Today, Matt Ferguson, chief executive officer of CareerBuilder, spoke with Betty Liu on Bloomberg Television’s “In the Loop” about the April employment report and the outlook for the U.S. labor market.
Payrolls climbed 115,000, the smallest gain in six months, after a revised 154,000 rise in March that was more than initially estimated. The job outlook for recent grads, however, is the best it has been in three years. A recent CareerBuilder study shows more than half (54 percent) plan to hire recent college graduates this year, an increase from 46 percent last year, 44 percent in 2010 and 43 percent in 2009.
You just landed the recruit your company has been coveting. The offer letter is signed. The start date has been set. All you have to do now is lean back and bathe in the praises of management for a job well done. But wait, there’s still a chance your cream-of-the-crop hire may not exactly be signed, sealed, and delivered just yet.
More and more companies are offering their employees counteroffers in hopes of retaining their prized possessions. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to any recruiter. After all, you were the one willing to do everything necessary to get this employee on board with your client’s company, so don’t act alarmed when this person’s current employer is willing to do whatever it takes to keep him or her.
You need to view this situation from the perspective of your recruit’s current employer. When an employee submits a letter of resignation, it can send a company into panic mode. The company will scramble to either make a counteroffer or find a replacement before the person leaves. Also, because the employee is still employed by the company and still working on site, he or she is vulnerable to an attack on his or her conscience. Employers will do everything in their power to persuade your recruit by leveraging:
relationships with co-workers
the employee’s sense of loyalty
client relationships
And this is just the start. When an employer starts making the employee feel guilty and then offers your recruit more money, a better position, or an increase in benefits, it may be too late to save your placement. However, you can take some proactive steps to prevent your recruit from turning to the dark side and accepting a counteroffer.
Discuss the counteroffer early
Don’t wait until the last minute to discuss the possibility of a counteroffer. Once you know a candidate is good for one or even multiple clients, you should discuss the person’s current situation and how he or she feels about a counteroffer. Ask your recruit several questions to get a gauge on how he or she feels about his or her current employer. Use questions such as:
What will your company do when you give your two weeks notice?
How will your company react to your departure?
What could your company do to provide you with a better opportunity than the one you’re exploring with me?
Asking these probing questions will earn you a better understanding of how the candidate’s current company may react.
Once you feel a candidate is right for a specific opportunity, you must get your recruit to perceive this new opportunity with your client’s company as simply the next and best thing for him or her professionally and that he or she absolutely must take the new position. It is your job as a good recruiter to hear the recruit verbalize this to you in as implicit of terms as possible. You should hear this long before you make an offer. If you’re not sure about how a recruit may answer, chances are he or she is not sure either.
Set expectations
Preparing a recruit for the possibility of a counteroffer is the best way to preserve the great work you’ve already done to find the right person for the open position. It’s highly advisable to inform your recruit of what he or she may encounter in the event of a counteroffer. You need to act as an advisor and tell your recruit how an employer may put an arm around him or her and say they love or need him or her. They may offer to change an employee’s title, create a new position, and even change the employee’s work location and hours. Nothing is out of the realm of possibility, and you have to prepare your recruit for anything. You have to make sure your recruit understands that even though the company may be offering him or her more now, it doesn’t change the reasons the person was willing to take a new job in the first place. The idea is to have your recruit say, “Yeah, the recruiter I’m working with told me you might try this.”
Ease the transition
Once your recruit has officially resigned by giving his or her two-week notice, give him or her support. Make your recruit feel comfortable with his or her decision. Tell your recruit to call you as soon as he or she resigns. You may even want to send a personalized card stating how excited your client is to have him or her on board and that you know your recruit made a great decision for his or her future. The next two weeks can often be the longest and saddest two weeks of your recruit’s working life, so do whatever it takes to show your recruit that his or her new company is the right choice.
Always expect the unexpected
Regardless of how well prepared your recruit is to reject a counteroffer, and regardless of how many times your recruit swore he or she would never accept your offer, your recruit is only human. Stay in close contact with your recruit for a few weeks after his or her official start date. This is the best way to avoid one of those dreaded, “You know, I’ve been thinking this over…” phone calls.
In the end, being a good recruiter means doing everything you can to not only hook the “big fish” but also reel it in without too much of a struggle. Armed with the right tools and knowledge for preventing counteroffers, you could find yourself asking management to order you a bigger boat.
What other tactics have you implemented to prevent or win the counteroffer?
Whether you are rooting for the New England Patriots or the New York Giants, chances are you’re going to be watching the Big Game with friends, family and even some co-workers. Instead, imagine leaving the stress of your job for a few days by hopping a flight to the U.S. destination of your choice. Unlike that last grueling business trip, we think travel should be nothing but fun and relaxation. And we have a solution for you…
We know your work is important, but everyone deserves to take a break to unplug, kick up their feet and get lost in a good book. And many (including CareerBuilder’s own VP of HR), say traveling across the world or just setting up camp in your house — and away from your office — is good for your health and may translate to better work while in the office:
“Taking advantage of vacation or paid-time-off benefits is critical not only to your well-being, but to your overall job performance,” said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder. “Workers who set aside time for R&R tend to have less burnout, more creative energy and higher quality output. While financial challenges and heavy workloads may make vacation planning difficult, it’s important to find time to recharge away or at home. It can ultimately translate into a more gratifying work experience that benefits you, your family and your employer.”
Where would you go if you won $1,000 in complementary airfare?
A newly released CareerBuilder survey reveals that workplace bullying is still happening. We share 6 tips to help your company work toward a bully-free workplace.
Easily flip from one resume to the next with CareerBuilder’s enhanced Resume Database. You’ll view full, complete resumes – the way candidates want you to see them – instead of just generic-looking resume summaries.
Howard Wallack, the Director of Global Member Programs for SHRM, discussed 10 global HR labor trends for 2011 at HRPA 2011 and how companies can best manage them.
As job seeker behavior changes, so too does your recruitment strategy. Learn how today’s recruitment experts use emerging media to find the best talent.
Behavioral interviews are one of the biggest leaps forward in recruitment, but that doesn’t erase the responsibilities that come along with this type of interview.
An overview of your most agonizing résumé errors here. After all, by letting job seekers know what you don’t want, you are also shedding light on what you do want.
Gone are the days when employers could simply put an ad in the local paper in hopes people apply. Today recruitment requires strategy, the key to which is data.
A new CareerBuilder study examines signs of work addiction and explores ways workers can find a happy medium between work and personal time as we dive into 2011.
So there you have it – 2011 in review. Looking forward, what would you like our writers to focus on for 2011?
What exactly does this mean? Here’s the breakdown:
Full-time, Permanent Hiring Twenty-three percent of employers surveyed plan to hire full-time, permanent employees in 2012, relatively unchanged from 24 percent for 2011 and up from 20 percent for 2010. Seven percent expect to decrease headcount, the same as for 2011 and an improvement from 9 percent for 2010. Fifty-nine percent anticipate no change in their staff levels while 11 percent are unsure. Small Business HiringSmall businesses are reporting more confidence in both hiring and retaining headcount in 2012. Plans to downsize dropped two percentage points across small business segments while plans to hire increased two percentage points among companies with 50 or fewer employees.
50 or fewer employees – 16 percent plan to add full-time, permanent staff in 2012, up from 14 percent for 2011; those reducing headcount fell from 5 percent for 2011 to 3 percent for 2012
250 or fewer employees – 20 percent plan to add full-time, permanent staff, up from 19 percent for 2011; those reducing headcount fell from 6 percent for 2011 to 4 percent for 2012
500 or fewer employees – 21 percent plan to add full-time, permanent staff, on par with 2011; those reducing headcount fell from 6 percent for 2011 to 4 percent for 2012
Hiring By RegionRegional data presents a mixed picture. Similar to annual forecasts for the last two years, more employers in the West plan to recruit new employees in 2012 than other regions. Twenty-four percent of employers in the West reported they plan to add full-time, permanent headcount, followed closely by the South and Midwest at 23 percent and Northeast at 21 percent. However, the West also houses the highest number of companies planning to downsize in 2012 (9 percent) – reflecting a blend of both optimism and uncertainty seen across regions. Eight percent in the Northeast, 7 percent in the South and 6 percent in the Midwest also plan to reduce headcount.
Four Employment Trends to Watch in 2012:
#1 – Compensation Getting More Competitive for Skilled PositionsEmployers expect compensation levels to increase for both current staff and prospective employees as recruiting for skilled talent becomes more competitive. Sixty-two percent of employers plan to increase compensation for their existing employee base while 32 percent will offer higher starting salaries for new employees. Among functional areas where human resource managers anticipate there will be the greatest increases in compensation at their organizations in 2012 are those tied to revenue generation.
Sales – 24 percent of human resource managers
Information Technology – 20 percent
Engineering – 14 percent
Business Development – 14 percent
#2 – Voluntary Turnover on the Rise – One-third (34 percent) of human resource managers reported that voluntary turnover at their organizations rose in 2011. Employers pointed to the desire for higher compensation and feeling over-worked as the top two reasons employees gave for resigning. Thirty percent of employers said they lost top performers to other organizations in 2011 and 43 percent stated they are concerned top talent may jump ship in the New Year.
#3 – Training Employed/Unemployed – There is an increasing number of areas where demand for skilled positions is growing much faster than supply, prompting employers to take “re-skilling” workers into their own hands. Thirty-eight percent plan to train people who don’t have experience in their particular industry and hire them for positions within their organizations in 2012.
#4 –Employers Targeting Hispanic Workers, African American Workers and Women – Aware of the benefits diversity can bring to their organization, 29 percent of employers said they will be focused on recruiting diverse workers to expand their employee demographics. One-in-five (20 percent) will be targeting Hispanic workers and African American workers to work for their organizations while the same number will be recruiting more women. Forty-four percent plan to hire bilingual workers in 2012.
What other hiring trends do you anticipate seeing for 2012 in your organization?
“We believe in a concept called ‘shadow of the leader.’ We have huge amounts of transparency and communication with employees, and it starts at the top of the organization. ” – LeighAnne Baker
In the following interview, The Hertz Corporation Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer LeighAnne Baker discusses the Hertz concept of transparent communication and how the organization reinforces its employment brand to attract ‘best in class’ talent.
What is your philosophy as it relates to people and their impact on your daily business? At Hertz we believe that the only long-term, sustainable, competitive advantage that a company can have is its people. This also includes the processes of how you get the work done in organizations. Competitive advantages like technology and supply can all be copied; you can’t copy the people side. At a company like Hertz that has 75,000 transactions a day, that equals 75,000 touch points to customers. That’s where the brand promise is delivered.
How do you engage and relate to your employees, and how do you spread that culture throughout the organization? We believe in a concept called “shadow of the leader.” We have huge amounts of transparency and communication with employees, and it starts at the top of the organization. Site visits are also very much a part of the culture, where we do skip level meetings to understand what the issues are, what’s going well and what’s not going well. They’re actually part of the CEO’s personal objectives with the board, so there is close follow-up to understand exactly what the employees are telling us. We also have a communication tool kit that all managers receive in order to get a consistent message out to all employees. Finally, we use a third party to facilitate an internal survey to better understand our employees. The survey focuses on three platforms (asset management, customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction), and helps us keep a pulse on where employees are on the satisfaction scale.
How would you define the Hertz culture and personally communicate that within your group? Loyalty, integrity and service are what made Hertz a “best in class” company. When you’re at Hertz, you feel that sense of being a family, and we want to make sure that we continue to build on that. We also want to make sure we reward performance properly by encouraging continuous improvement through transparent communication. We constantly look at ways to improve our operations, especially through the eyes of the customer. Finally, personal accountability is important to Hertz, going back to linking pay and performance and holding people accountable for what they say they’re going to do.
What do you do to reinforce your employment brand? How do you drive that through the organization and make sure it’s consistent? Every quarter we have a company wide employee webcast with the CEO. It’s not just about what’s going on from the financial viewpoint for the last quarter; there is also a lot of time spent talking about customers and employees. We’re continuing to show people we are serious about all three of those building blocks: assets, customers and employees.
If you had to pick one, what’s the most fundamental skill or attribute in hiring someone to be a good fit at Hertz? I can’t pick one word, but certainly self-awareness to understand Hertz’s mission and your role in trying to push the company forward. All of us – the 23,000 full-time employees and the 8,000 part-time – own the Hertz brand and the image that we have. We can never lose sight of it, and our employees need to be willing to step up and take accountability for whatever’s going on and whatever is in their part of the business.
What advice would you give to your executive peers – whether it relates to leadership or life in general? If I were going to use two words, they would be “lead boldly.” Especially where the global economy is at this time, leaders have to be bold. From an HR perspective, you have to understand the business talk, have the financial acumen and understand the business strategy. Together, these concepts make you truly understand the people side of the business. I spent a lot of time my first few years on leadership issues, but now I’m focused more on the first-line manager. My goal is that, two years down road, we’ll have this reputation of being a management powerhouse.
ABOUT LEIGHANN BAKER: As Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer for The Hertz Corporation, LeighAnne Baker is responsible for the development and administration of personnel programs affecting Hertz employees worldwide. She also oversees the development and implementation of talent identification and management programs as well as employee development and satisfaction initiatives. Before joining Hertz, Ms. Baker served as Senior Vice President – Global Human Resources, and a Member of the Executive Committee of The Reynolds & Reynolds Company, a leading provider of information technology, software solutions and professional services to the automotive retailing market. Ms. Baker earned a master’s degree in management from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, a master’s in business administration from Ashlan University and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Capital University.
ABOUT HERTZ.: Hertz is the world’s largest general use airport car rental brand, operating from approximately 8,500 locations in 146 countries worldwide. Hertz is the number one airport car rental brand in the U.S. and at 83 major airports in Europe, operating both corporate and licensee locations in cities and airports in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and the Middle East. Hertz also operates Connect by Hertz global car sharing club, Advantage Rent A Car in the U.S., and Hertz Equipment Rental Corporation, one of the world’s largest equipment rental businesses.
Sorting through resumes just got a little more exciting (sorry, we can’t help but get a bit geeked out by this new product enhancement). With just the click of a mouse, you can easily flip from one resume to the next. You’ll view full, complete resumes – the way candidates want you to see them – instead of just generic-looking resume summaries.
Get ResumeFlip free when you subscribe to Resume Database! CareerBuilder’s Resume Database contains millions of resumes from candidates across nearly every industry, skill level, and geography. Narrow or widen your search based on various search agents to find the candidate that’s right for you. And with 15,000 new resumes added every month, the Resume Database candidate pool is always plentiful and fresh.
Building an integrated recruitment strategy is a much different task today than it was three years ago. Human Resources executives have had to quickly adapt to a changing marketplace in which search engines and social media are becoming more effective platforms to source the best talent.
But how can organizations use those platforms most effectively? And more importantly, how do they utilize business intelligence to map out a recruiting strategy that takes account of a rapidly evolving market for hard-to-find skills?
Recruitment strategy experts John Smith and Hope Gurion discuss the how’s and why’s of adapting to the ever-changing recruitment landscape, including practical, easy-to-apply tips and advice.
Presented by: John Smith, Senior Vice President, CareerBuilder, LLC
Hope Gurion, Chief Development Officer, CareerBuilder, LLC
If you’ll recall, we recently took our first foray into the exciting world of Twitter chats. Our goal with these chats is to facilitate open conversations between hiring managers, recruiters and job seekers and enable career experts to share their advice and expereince with those looking to make a good impression.
In our most recent chat, we focused on the application process. From the cover letter to the follow-up, we invited job seekers, recruiters and hiring managers to give their $0.02.
We received more great advice than we can possibly post here. (Thanks! Seriously, we’re so appreciative of all the participants.) For those of you who missed out, we’ve put together a brief recap of the questions we asked and a sample of the helpful input we received.
Q1: Cover letters…Do you always need one? And do you always include one?
Always include one. Even when attaching “resume.” Just puts emphasis on how awesome I am. – @AshShute
Yes, cover letters are necessary. Since most candidates don’t include one, you are differentiating yourself right away. – @TheJobQuest
I hope that they show the hiring manager that I’ve taken the time to explain why I think I would be a good fit @JohnKirsopp
Cover letter? I’d say it’s a definite plus. That objective line in your resume is not going to do all the heavy lifting for you. @BlairAtVolt
Q2: Job seekers often ask “What info should I include in a cover letter? How long should it be?” Is there a right answer?
Include: Your 1st experience w/ the company, why they impress you, & how you’d be a good fit. @tjohnsoniii
I say the [cover letter] should be no longer than 1 page. It’s like writing a good essay. Effective doesn’t and shouldn’t equal lengthy! @srlaugtug
If you’re going to use a cover letter take the time to personalize it for each job you submit it for – use it to tell YOUR story! @thegirlinhr
Yup. It’s a commercial, not a documentary. RT @JohnKirsopp: No longer than 1 page, you don’t want to bore the reader @SuzanneWillett
Q3: Job seekers say, “I’ve applied (and applied and applied) and I never hear back. What gives?”
Waiting is hard. So is being patient. If you reach out 3 times and no response, then it’s time to move on @CornOnTheJob
Apply to jobs where you meet 80% of the qualifications. That should improve response rate. @WaySolutions
Traditional black holes still exist, follow up w phone call after a few days or w/1 week since recruiters get inundated w/resumes @Azn_CyberSleuth
500+ other people applying too – it’s time consuming for the [hiring manager] to respond to everyone. Either that or your resume isn’t good @GreatResume
Q4: When job seekers don’t hear back — esp. after an interview — should they follow-up? How and when do you do it?
I ask, do you want to work for comp that takes forever to get back to you? Do they value U as employee if they don’t answer? – @AshShute
I send handwritten [thank-you] note. F/u email if I haven’t heard a week later. Nothing from those two? I move on. @SuzanneWillett
Follow up HOW they contacted you the very first time. If they emailed you, then email. If they called, then call. @CornOnTheJob
AGREED! Handwritten notes make a huge impression unless they doubt your technology skills, then email. @WaySolutions
Q5: How should you approach an out-of-state job search? Should you prove your willingness/plan to relocate?
If you have a connection to the area, make sure it stands out. If went to college nearby, move “Education” to Pg 1 of resume @CatRey
“I’m interested in relocating to this area” says I want you to move me “I’m relocating to this area” says you are here & available @tombolt
Use a friend’s local address as recruiters search via zip code. Explain l8r RT @AshShute: Don’t include address. Just cell phone. @WaySolutions
Don’t go way overboard proving willingness to relocate. Can come off as desperate. @TheJobQuest
All that wisdom in one hour and 140-character messages. Impressive. Thanks again to all who participated and to those who were just watching and soaking in the information.
We’ll be holding these chats on the first Monday night of every month at 7 p.m. Central. We’ll post reminders and details for upcoming chats on our Facebook and Twitter accounts, so make sure you’re following us! Also, drop us a line on Twitter using the #cbjobchat hashtag (or in the comments below) to let us know what topics you want us to address in upcoming chats or to add your voice to the conversation.
In the following excerpt from CareerBuilder’s recent interview with Joseph Phelan, chief executive officer of Sunbelt Rentals, Inc., he discusses the importance of empowering employees and turning every manager into a talent manager.
What is your philosophy as it relates to people and their impact on your daily business?
Our people at Sunbelt Rentals are core to our business. The more than 2,200 different types of construction, industrial and do it yourself equipment along with 350 locations across the country by themselves will not make us unique. Our customers are looking for not just a national network with a wide breadth of equipment; they need these products to be supported by helpful, caring and knowledgeable employees who are motivated to provide good service with each and every transaction. The hardest thing to duplicate in this equation is having talented people who really care about our customers and are trained sufficiently to provide the best service in the industry – this is the real differentiator for us at Sunbelt Rentals.
How do you engage with and relate to your employees?
As a management team we engage with our employees by ensuring we create lots of opportunities for open and honest communications. Our people strategy is centered around hiring highly motivated/energetic people, providing the training needed to excel, setting performance expectations, measuring performance and providing ongoing performance feedback and recognition. With more than 350 stores across the U.S. it is critical that we rely on multiple channels for communication. To do this our employees are measured at the store level, provided monthly performance/dashboard information. We start each day talking about safety by engaging in flex and stretch with our field employees. This sends an important message to them about how we feel and how important it is to us that they return home in the same good condition them came to us in. In addition to the daily flex and stretch, we hold monthly performance meetings at each store, quarterly town hall meetings, and bi-annual senior leadership meetings. Our senior team spends the majority of their time in the field with customers and employees – this is the best way for us to stay close to our business and to quickly react to the needs of our customers.
How do you define Sunbelt Rental’s culture? As a leader what role do you play and what is your impact on the culture?
Our culture is entrepreneurial and our employees are empowered to do what makes the most sense for our customers and the business. It is my belief that if provided good communications regarding our vision and strategy and we provide the necessary tools and support, our employees will make the right decisions. We are very agile for a large company and make it easy for our employees to access management at every level.
Some people believe HR to be the only department with a responsibility for the organization’s people. Can you tell me how you make your overall talent strategy a priority and the role you play in driving it?
Let’s start with driving talent strategy. At Sunbelt Rentals, we believe that every manager should be a talent manager. We are constantly working to make this belief a reality by building programs that focus on the right metrics across all levels of the organization. We also hold our managers accountable through regular performance evaluations and dashboards that update key performance indicators every month. Using the right metrics to put our customer’s front and center provides a consistent rallying cry throughout the organization. It is hard to argue with doing the right thing – we call it “making it happen for our customers”.
How have you leveraged your brand to grow your business?
Our employment brand and our “brand” are one and the same. We are focused on making it happen for our customers. What is critical for us is to make sure we continue to hire professionals with the right attitude, drive and enthusiasm. Then we must educate them on our culture, mission, vision, values and brand. These steps followed by setting expectations, providing regular performance feedback and rewarding employees for good performance have helped us rally our employees. Most or our employees are interested in growth and you can hear of many success stories throughout the organization of employees rising up in the organization to new challenges and opportunities. If these steps are followed, we’ll continue to have dedicated employees.
Can you give me one or two examples of how one person had a major impact at Sunbelt Rentals?
One of the great things about Sunbelt Rentals is that our employees truly work together to make it happen for our customers. This collaborative effort is what sets us apart from our competitors and creates the team atmosphere needed to deliver the high service levels we set. Every day we have examples of employees in a host of positions who go above and beyond the call of duty. This includes mechanics, counter personnel, branch managers, Vice Presidents and support office employees. Every level of the Company is represented. To give you examples of how our team members pull together, we have had people working around the clock to help our customers and the communities in which they live in times of natural disasters. The floods in Nashville and St. Louis represent perfect examples. During Hurricane Katrina, our branch manager made sure the location was open in order to serve those in need. We had teams of volunteers who traveled to New Orleans from our support office and other branch locations to make sure we could provide as much support as possible. But, we also have employees who will gladly run out to a customer’s home to fix a down piece of equipment or provide needed advice on a Saturday afternoon.
Some people believe HR to be the only department with a responsibility for the organization’s people. Can you tell me how you make your overall talent strategy a priority and the role you play in driving it?
To be a good leader you also have to know when to get out of the way and follow. One person can’t take the headwind constantly and providing opportunities for others to demonstrate leadership skills is not only a learning experience for them but will be for you as well. Leaders must also be good communicators and listening is one of the most important attributes of communication. Listening skills start with creating the opportunities to receive input from customers and employees. Creating these opportunities will strengthen an organization as well as allow it to run faster than you could ever imagine.
ABOUT JOSEPH PHELAN: Joe Phelan brings more than 25 years of experience, visionary style and inspired leadership to Sunbelt Rentals. With a solid understanding of the industry and an impressive management background, he was named to this position in April 2009. Mr. Phelan joined Ashtead from Deutsche Post DHL, where he served as Chief Executive Officer of DHL Global Mail based in Weston, Florida. Before joining DHL in 2004, he held a number of senior executive positions with American Airlines. He has been an Executive Director of Ashtead Group plc since April 23, 2009. Joe is a native of southern California. He holds an MBA from the University of Dallas, and a BA, Business Administration from California State University.
ABOUT SUNBEST RENTALS, INC.: Sunbelt Rentals prides themselves on their people. They realize that their national network of construction and industrial equipment rental stores, with more than $2B in equipment and small tools for do it yourselfers to large national contractors, can be duplicated by others. What is most difficult to duplicate is the talent of the 5,000 employees pulling together to make it happen for their customers. Their employment brand and the external brand they go to market with is built on dedicated and committed employees who feel empowered to do what makes the most sense for our customers. By creating the environment for their employees to excel with this vision, they create opportunities for career growth, successes for our customers and growth for our shareholders.
We all know that social media is becoming more and more viral – so why not utilize the tools for building brand awareness and recruiting your target talent? Don’t miss the chance to makeover your social media presence starting with your Facebook page today: http://bit.ly/CBcontest
For more information about CareerBuilder’s social recruiting solutions, visit our product page or call 1-877-345-5256.
Personified, a division of CareerBuilder, recently surveyed more than 2,500 active and passive job seekers nationwide across industries.
Here’s what we found:
Comments made on social media sites can impact how that company is viewed as a potential employer
Interacting with organizations on social media gives individuals a closer look at an organization as a potential employer
Information individuals would like to see on social media that they cannot find through other venues: Inside information about the company (e.g., how employees like working there, questions and answers, culture)
Commonalities between companies that make the list
Burchell started his presentation asking, “What is the difference between a good place and a great place to work?” following that up with, “It’s not about what you do, but how you do it.” Through his company’s 20-plus years of research on this topic, Burchell found the one thing all these companies have in common: TRUST. These companies are all places where employees “trust the people they work for, have pride in what they do, and enjoy the people they work with.”
The Three Components of Trust:
The relationship between employees and management.
The relationship between employees and their jobs/company (pride).
The relationship between employees and other employees (camaraderie).
Building this kind of trust enables companies to reap positive business benefits and increased productivity through increased caliber of employees, increased quality of products and increased levels of risk taking and innovation. It’s an investment, but a worthwhile one.
Having this kind of trust also decreases costs by lowering turnover (best companies typically have a voluntary turnover of 9% or less) and lowering resistance to change. Surprisingly, it also lowers health care costs: Employees who feel trusted – and trust their companies in return – tend to have healthier lives outside of work because they leave work at work, leaving them with more to give to their personal life (family and community). This also means that when they are at work, they show up because they want to and are ready to contribute because they have the perception the company offers a special and unique culture where “we are not like others.”
Building Trust Trust between employee and company (and vice versa) begins during the pre-hire stage; although the treatment employees get on their first day of work really sets the stage for future trust. Employees who feel welcomed and appreciated generally foster a genuine level of trust much faster than those employees who are just shown to a desk to begin working right away. Makes sense, right? You’d be surprised how many companies overlook these little details. Burchell continued by saying that employees who have the opportunity to interact with senior leadership very close to their hire date are better informed and feel true value and connection immediately.
Best Companies to Work For also…
Motivate
Empower
Listen
Thank
Develop
Care
Celebrate
Share
Common Benefits that Best Companies to Work For Offer:
Job sharing
Telecommuting
Compressed work weeks
Flexible scheduling
Phased retirement
Paid sabbaticals
Child services
Dry cleaning
On-site mailing
Free beverages or snacks
Personal travel experience
And while this list of perks is impressive in and of itself, what truly makes the difference is how the company communicates these employee benefits, supports them and enables employees to take advantage of them. One example given was Goggle’s TGI Fridays – and yes, it does revolve around food, but not exactly in the way you might think. Each and every Friday employees are invited into cafeterias for an agenda-less meeting where employees get to talk with Google’s CEO and senior leadership team about anything. And as you’d expect, not all questions hold the same weight but all questions are valid and go back to the idea of trust. This practice also shows employees that they are valued as a part of the business, not merely people who work for the company. This is also a time for the leadership to reinforce the company values and make everyone feel connected. Google’s success is unquestioned, but did you know they have also created a pool of quality applicants that is so extensive, they may never have to actively recruit ever again?
The Hidden Benefit to Being a Best Place to Work Earlier, I mentioned the benefits a company gains by striving to be a best place to work – such as higher productivity and profitability - but there’s also this other (kind of huge) perk: Once word gets out that your company is a great place to work, you’ll really start to see more qualified applicants applying to your open positions. I’m talking about people who understand your company’s unique culture and want to be a part of it because they feel a connection to your values.
While much of this information may not seem new, it is wonderful to see so many companies really trying to step up their game to become a best place to work. Remember, employees are your greatest asset, and they leave every night. What are you doing to ensure they return? If you build around this model, everyone benefits. Hiring gets easier. Top talent is retained. Production increases. Profits grow. Build a best place to work and you build a foundation for ongoing success.
Explore our previous Building the Best Place to Work article series to gain insights on our five basic building blocks and other tips for creating the best working place. As always, we welcome your feedback in the comments section of this post. Tell us more about your own recruitment and employee engagement experiences as you try to build a company that your employees call a best place to work.
In the following excerpt from CareerBuilder’s recent interview with Martha O’Gorman, chief marketing officer of Liberty Tax Service, she discusses the importance of hiring the right people for the right jobs, the value of company culture and engaging brand advocates.
Liberty Tax Service has been the recipient of several awards in the past couple years – which of these are you most proud of and why?
We’re proud of all of them, but I think the one that we’re most proud of is one that we just received locally from Inside Businessmagazine, calling Liberty Tax Service “one of the best places to work in Hampton Roads” (which is the Tidewater Region of Virginia). To be named the best place to work in an entire metropolitan region was really special to us because we really embrace our culture, and we are proud to be recognized as a great place to work. Our rankings in Entrepreneur Magazine also stand out because that’s an industry-wide franchise publication that many people refer to when they’re looking to purchase a franchise opportunity. To be recognized by them as one of the fastest growing franchise opportunities – and one of the best out of 500 opportunities – is good for the franchise system in general.
The Liberty Tax Service franchise opportunity is #9 on the fastest growing franchises list of the 2010 Entrepreneur “Franchise 500.” To what do you attribute your growth?
I think the number one thing is the experience of the management team. Our CEO, John Hewitt, founded Jackson Hewitt Tax Service in 1982 and grew that to a very large franchise system, a system that today still bears his name. I, myself, am one of the founders of Liberty Tax Service, and I have over 20 years of experience in the income tax industry. When we decided to start another income tax company, we made a bunch of rules: to learn by our mistakes, to help foster the culture, and to promote people to jobs that they were good at. I think that the reason that we’ve been so successful is because we have been able to hire the right people, make them happy and then bring on great franchisees.
How would you describe your philosophy as it relates to people and their impact on your daily business?
I believe that people should be left to do their jobs. 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. One of the principles of our company is, “Mistakes are a wise person’s education.” We believe that nobody’s perfect, and you’re going to make mistakes, and your mistake is like an education. We [as managers] 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.
How do you engage and relate to your people? What experiences or lessons influence your leadership style?
Many folks who work with me have been with me for a long time, from the beginning of starting Liberty Tax Service. We are, as a group and as a department, very tight. There’s a lot of laughing that goes on, but when the work needs to get done, we push to be the best and to really get results because everybody is proud to be a part of the marketing department. If I attribute anything to my management style, it’s the fact that I let people do their jobs. I truly believe that you can have fun every single minute you’re at work if you enjoy what you’re doing.
How do people affect your business, particularly as it relates to your revenue stream?
We manage our employees though the position-results description method: Our employees set a goal for what their job is, and then there are key result areas that they agree with their manager are “the things that I am going to achieve this year.” We make sure that each key result area is measurable, but we also make sure that they are attainable. We work together throughout the year to make sure that everybody is on track. It’s a really good way to kind of put your goals down on paper and then track if you are achieving them.
Some people believe HR to be the only department with a responsibility for the organization’s people, yet you’ve made your overall talent strategy a priority in your role. Tell me about that.
I think our company operates quite a bit differently from some other large companies to attract good people. We have a referral program that motivates our employees and our franchisees to seek out good people. Our HR department is not a traditional HR department. They help us with issues, but when it comes to the actual hiring process, it is really left up to the managers to find and interview those people and make the hiring decision. We look for the right people, we bring them on, we test them in different positions, and we find the right job for them. It really boils down to this: you’ve got to hire for attitude and then train for skill. If somebody doesn’t have the right attitude, it doesn’t matter what job you put them in, they are not going to perform. We like to hire people who are happy, positive, and willing to stretch and to learn.
I understand that Liberty Tax Service doesn’t advertise nationally, and you’ve relied heavily on guerilla marketing with wavers and franchisees generating most of the buzz about your brand in the market. How have you used social media to extend your non-traditional marketing to reach a wider audience, centralize marketing efforts, and preserve your brand?
We’re new to social media. We knew that we needed to be involved in that, but we weren’t really sure how to do it. The first thing we did was hire an online brand manager who has experience in that environment. We’ve relied pretty heavily on the folks at CareerBuilder to help guide us through that and give us ideas on how we can better position ourselves on the web with social media.
We don’t believe in traditional national advertising. Television has lost a lot of its effectiveness. We continue have a very high percentage increase in business every year, and I attribute it to the fact that we’re doing non-traditional things, whereas our competitors are still acting very traditionally when it comes to media and to advertising.
We’ve developed a persona: We’ve developed a Facebook page that is dedicated to “Libby” and her adventures going across the United States and what she is going to encounter during tax season. We also have a traditional Facebook page where people can ask questions and we can post tax tips. Building the friend base has been very easy. People are interested, especially during tax time. Everybody has to file taxes, so you have a ready-made base of people who are seeking information, and we’ve found a fun way to do it through the interaction on the social media sites. And it has been very successful for us so far.
Tax preparation is a very personal service, and communicating on a one-on-one basis is far more meaningful to our customers than mass media advertising.
What lessons have you learning along the way in regards to social media?
One lesson we’ve learned is that you need to have a solid background in what your strategy is and how you’re going to implement it. I think you can hurt yourself very easily by going out onto Facebook or Twitter and not understanding what the rules of engagement are. You can kill your image as quickly as you can build your image if you don’t respect those parameters.
When we started, we were dabbling in it and didn’t really have a firm grasp of what we should be doing. I think we made some wise decisions by getting help from people who understood the space and could make some recommendations on how we should move forward. I feel really comfortable with where we are now with our social media presence, because we are moving through the environment in a way that is not only proper, but also fun and inviting for the people who are participating on our sites.
How have you leveraged your employment brand to grow your business? Why is this important to you?
It may sound cliché, but we have a group of advocates out in the marketplace, in virtually every DMA in the country who really love Liberty Tax Service, and who love working for Liberty Tax Service. So we’ve got this band of advocates who are out there singing our praises. Just last weekend I was at an office and there was a waver out on the street, and we had three separate people walk in and say, “How do I get that cool job? I’d like to have that job.” It’s rewarding and gratifying, but it also lets you know that people are noticing us and they understand what it means to be part of Liberty Tax Service. We’re just doing an outstanding job of recruiting the right people, showing them the right way to do business, and they in turn tell everybody they know.
Can you give me one or two examples of how one person had a major impact at Liberty Tax?
I would have to start with our CEO, John Hewitt. John is the consummate workaholic. He is constantly striving for betterment: both betterment of the company and giving the people who work within the company the opportunity to continue to grow and to achieve. His leadership, wisdom and vision are paramount to the success of our company. We like to call him the granddaddy of the industry. His wealth of experience and knowledge is unsurpassed in the income tax industry and in business circles in general.
Then I would have to use the franchisees, collectively, as our second group of people who propelled Liberty Tax Service to where we are today. We’ve got, I think, an unusual group of franchisees. Our franchisees are very entrepreneurial and are constantly bringing us all kinds of great ideas. And they bring them to the table with passion and understanding of what it’s like to be out in the field and on the front lines with the customers. They’re all just very, very motivated and really love what they are doing: They’re the kind of people that you want to hang out with.
What other advice would you share through this piece?
My advice to anyone who is looking to start a business or to re-engineer their business is to look outside of what you know. Just because this is the way that we’ve always done it doesn’t mean that’s the way that it always needs to be done. And that applies to virtually any business – whether it’s manufacturing, retail, science, or anything – because if you don’t look for a different way of doing things, you’re going to get the same results you’ve always gotten.
John likes to say, “If you do what you always did, then you’re going to get what you always got.” Another one of our principles is to break boundaries. You have to take those risks. You have to be able to steel yourself and say, “Okay, I’ve never done this before, but now I’m going to figure out how to do it and here’s the goal that we’re going after.”
Liberty Tax Service is the fastest growing retail tax preparation company in the industry’s history. Founded in 1997 by CEO John T. Hewitt, Liberty Tax Service has prepared over 7,000,000 individual income tax returns. Liberty Tax Service provides computerized income tax preparation, electronic filing and online filing through eSmart Tax. Each office offers customers audit assistance, a money back guarantee and free tax return checking. The Liberty Tax Service franchise opportunity is #9 on the fastest growing franchises list of the 2010 Entrepreneur “Franchise 500.” For more information on Liberty Tax visitwww.libertytax.com
We at CareerBuilder have created this e-book for you, the employer.
For the small bait and tackle shop owner, as well as the restaurant franchise owner.
For the small tech firm, as well as the Fortune 500 corporation.
Because while your recruitment needs may be vastly different from every other business, you still do have recruitment needs. And whether you are concerned with getting less application drop-off, building a stronger employment brand, delving into the world of social media, providing more training opportunities for your employees, or a myriad of other challenges, CareerBuilder’s team of experts can help you isolate and tackle the specific areas of concern in your recruitment process and move forward to meet your next challenge with confidence and ease.
“There have been many signs over the past few months that point to the healing of the U.S. economy, especially the continued decrease in the number of jobs lost per month, a trend that will hopefully carry over into the new year,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder. “Although 20 percent of employers plan to add headcount in 2010, up from 14 percent last year, they still remain cautious in regards to their hiring. We’re headed in the right direction but should not expect to see actual job growth until at least Q2 2010.”
The encouraging news regarding the economy may be easing hiring fears, as employers signal an increase in their plans to hire in the new year, according to CareerBuilder’s 2010 Job Forecast. While employers continue to closely monitor the progress of recovery for the U.S. economy, they are beginning to consider hiring strategies designed to preserve the health and growth of their businesses for the future. CareerBuilder surveyed more than 2,700 hiring managers and human resource professionals nationwide across industries.
HIRING IN 2010
Full time – Twenty percent of employers say they plan to increase their number of full-time, permanent employees in 2010, up from 14 percent in 2009. Nine percent say they plan to decrease headcount in 2010, down sharply from 16 percent in 2009. Sixty-one percent don’t plan to change staff levels, while 10 percent say they are unsure.
Part time – Eleven percent of employers plan say they plan to add part-time employees in 2010, up slightly from 9 percent in 2009. Eight percent say they plan to decrease their part-time help in 2010, down from 14 percent in 2009. Sixty-nine percent plan no change in headcount, while 13 percent are unsure.
Hiring By Region – Employers in the West are planning to increase their headcounts more in 2010 than the other regions of the country. Nearly one-quarter of employers (24%) in the West say they plan to add full-time workers in 2010, compared to 21 percent in the Northeast, 20 percent in the South and 16 percent in the Midwest.
While plans to decrease headcounts in 2010 are down sharply across all regions, employers in the Northeast still plan to trim headcounts by 10 percent, followed by an 8 percent decrease in the South, Midwest and West.
Hiring By Industry – Comparing selected industries, hiring is expected to increase in information technology, manufacturing, financial services, professional and business services, and sales in the coming year. Thirty-two percent of IT, 27 percent of manufacturing, and 23 percent of financial services employers plan to add full-time, permanent employees in 2010, followed by 22 percent of employers in professional and business services and 21 percent in sales. Health care employers are also planning to expand staffs at 21 percent followed by 18 percent of transportation employers and 15 percent of Retail.
Hiring By Job Type – When asked which areas employers plan to hire for in 2010, one-third pointed to technology followed by 28 percent in customer service. Nearly one-quarter (23 percent) plan to add sales people, 18 percent will add research/development, 17 percent in business development, 15 percent in accounting/finance and 14 percent in marketing.
Compensation - Even as companies continue to watch their spending, they still plan slight increases to salaries in the coming year. Fifty-seven percent of employers report their companies will increase salaries for existing employees in 2010, down from 65 percent in 2009. Thirty-six percent expect to raise salaries of existing employees by 3 percent or more, while 11 percent anticipate increases of 5 percent or more.
Twenty-nine percent of employers plan to increase salaries on initial offers to new employees, down from 33 percent in 2009. Nearly one-in-five (18 percent) employers will raise salaries on initial offers by 3 percent or more while 7 percent anticipate increases of 5 percent or more.
HOW EMPLOYERS PLAN TO MOVE FORWARD IN THE NEW YEAR
Companies are looking to the future and making up for lost ground caused by the recession. The following are 10 trends for 2010:
1. Replacing Lower-Performing Employees
Employers are taking advantage of the large number of top talent in the current labor pool to strengthen their work force. Thirty-seven percent of employers say they plan to replace lower-performing employees with higher-performers in 2010. When asked to grade their current work force, 25 percent rated them an “A”, 60 percent a “B”, 15 percent a “C”, and 1 percent a “D.” Less than one-half of a percent felt their current staff was a failure.
2. Emphasis on Social Media to Strengthen Brand
The economy required companies to make some tough decisions about their businesses, which had a negative impact on their brands. Close to four-in-ten employers (37%) plan to put a greater emphasis on
social media in 2010 to create a more positive brand for their organization. One-in-five employers plan to add social media responsibilities to a current employee, while close to one-in-twelve (8 percent) plan to hire someone new to focus or partially focus on social media.
3. Rehiring Laid-off Workers
Companies needed to scale their businesses to market last year and four-in-ten employers say they were forced to lay off workers. Among those who had lay-offs in 2009, thirty-two percent of employers now say they plan to bring back workers with three-in-ten either doing it now or planning to do so in the first six months of 2010.
4. Flexible Work Arrangements
Companies plan to continue providing employees with greater flexibility in hopes of maintaining a better work-life balance. Thirty-five percent of employers say they plan to provide more flexible work arrangements in 2010, compared to 31 percent last year. These arrangements include:
Alternate schedules – come in early and leave early or come in later and leave later – 73 percent
Telecommuting options – 41 percent
Compressed workweeks – work the same hours, but in fewer days – 32 percent
Summer hours – 18 percent
Job sharing – 13 percent
Sabbaticals – 6 percent
5. Cutting Perks and Benefits
Even as companies look to the new year and toward growth opportunities for their businesses, many are still choosing to trim perks and benefits. Thirty-seven percent of employers say they will cut perks and benefits in 2010, up from 32 percent who said they trimmed in 2009. Perks and benefits employers plan to trim in the new year include bonuses, medical coverage, suspended 401k matching and office perks such as coffee, tea and condiments.
6. Rehiring Retirees and Postponing Retirement
Companies understand the intellectual capital mature workers bring to their organization and 27 percent say they are open to retaining their workers who are approaching retirement. Sixteen percent say they are likely to rehire retirees from other companies in 2010. Additionally, one-in-ten are likely to provide incentives for workers at or approaching retirement age to stay on with the company longer.
At the same time, workers have expressed interest in postponing retirement. Thirty percent of employers report they have received requests from workers approaching retirement age to stay on with their company, up from 22 percent last year.
7. Freelance or Contract Hiring
While employers still plan to be cautious regarding the number of full-time employees they add in the new year, many will turn to freelance or contract employees to help keep their businesses moving forward. Three-in-ten employers anticipate hiring freelancers or contractors in 2010, up slightly from 28
percent in 2009. Six percent expect to employ more freelance workers or contractors than last year, while 15 percent expect to hire the same amount and 10 percent plan to hire fewer.
8. Green Jobs
Employers will continue to turn some of their focus to the environment in the new year. Eleven percent of employers say they plan to add “green jobs” in 2010, the same amount who said they added them in 2009. “Green jobs” are positions that implement environmentally conscious design, policy and technology to improve conservation and sustainability.
9. Bilingual Recruitment
Employers have identified having a diverse work force as an important measure of success as they begin to rebuild their businesses after the economic downturn. One area they plan to focus on is building a bilingual team. Nearly four-in-ten employers (39%) said they plan to hire bilingual candidates in 2010 and half said that if they had two equally qualified candidates, they would be more inclined to hire the bilingual candidate.
10. Business Travel
While employers are inching away from cost containment and more into growth, one area they still plan to save money on is business travel. Forty-three percent of employers say that in their organizations there will be less business travel in 2010 than in 2009.
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Building an integrated recruitment strategy is a much different task today than it was three years ago. Human Resources executives have had to quickly adapt to a changing marketplace in which search engines and social media are becoming more effective platforms to source the best talent.
If you’ll recall, we recently took our first foray into the 
