring Former Employees: Perhaps taking a cue from the increasing number of employers who are finding that their best new hires are former employees, FOX is considering rehiring a former employee of its own: Conan used to write for the network’s award-winning show, “The Simpsons.” Seems there’s something to be said about not burning bridges with your former employees – without the need for introductions, it sure makes reconnecting that much easier. Not only that, but having worked together before, the employee needs little to no training or orientation back into his or her role and the company’s culture.
It would be no surprise to see Conan thrive in a position at FOX, considering the success many employers and recruiters have found using these recruiting tactics. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see. (May 17, y’all!)
Once again, the worlds of marketing and recruiting have collided. You’ve probably heard (and if you haven’t, I’m telling you now) that one of the most important elements of using social media effectively is to be authentic…but how, exactly, do you do that?
Mashable’s Greg Ferenstein recently addressed this issue on a blog post called “The Science of Building Trust with Social Media,” talking about how psychological behaviors of social media users can help guide companies in their marketing efforts.
The same lessons, however, apply to recruiting efforts – that is, the same way companies might use social media to build trust with their customers can be applied to building trust with employees and candidates. Here are some of the key takeaways of his article, from a recruiting standpoint:
A Quick Response is Better Than No Response at All Because telling forms of trust – like voice intonation and body language – do not transfer over email, job seekers will instead base their opinion of how trustworthy you, as an employer, are on how quickly you respond. Does this mean answering every job seeker question that gets posted to your company’s Facebook page?
Actually, yes, it does.
Even if you don’t have the time to give the most thought-out response to every single question right away, it is important that you show current and potential employees that their voice is being heard. The least you can – and should – do is write a short post to acknowledge that you’ve seen the message and will answer the question in more detail at a later time. “It is better to respond to a long Facebook message ‘acknowledging’ that you received the message, rather than to wait until there’s time to send a more thorough first message,” Ferenstein says.
Case in point: Notice below how CARQUEST Auto Parts recently responded to a job seeker inquiry via its Facebook page - and the appreciation and positive feedback the company saw as a result of doing so.
Even if job seekers are using social media to express frustration or disappointment, employers and recruiters should see this as an opportunity to open up a line of dialogue about how to better the candidate experience. Notice how staffing firm Staffmark quickly responded to a comment on its Facebook page, and how that response turned not only into positive feedback, but also an opportunity for the company to improve the quality of its candidate and employee experiences.
Written Communication is Better Than No Communication, But Video Communication is Best Ferenstein already established that voice intonation and body language don’t transfer through written communication, so it’s no surprise when he points out the benefit to using video above all forms of communication when trying to get the most important messages across. “The more non-substantive information the medium can convey, the more data a listener has to decide how trustworthy the speaker is,” Ferenstein writes.
As evidence, he cites the video Domino’s Pizza president, Patrick Doyle, put out last year to apologize for an infamous employee YouTube prank. You can see the impact Doyle’s apology had on viewers below. The video is overlaid with a graph of user reaction to show how “believable” viewers gauge his apology, based on body language and inflection.
What does all of this tell us?
Just as it did before social media came along, authenticity rules – it’s just a matter of figuring out how to best convey that authenticity across new technology.
In an environment where candidates are getting increasingly frustrated because they feel either misled or ignored by recruiters and hiring managers, it’s no wonder that employers are hesitant to build a social media presence – afraid that having a public profile on a site like Facebook will make them vulnerable to criticism; however, what Ferenstein illustrates (and what is further illustrated in the experiences of CARQUEST and Staffmark) is that companies can actually utilize the viral aspect of social media to show job seekers and employees alike that they are listening to them and do care – and turn that criticism into brand loyalty.
With fewer employees coming in late to work these days than they did a year ago, you might think the well of bizarre excuses they come up with for being late was running low as well.
You’d be wrong.
According to CareerBuilder’s most recent survey, released today, 16 percent of workers said they arrive late to work at least once a week, down from 20 percent who said the same in last year’s survey. Eight percent of workers said they are late at least twice a week, down from 12 percent last year.
The decrease in tardiness could indicate that worries over job security may have workers taking punctuality – and their overall on-the-job performance – more seriously, says CareerBuilder’s vice president of human resources, Rosemary Haefner, in the press release.
Of the more than 5,200 workers who participated in the survey, 32 percent cited traffic as the biggest reason for being tardy, followed by lack of sleep (24 percent). Seven percent said getting their kids ready for school or day care was the cause of their lateness, while the same amount (7 percent) said bad weather was the culprit. Other common reasons included public transportation, wardrobe issues or dealing with pets.
And then…there were the following uncommon reasons employees have given for being late (according to hiring managers surveyed):
“I got mugged and was tied to the steering wheel of my car.”
“My deodorant was frozen to the window sill.”
“My car door fell off.”
“It was too windy.”
“I dreamt I was already at work.”
“I had to go to the hospital because I drank antifreeze.”
“I had an early morning gig as a clown.”
“A roach crawled in my ear.”
“I saw an elderly lady at a bus stop and decided to pick her up.”
“My dog swallowed my cell phone.”
Perhaps it is hard-to-believe excuses like these that help explain why 34 percent of hiring managers reported that they’ve terminated employees for being late (up from 30 percent who said the same last year).
Or perhaps employee tardiness indicates a bigger problem at hand, such as the need to better communicate the company’s tardiness policy, or simply a need among employees for a better work-life balance.
What do you think? How much can you forgive an employee for being late before it becomes a serious problem?
Anyone else looking forward to the day we can say that we’re actually out of the woods with the current financial crisis (if only so we can put a moratorium on the phrase “out of the woods”)?
Well, we might have to hold out a little while longer, because as the latest employment report indicates, we’re, um…well, you know. Today, the Labor Department released its Employment Situation report for the month of February, and, as is often the case lately, there’s both good news and bad news.
The good news is that the number of jobs in February fell far below analysts’ expectations and that the unemployment rate did not go up. Despite this fact, the bad news, of course, is that unemployment is still at a remarkably high 9.7 percent and that employers cut 36,000 jobs.
Among the highlights of the report:
Employers cut 36,000 jobs in February (below analysts’ expectation of 50,000), compared with 26,000 jobs shed in January.
Since the start of the recession in December 2007, the number of unemployed Americans has nearly doubled to 14.9 million and the economy has shed 8.4 million jobs.
The U.S. unemployment rate held at 9.7 percent in February, and nonfarm payroll employment dipped slightly (-36,000).
Severe winter weather in parts of the country may have affected payroll employment and hours; however, it is not possible to quantify precisely the net impact of the winter storms on these measures.
Looking at various industries: Temporary help services added 48,000 jobs, while Health Care also continued to trend upward in February. Construction and Information both fell, at 64,000 and 18,000 jobs lost, respectively, while both Manufacturing and Retail were essentially unchanged.
Despite the up-and-down numbers over the last few months (36,000 jobs shed in February…26,000 shed in January…109,000 shed in December… 64,000 added in November, etc.), conditions are stabilizing overall.
“The large declines are behind us,” said Joel Naroff of Joel Naroff Economic Advisors in a podcast interview with MarketWatch today, in reference to the job loss numbers. Naroff added that the latest report gives a strong indication that, while we may not see strong job growth anytime soon, we will see positive growth.
In fact, employers are expected to add as many as 100,000 jobs a month later this year (and if President Obama okays the House’s new $15 billion plan to offer tax breaks to employers, it could further impact job growth in the coming months).
As a former Super Nintendo addict enthusiast, I was both excited and surprised to come across this recent Go magazine article about the growing number of companies using interactive software and video games as employee training and development tools.
Excited, of course, because it seems like a cool, fun way to engage employees (and brought back fond memories of watching Mario hop around in a Frog suit)…But also surprised by just how many companies are embracing this trend: A reported 70 percent of major domestic employers used these ”serious games” to train employees in 2008, according to the Entertainment Software Association. That figure is estimated to increase to 80 percent by 2013.
It’s encouraging to see employers move away from more traditional training methods like white papers, PowerPoint presentations and training calls - many of which seem as if they were designed to be tuned out (apologies if this is news to anyone) – and toward more engaging methods. According to the article, those who use these training techniques say that video games help employees build business skills by putting them in situations that require critical thinking and decision making.
Not to mention that being able to interact through computer simulation programs helps employees retain complicated information better than they would using other, more traditional training techniques.
Of course, the obvious downsides to using video gaming techniques to train is that the time and cost spent setting up and designing the customized software could be significant, depending on the complexity of the project. And then there’s the not-so-minor fact that simulations can’t completely replace actual human interaction…But none of this is to say this technology doesn’t hold value (so long as its viewed as a supplement to, and not a replacement for, real world training) – and many will argue that the business benefits ultimately outweigh the costs.
No Longer Just a Training Tool…
In addition to helping companies develop employees’ business skills, more companies are utilizing video games in their recruiting and branding efforts as well. Here are a few examples:
Candidate Attraction: The MITRE Corporation, for example, enables job seekers to download a 3D video game that gives players a better understanding of the company’s campus, how the interview process works, and view examples of company projects. Similarly, staffing firm Kelly Services has a virtual community in Second Life that gives job seekers an interactive experience to see what it’s like to work for Kelly, create buzz and differentiate Kelly from its competitors. In August 2009, the U.S. Army opened its Experience Center at a Philadelphia shopping mall, where potential recruits can play military videogames and learn about military bases and career options in an interactive way – helping the Army meet and exceed its recruiting and retention goals.
Employee Retention: In efforts to help employees relieve stress, refocus and (most importantly) avoid burnout, companies are increasingly relying on video games – turning their ordinary break rooms into game zones. At the offices of the Chicago-based tee shirt company Threadless, taking a break to play a little Guitar Hero is an everyday occurrence for employees. And recently, Phoenix-based Multi-Systems, Inc. gave its employees a $10,000 budget to design a game room for them to unwind in, as a thank you for making various pay and benefits sacrifices the previous year.
Where does your company fall among these other companies and their efforts? Does your company use interactive programs to engage current or potential employees? If so, feel free to share your experience in the comments section below…
Stop me if you’ve heard this one…Money problems continue to plague American workers.
The latest evidence comes from a new CareerBuilder survey out today, showing that financial restraints are now putting a crimp in many older workers’ retirement plans.
According to the survey, 72 percent of workers over the age of 60 who said they are putting off their retirement are doing so because they can’t afford to retire. When comparing genders, the survey found that three-quarters (76 percent) of female workers over the age of 60 who said they are putting off retirement are doing so because they can’t afford it, while 68 percent of males said the same.
It’s Not All About the Benjamins… According to the release, financial reasons are not the only grounds for postponing retirement for workers over the age of 60.
Other reasons cited among those putting off retirement include:
Either enjoy their job or enjoy where they work and don’t want to leave it (71 percent)
Plan to stay because they need the health insurance and additional benefits provided (50 percent)
Fear retirement may just be boring (24 percent)
Enjoy feeling needed (15 percent)
If you work with or supervise mature workers, be ready in case they decide they want to stay aboard a little bit longer than originally planned. “Twenty-seven percent of hiring managers say they were approached about postponing retirements last year and were open to retaining mature workers,” sais Jason Ferrara, senior career advisor at CareerBuilder.
Employees wanting to postpone retirement could actually be good news for companies that are worried about losing or replacing some their most skilled, experienced and loyal workers during a time when they need them the most. If you’ve already replaced them, consider whether you can keep them on in another role or department, and see if they’d be open to that.
Help Yourself By Helping Your Employees Plan for Their Future
Whether postponed retirement is an issue at your company or not, right now might be a good time to check in with your employees – who are likely overwhelmed by the effects of the slow economy – and see if you can’t help ease their burdens. After all, if they’re focused on financial strains, they’re not focused on much else (as in, their work duties), and that doesn’t reflect well on you.
Rosemary Haefner, vice president of Human Resources at CareerBuilder, suggests setting up a meeting with your employees and members of your HR department, so employees can learn or be refreshed on what is available to help them save on monthly expenses. (It’s likely that your company offers a lot of benefits employees aren’t even aware of.) An informal meeting in which employees can ask questions and clear up uncertainties may be extremely helpful for them.
Can you spot a fake resume? Can’t blame you if the answer’s no…It’s becoming trickier than ever thanks to the rise in Web sites – like CareerExcuse.com and FakeResume.com – that make it even easier for job seekers to falsify information on their resumes. (Check out the recent CBS 2 video expose about CareerExcuse.com, featuring CareerBuilder’s own Jason Ferrara.)
Add to that the already strained resources hiring managers, HR professionals and recruiters have to verify these claims, and it’s even easier for unqualified job seekers to slip through the cracks.
In fact, a 2008 CareerBuilder survey on lies job seekers tell found that 38 percent of employees had embellished their job responsibilities at some point, while 18 percent had lied about their skill sets. Other common lies surrounded information about employees’ start and end dates of employment, academic degrees, previous employers and job titles.
6 Ways to Avoid a Hiring Mistake:
Here are some more steps you can take to protect yourself from being the victim of a fake resume (adapted from Workforce Trends and Volt.com):
Perform a standard background check on things like work history, residences, dates of employment, etc. Look for discrepancies between what the candidate submitted and what the reports reveal.
Check for red flags: Unexplained gaps in employment, a reluctance to explain the reason for leaving, and unusual periods of self-employment can be a tip off to false employment history. Always check references, including clients, for self-employed work history. Because even references can be fake, check the web sites of previous employers and use the phone numbers found online for employment verification. (Can’t find a previous employer’s web site, even after you’ve “Googled” it? The Better Business Bureau or the local Chamber of Commerce are good resources to check, too.)
Test their skills. Knowing that employers use keyword searching to find and qualify their resumes, applicants may include keywords for all skills required for the job – regardless of whether they have them or not. Find out if they’re embellishing by asking specific technical questions about the skills they claim to have and actually test their computer skills.
Be fair. Remember that mistakes and misunderstandings do happen. If you find a discrepancy, give the candidate an opportunity to explain.
Use common sense. Trust your intuition and experience. If something doesn’t seem right, follow up on it.
Lesson Learned: Readers Share Their Own Fake Resume Stories In the comments from a previous post on lies job seekers tell on resumes, many readers shared their own experiences in dealing with false resume information. Here are some of their stories:
“Several years ago I learned a very important lesson: be wary of people who claim a previously outrageous salary from a “now defunct company” but are willing to work for less because they “like your company.” We hired my Executive HR Assistant who ended up spending the first two weeks of her job with us surfing for a new job online. We do have internet management software that blocks job sites, but as she was HR she needed access to these sites for our own recruiting efforts. It does monitor the sites visited though, and that’s what tipped us off. Additionally, she had five different versions of her resume stored on her company computer. All of them had her working for us for over one year, when she had only started 10 days previously. However, the reference name and number she included for our company was not us. The funny thing was though, all of her business references and previous employment history checked out before we hired her; except the most recent one that “went out of business.” When checking references, look the company info up online and call directly. Don’t use the info the candidate supplied unless you have to, then take it with a grain of salt.” – Nathan
“I was ready to hire the perfect candidate when I decided to run a background check. We don’t normally run one for every position but this position had access to cash so I’d required it. The letters of recommendations from previous employers were actually letterhead he stole from the companies. And if that wasn’t bad enough, he submitted a list of company contacts and personal phone numbers. Everyone on his list turned out to be one of his friends who covered for him on the initial phone conversation telling us what a great employee he was. Digging deeper we found at a previous job in another city he was told to resign his position or he would be turned over to the police for theft. His explanation was that if he told me the truth, he probably wouldn’t have got the job. After that experience, I run background checks on anyone and everyone that works in the office and/or drives a company vehicle.” – John
“We had a person claim a very high-level position at a major corporation. It was actually true, but we couldn’t figure out why he wanted to come work for us in what was a huge step down for him. A few days later his name was in the paper – he had had *ahem* inappropriate activities with a board member of the company he was working for, in the parking garage. Which had been caught on tape….” – PJ
“I received four applications with the exact same resume…The only difference were their names at the top.” – Colleen
What’s So Wrong with a Little White Lie? I also want to mention, however, that a few readers of that post actually came to job seekers’ defenses – arguing the point that there’s little harm in embellishing resume information if experience and performance trump what’s on paper….Would you agree?
Or do you, like other readers, believe that if job seekers are willing to lie about one thing, they are probably willing to lie about other things, too?
What are your thoughts? Do you forgive “embellishments” on resumes, or is any white lie a deal breaker?
If Quiznos’ was hoping to boost its employment brand, the fast food chain’s new environmentally conscious “Eat Toasty, Be Green” campaign – which includes the use of new biodegradable packaging and employee uniforms made from recycled materials – could not have come out at a better time.
Job seekers seem to gravitate toward social responsible companies, according to a recent Kelly Services survey of nearly 100,000 people in 34 countries in North America, Europe and Asia.
The reason for this? “Employees gain a sense of fulfillment when their employer is focused on not only the bottom line but also on initiatives and practices [that] have a common connection with the communities in which they operate,” said George Corona, Kelly Services’ executive VP and COO, in an article for Staffing Industry Review Magazine.
(Perhaps this helps explain why companies like Whole Foods and Starbucks – both of whom are often acknowledged for Corporate Social Responsibility efforts – often find themselves on ‘best companies to work for’ lists.)
Among the survey’s other findings:
Almost 90 percent of respondents say they are more likely to work for an organization that is considered ethically and socially responsible, something that is consistent across all generations.
80 percent are more likely to work for an organization that is considered environmentally responsible, a figure that is considerably higher among older age groups.
In deciding where to work, an organization’s reputation for ethical conduct is considered “very important” by 77 percent of Baby Boomers, 72 percent of GenX and 65 percent of GenY.
53 percent of Baby Boomers would be prepared to forego pay or a promotion to work for an organization with a good reputation, compared to 48 percent of GenX and 46 percent of GenY.
In deciding where to work, policies to address global warming are considered “very important” by 36 percent of Baby Boomers, 35 percent of GenX and 31 percent of GenY.
Quiznos is just the most recent in a long line of companies who have started tweaking their products to appeal to an increasingly environmentally conscious consumer base, and hopefully, other companies will follow suit.
While these initiatives are certainly good for branding purposes (and, of course, Mother Earth), employers should be aware that, in order to truly engage employees, they should also focus on internal initiatives, like letting employees work from home or investing in energy-saving technology.
Not only do these efforts reduce the strain on the environment, but also – and perhaps more enticingly – they help improve the bottom line by qualifying companies for tax incentives, boosting employee productivity and garner consumer support.
Do the above findings surprise you? What sort of environmentally-friendly initiatives is your company using to both reduce energy use (and how has it made an impact on your workplace)?
Thanks to everyone who – in response to last week’s “We Ask, You Win” contest – shared their company’s biggest challenges in recruiting and retaining workers. You gave us some great feedback, and I’d like to share some of those answers with the rest of our readers.
Challenge: “I have too many resumes to sort through.” The influx of resumes recruiters and hiring managers are receiving right now can be both a blessing and a curse. As one reader puts it, “It’s great to have lots of choices [as far as resumes go], but the burden of time spent on this can be touch to manage.” (Burden might be an understatement: One reader reported receiving as many as 800 resumes for a recently advertised job opening.)
Solution: “With the economy the way it is anyone and everyone applies for jobs regardless of title or description,” says reader Michelle, a source of frustration for many readers. Michelle gets around this challenge by pre-screening applicants by asking them to answer detailed and specific questions. Customized screening questions saves you time by enabling you to quickly distinguish between those applicants who actually meet the qualifications for the job and those who are simply “applying to anything and everything in hopes of the chance of just finding work,” as reader Shannon Crone put it.
Challenge: “We can’t offer competitive compensation to retain and attract valuable employees.” Due to tighter budgets and fewer monetary resources, many companies (understandably) are wondering how they’re going to attract and retain valuable workers unless they can offer competitive rates.
Solution: First, make sure you’re aware of today’s going compensation rates. Many employers today are relying on old salary reports or historical data – which do not account for today’s economic situation and are therefore outdated. Utilizing third-party talent compensation reports to pull real-time data from industry and area competitors will give you a clearer idea of what your competitors are offering – and the results may surprise you.
Second, think about what you can offer them that won’t cost as much. Can you offer relocation fees? A signing bonus?
Third, realize that salary isn’t everything for today’s job seekers. They also want a place that respects their need for a work/life balance. Consider any unique benefits you offer – anything from flexible schedules to recognition programs to wellness benefits – and make sure you emphasize those anywhere you can – beginning with your job advertisement.
Kelly, a reader who says her company’s greatest challenge is competing to retain and attract employees at a time of reduced salaries and a frozen 401k match, says her company plans to stay competitive by communicating the value of the experience employees gain by working at the company andbeing part of a leading and growing company in its industry.
Not wanting to lose their top performers and well aware of the need to engage their employees, another reader, Angela, says her company recently implemented an employee recognition program to improve employee morale, engagement and retention.
Good call, Angela: Employee recognition programs effectively lead to lower turnover rates, according to The Carrot Principle: How the Best Managers Use Recognition to Engage Their People, Retain Talent and Accelerate Performance, based on 10 years worth of data on 200,000 managers and employees. According to studies cited in the book 79 percent of employees who quit their jobs give “a lack of appreciation” as a key reason for leaving.
Challenge: “I can’t find the qualified candidates I need.” For some of you, it’s not that you can’t offer candidate the right price, it’s that you can’t get the candidates in the first place. This is especially true for those recruiting for candidates with highly specialized skills, which is the predicament one reader has found himself in when looking for a particular type of health care professional.
Solution: Frustrated by the current supply of candidates, he has started reviewing psychology industry publications to source candidates. (A tactic that isn’t unlike what Seattle-based Tableau Software recently did when it needed a Web developer with extensive knowledge of Drupal: the company’s recruiters began surfing niche social networking sites that catered to Drupal enthusiasts, where they eventually found their new hire.)
For reader Nick Tompkins, geographic location is an obstacle to finding qualified candidates, who are hesitant to consider relocating to his company’s rural location, where there is a limited availability housing market. To counter this challenge, Nick is working to change relocation benefits for professional hires, as well as partnering with the local chamber of commerce to build more affordable rental housing. Last but not least, the company is focusing on its stability and “strong industry position in the current economy” to sell itself as a desirable place to work.
Challenge: “We can’t respond to candidates the way we want to.” Reader Keil Werner says that, as a recruiter, his greatest challenge – bigger than sorting through the plethora of resumes he’s getting – is making the time to respond to these candidates in an effort to maintain good relationships with these candidates and build a network from which he can source qualified candidates in the future.
Solution: Keil brings up a good point about the importance of not only fulfilling the immediate need to hire, but also working to grow your talent pool so you’ll have an easier time filling positions that open up later on. Not to mention that maintaining ties with candidates can be good for both your employment brand and your business. One way to keep the lines of communication open with candidates is to set up automatic e-mail alerts that tell applicants that their resume has been received and where it is in the review process – either through your company’s internal careers site or with the help of a third party. If you use CareerBuilder’s Resume Database, for example, you can use the free ”My Letters” toolto create and save up to 20 different automatic response letters to send to job seekers after they submit an application to your job.
Care to add your two cents? Got any advice of your own to share?
Why? Because using social media to recruit takes time…but reading about doing it doesn’t have to!
(Sorry – I couldn’t help myself with the cheesy tagline. Obviously, that’s not the one CareerBuilder ended up going with for the eBook.)
It’s true, though: A quick and easy read, this eBook is informative without getting too bogged down with details or technical language.
Not that details don’t matter…but the purpose of the eBook isn’t meant to turn anyone into a social media “expert,” but to provide a brief overview of social media as it relates to recruiting – with quick tips for getting started, including:
Where to start building a company profile
How to leverage various social networks to promote your business
The unique benefits social networking offers recruiters
How to set up a social media policy to protect your brand
How to overcome your fears about social media
Did we also mention that it’s free and really easy to download? And free?
If you’re new to using social media – whether for recruitment purposes or altogether – let this eBook be your guide to getting started. Even if you’re not new to social media, this’ll serve as a good (painless) refresher.
Click here to download the eBook Will Tweet for Talent today.
No, I mean you’re kind of livingIn Good Company, the 2004 film where Dennis Quaid’s character finds himself working for a much younger boss, played by Topher Grace. Oh, and also, you actually are in good company…
According to a new survey by CareerBuilder, 43 percent of workers ages 35 and older said they currently work for someone younger than them. (Sorry…no data on how many of these workers’ daughters were also dating their younger bosses.)
That figure increases to 53 percent when looking at workers age 45 and older, and to 69 percent for workers 55 and up. Perhaps not surprisingly, the survey showed that the younger boss/older worker dynamic can be a source of friction in the workplace, with 41 percent of those who work for someone younger saying they had difficulty taking direction from a younger boss.
The reasons it’s so hard to work for someone younger? According to survey participants:
They act like they know more than me when they don’t.
They act like they’re entitled and didn’t earn their position.
They micromanage.
They play favorites with younger workers.
They don’t give me enough direction.
(What do you think about these findings? Are you on either side of a younger boss/older worker relationship? If so, does that dynamic affect your workplace? Tell us in the comments section below, or keep reading for tips on how to better manage these types of relationships.)
Despite the differences between you and your younger boss or older employee, if you can recognize that you each bring something different and valuable to the table, Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder, says that will be the key to getting along and driving the business forward.
“By looking past their differences and focusing on their strengths, workers of any age can mutually benefit from those around them, creating a more cohesive workplace,” Haefner says in the press release.
PrimeCB.com, CareerBuilder’s job site for mature workers, offers the following tips for bridging generational differences at work:
Understand others’ point of view: Different generations tend to have differing opinions on a variety of topics, from management style to pop culture. Put yourself in others’ shoes to better understand where they’re coming from.
Adapt your communication: Younger workers tend to favor communicating frequently using technology, such as e-mail and instant messenger. Older workers may prefer more face-to-face contact. Both parties should take this and other communication differences into consideration when interacting.
Keep an open mind: Try not to make assumptions about those who are of a different age group than you. All workers have different skill sets and strengths, so see what you can learn from others rather than making judgments based on their age.
Ever had to answer to someone younger or manage someone older? What advice would you give to others?
If you’ve ever come across a resume that falls under the “what were they thinking?” category, perhaps you can sympathize with the contributers to a recent article on MSN (from my colleagues over at The Work Buzz) detailing the often irrelevant – and sometimes inappropriate – things job seekers have included on their resumes…from ill-advised title abbreviations to special-in-the-broadest-sense-of-the-word skills, to dirt. Yes, dirt. Actual dirt.
Take a look at just a few of the bizarre inclusions hiring managers and recruiters reported seeing on job seeker resumes (…and stop me if you’ve heard these before):
“I always tell people to include their relocation details up top of their résumé and I received one that read, ‘Researching condoms in the local Washington, DC area.’” – Heather R. Huhman, founder and president of Come Recommended
“Some people do not know how to abbreviate ‘assistant.’ You really should not be abbreviating titles (or much else) on your résumé. To me, it indicates laziness in that you don’t want to spend the time typing the extra letters. But if you’re going to abbreviate ‘assistant,’ please use ‘Asst’ not ‘Ass’.” – Abby Kohut, president and staffing consultant at Staffing Symphony, LLC
“I once reviewed a résumé that was handwritten on lined yellow paper. One of the jobs was listed as ‘Central Intelligence Agency, Langley, VA,’ and the description of the job was, ‘I’m not authorized to divulge the nature of my job duties while in the employ of the CIA’.” – Sue Thompson, The Potentialist at Set Free Life Seminars LLC
“I once had a candidate for a marketing assistant position who had worked in a supermarket very early in his career and, for that job; he listed as one of his responsibilities, ‘cut the cheese’.” – Anonymous hiring manager at a large staffing firm
“Dirt. The résumé was intentionally smeared with mud. I don’t recall what the intent was. I immediately threw it away.” – Patrick Scullin, founding partner and executive creative director for Ames Scullin O’Haire Inc.
“A résumé from a part-time model. Included with her résumé was a 4×6 card showing her in various poses and at the bottom it read ‘good hands.’ She was applying for a corporate position.” – Cathleen Faerber, The Wellesley Group, Inc.
If you’re not yet familiar with the government’s recently revised stipulations for hiring unpaid interns, might I suggest pouring yourself a nice glass of Merlot, perhaps turning down the lights and putting on some Al Green, while you sit back and get to know them a little bit better…?
As a former Super Nintendo 
