Its the Same Old Message, Or Is It

It’s the Same Old Message, Or Is It ‘Tis the season. Well, almost. As the leaves fall and next years  calendars arrive in the mail, it’s also the season for survey reports, predictions and general crystal ball gazing about the world of work. Reading some of these recruitment surveys, I started to become curious about whether there really are important underlying themes that we should be concerned about. Often, survey results appear to be very similar to what we have read before, with minor changes up or down. As I distilled the stats and graphs, I began to identify a number of interesting themes emerging from the reports. In this article I’ll focus on recruitment themes, but there is also a backdrop to this that warrants serious consideration too. Gen Z enters the workforce in May 2016 and the millennial generation is replacing baby-boomers, of whom 3.6 million are retiring in 2016. Millennials are becoming managers and leaders so succession planning, knowledge transfer and development are now critical items. Other trends to check out are freelancing (40% of US workers will be contractors by 2020), flexible work and co-working. In the US, the ACA has forced focus on providing health insurance and health and other benefits are often ranked higher than pay by even the younger generations. For recruiters and human resources professionals there are three main challenges that are important to consider when making plans for next year. 1) Relationships Here’s something we all know … as recruiters, we have relationships with people everywhere. A  LinkedIn survey shows recruiters’ top 4 priorities are employee referral, retention and employer branding. The other is quality of hires and we’ll come back to that later. Let’s take a look both inside and outside our organizations. Employees internal recruitment. We know that the job market is becoming increasingly competitive.  Many companies expect average tenure of only 1 to 3 years. Retention is regarded as a priority by 36% of respondents according to LinkedIn researchers, but internal recruiting has a lower priority of 27%. New hires are often disappointed not to have a chance at other positions that are filled from outside at great expense, and this leads to attrition and an increase in recruitment costs. Friends of employees   referral. According to Jobvite, 78% of recruiters find the best quality candidates through referral schemes. This begs the question of whether your referral program is up-to-date, administered well, and you are using social media to promote it. Job referral is so successful that we have to maintain active communication with our employees and develop the employer brand with them too because they are part of your extended recruitment team! Alumni boomerang hires. Around 40% of companies have a policy of not re-hiring ex-employees. However, in today’s world of higher attrition, alumni who left the company with a good performance record could be sought after for their now enhanced skills, experience and knowledge of the company’s culture. Interns.  A Jobvite survey demonstrates that intern programs can be a very effective way to attract talent. Recruiters report 55% of quality candidates are found through intern programs. Looking ahead, a number of companies now have intern programs for high school students too. Candidates. Let’s not forget that candidates’ recruitment experience leads to them being a supporter or the opposite, if their experience is negative. These relationships can build or damage employer brand so easily. Job seekers passive and active. Recruiters build relationships through the use of social media and mobile apps but barely keep up with demand generated by job seekers who use mobile apps 80% of the time, compared to 20% by recruiters. Adecco’s global survey notes regional difference around the world, Europe being a standout. In North America, LinkedIn reports that 45% of workers use the Internet and social media to network and research companies while 30% of them actively look for another job. Generally, job seekers and recruiters use the same channels (job boards, corporate websites, social media and mobile) but job seekers use them more! Talking of employer branding, this requires constant attention and a joint approach with your marketing colleagues. With the use of social media being so prevalent people hear and form opinions about your company quickly. As a result of this, job boards and career sites are expected to become less of an influence over time as social media becomes the norm. 2) Priorities and metrics The surveys clearly show that recruiters strive for “high quality” candidates to become employees. What we seem to be unclear about is how to define them and how to measure success. LinkedIn’s report shows that companies are focused on turnover, and retention statistics or new hire performance ratings, while others survey hiring managers to assess their level of satisfaction with candidates. For all these attempts, client feedback suggests that there is a general lack of consistency, understanding and confidence in measuring hiring quality. Jobvite points out the importance of ratios like “applicants to hires” (average of 50 generally) and “time-to-fill” (TTF) which averages 31-60 days. Again, we’ve heard this before so what’s the challenge? The challenge is to form a clear linkage between recruitment activity and the CEO’s goals. A recent study by the Philadelphia Society of People Strategy (PSPS) links CEOs’ #1 challenge of “Human Capital” to ten key areas of which #3 is Recruiting Talent and #4 Employment Branding. Further, to gain a reputation for adding value, HR has to shift to a strategic capability to predict and act. This calls for more clarity and understanding around recruitment to build CEO confidence for the future. 3) Select the best We have researched, we have recruited, and we have interviewed. We are now ready for hiring manager and HR interviews. We know that in some markets like Telecom, Healthcare and Hospitality we have to act fast. These are hot markets and job seekers won’t wait long. Waiting for decisions to be made by hiring managers is cited as a roadblock by many recruiters in all markets so we have to work with them to reduce this timeline. By this stage, Adecco tells us, the top 3 reasons for rejecting candidates are contradictions with the resume (54%), personality traits (49%) and improper images (using social media like Facebook) (46%). What are the characteristics of winning candidates? More frequently now recruiters are using new methods to assess candidates like personality tests, work assignments and video interviewing. What we look for most frequently, we are told, is enthusiasm and job knowledge but then also good old-fashioned punctuality and appearance. We test for evidence of networki ng, check tenure, written work and volunteer experience. What are some of the best practices recruiting organizations are using? Clearly employee referral, employer brand and social media are three key areas. Working with Marketing in these areas is a strong recommendation to ensure consistency and gain more leadership buy-in. Another tip is to work with HR to identify “rock stars”, find their winning qualities and replicate this in future searches. Finally constantly attract passive candidates and pull them into your environment through social media, LinkedIn and your company career site. Author: David Wragg is the VP Client Services for KGTiger, specialists in recruiting efficiency solutions for in-house recruitment organizations.

Things You Should Consider When Evaluating an Offer - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Things You Should Consider When Evaluating an Offer - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career You passed all of the steps for this news. You have put together a great resume and a cover letter, got noticed among other candidates and answered all of the interview questions. Finally the phone rang and the recruiter said ‘Congratulations! We decided to extend you an offer.’ Now, you cannot wait to sign the contract and start your new job but wait! Is this really the right job for you? Did you fully understand the details of the contract? Finding a job is already a very stressful process but evaluating an offer and making a decision is even more stressful. You should not be the person who accepts the first offer right away and when gets a new offer next week, tries to call off the first one. This is not an ethical behavior. Therefore, you should carefully evaluate every offer and try to negotiate the terms and conditions before making your decision. 1.  Do you want to negotiate for more? Maybe the salary is below your expectations. However, do you know if that salary is negotiable or not? Maybe the salary is not open to negotiation but other benefits such as vacation days, health care, payment for parking space, relocation assistance, your start date and etc. are open to negotiation.  Understanding what is negotiable in your offer can affect your decision. 2.  How is your commute? You decide to accept the offer because its location is close to your house. Then, it turns out that you need to sit at the client site because the client wants so. Moreover, the client office is an hour away from your house. Are you ready for this type of situation? Do you know where you will drive every day for work? Is there a chance to work remotely? Is there a flexible work-time policy? You should find them out before making your decision. 3.  Is there any room for advancement in the company? Make sure the company has a roadmap for career advancement and it is not a dead-end job. Do you know the company policy for promotions? Is anything written on your contract about advancement? Is there a performance review process and if there is, how are those? Every job seems exciting at first because everything around you is new and you are learning new things every day. However, after a few months, once you get used to your daily routine, you may need other opportunities to advance your skills such as getting extra training or attending conferences.

Create a Winning Pinterest Brand Marketing Strategy - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Create a Winning Pinterest Brand Marketing Strategy - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Visual marketing is one of the best ways to attract subscribers your personal brand. If you want to take your business marketing strategy to the next level then Pinterest is a great way to gain more visibility. Would you like to attract a loyal audience? Your brand can build a great community by pinning appealing and attractive content that lasts for years to come. In order to be successful you should be active throughout the week with a clear brand message. There are many ways to use Pinterest to its fullest potential, which begins with knowing what your target market is looking for. How to Create a Winning Pinterest Strategy Pinning to this powerful social network on specific boards for your niche will greatly improve your repins and clicks to your website. Here are some tips on how to get started: Focus on the best visual content for your audience Use the platforms search tools to find out which categories are best for your niche focus on what matters to your audience the most. The more specific your pins are the more likely they will be seen and re-pinned. Include the Pin It button on your blog In order to help make your articles easy to find and share for the most exposure you should add a ‘Pin It‘ button to your website. Your brand will begin to see more activity and traffic as your readers start to pin right from your blog post. Create no less than 5 targeted boards A good rule of practice is to have in place at least five specific boards with several pins in place. You should include your mission statement, powerful quotes, videos, and anything else that showcases the human side of your business. Set up Rich Pins to help your content stand out Enlist the help of a website developer or if you are tech savvy you can set up the Rich Pins feature, which contains additional information such as real-time pricing, article pins for reading lists, map locations for travel, ect. As Pinterest improves its platform and grows in numbers it is important for your brand to make this network an integral part of your marketing plan. One of the unique aspects of this network is the shelf-life of pins, which can continue to produce results including attracting more website traffic for a long period of time.

How Do Candidates Want to Be Recruited

How Do Candidates Want to Be Recruited Are you trying to attract candidates by offering fancy job titles and goodie bags? Then you might need to rethink your strategy. An  infographic from LinkedIns Talent Trends 2015 sheds some light on how candidates want to be recruited in 2015. From the second they start researching a new job to penning their signature to a new job contract; do you know how talent wants to be recruited in 2015? If you want talent, make the first move Job responsibilities are the #1 thing candidates are interested in when receiving InMail from recruiters Almost 80% of professionals appreciate hearing from recruiters, even if theyre not job searching Be  sure to include the most important information about the role and the company when reaching out to prospective hires. After understanding the job responsibilities, candidates are most interested in knowing the  salary range.  Its a good idea to include some points about why this particular person would be a good fit for the job. Dont be afraid of being specific; some companies try and use LinkedIn to recruit people into pyramid schemes. These messages are annoying, and its easy to tell when an offer appears dodgy. By not including anything that links the person youre contacting to the job, the message might appear insincere and even dodgy. The pivotal role of the interview Almost 9 in 10 says that a good interview experience can make them change their minds about a job or company they had doubts about Only 20% of professionals thinks that cards and goodie bags are important to a great interview experience The interviewer has the power to convince candidates who are undecided about whether or not they want to join a company. So needless to say, the role of the recruiter cannot be understated. LinkedIns statistics also shows us that exclusive packages such as goodie bags arent as effective as you might think. Keep scrolling for more information about how talent wants to be recruited in 2015. RELATED:  What Do Candidates and Recruiters Both Want and Need?

6 things to expect during Freshers Week - Debut university

6 things to expect during Freshers Week - Debut university This post was written by an external contributor.  Sam Ramsden lists the six things that youll be seeing in Freshers Week.   Starting a journey at university can be one of the most exciting periods of a young person’s life.  Throughout your first week as a student you can expect to meet a tonne of new people, get a first glimpse into the content of your chosen course, and explore the campus you’ll be calling home for the next few years. However, there is more to Freshers Week than meets the eye. So here’s what you can expect Drinking Let’s start with the most obvious Freshers pastime, drinking. Everyone is aware of the stereotypes which surround the average student, especially during initiation weeks and the first few socials. Freshers is indeed a time to become accustomed to your new surroundings, but it’s also a time for celebration and socialising, and you can expect drinking to be a large part of both. Just make sure you do so responsibly. Nerves One emotion you’re likely to experience throughout your first week at university is of course nerves. Starting a new course in an unfamiliar setting is a big change and can be daunting for even the most adaptable student. In the first few days you may be riddled with worry about making new friends and fitting in, but it’s worth remembering that everyone around you is in the same boat and experiencing those same Freshers worries. Reality check Unfortunately,  Freshers Week  isn’t all fun and games. Most students will be required to attend induction lectures and seminars as a way to be properly introduced to their course, and seeing the impending workload up close can be quite the reality check. Living independently is also a bit of a wake up call. For most new students, this will be the first taste of freedom ever. However, not having mum and dad to fall back on can be eye-opening. At first itll seem great to live how you please that is until you have to do your own washing and the dreaded bills roll in. Overspending On the subject of finances, money worries and budgeting are probably going to have a significant effect on your years as a student. And the first time youll be in full control of your own finances will likely be during Freshers Week. Although this is of course a time where you should focus on the enjoyment and broadening your horizons, it’s still vital to ensure that any important payments have been made. Once you’ve covered those you can get away with some typical reckless student spending every now and again. Feeling lonely Feeling a little isolated during your first week of freedom is something most people might not admit to, however after moving away from home and leaving the comforts you’re so used to falling back on it’s not surprising that Freshers often feel lonely. Its pretty common for most students to feel this way. So, the key to coping with loneliness during Freshers is to shift the focus from what youre missing at home. Instead, concentrate on the new people and experiences you’re about to enjoy. Feeling overwhelmed As a first-year student, youll notice the sheer amount of information that is thrown at you. Youll be bombarded with study timetables, student union events and ALL the societies trying to get you to sign up. The good news is that the craziness of Freshers does eventually calm down. But rest assured, it’s completely normal for students to feel overwhelmed, so try not to be too hard on yourself. Take the time to rest when you need it, and stay calm! Connect with Debut on  Facebook,  Twitter,  and  LinkedIn  for more careers insights.

10 Telephone Interview Mistakes You Dont Want to Make - CareerAlley

10 Telephone Interview Mistakes You Dont Want to Make - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners.6 Lets face it, applying for a job has never been easier. The Internet, smartphones, and cloud services have made it fairly simple and quick to apply to job postings on the fly. As a result, companies, and recruiters sometimes get hundreds of responses to a single job posting. Recruiters and corporate HR departments have several methods for scaling down responses to a manageable pile, but that is a topic for another post. Photo by Antoine Barrs on Unsplash It is rare these days to get an in-person interview without first going through a telephone interview. As you know, the purpose of a telephone interview is to screen potential candidates and further pare down the list to a shortlist of individuals who will be asked to interview in person. Keep in mind that if your initial interview is done as a phone conference, the interviewer may be using a Polycom with other interviewers listening and participating. While these initial telephone screening interviews might seem like a formality, they are not. Phone.com Price: Get 20% off your Phone.com base service for 3 months with Phone.com Buy Now We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. You would be surprised how many people make simple but fatal mistakes during a telephone interview. If you cant successfully make it through a telephone interview, you have no chance of making it through an in-person interview. This is like a take at home tests, you can (and should) have whatever materials you need right in front of you there are no excuses. Which of these mistakes have you made? 1. Too Much Background Noise Make sure you have a quiet area where you can take the telephone interview. Standing in the middle of Grand Central Station or outside on the street is not the way to do it. Not only will you not be able to hear the interviewer, but they will not be able to hear you clearly and will think that you are not taking the interview seriously. Scout out a few potential quiet spots in advance of the telephone interview and test them out with a friend or family member. If you can't successfully make it through a telephone interview, you have no chance of making it through an in-person interview. Tweet This 2. Did Not Research the Company You need to have done your homework and researched the company that is interviewing you. You must know (at a minimum), what the company does, who their competitors are and why you want to work for them. To the extent possible (and LinkedIn is a great place to start), learn all you can about the interviewer(s) as well. Book Corner The Job Search Solution: The Ultimate System for Finding a Great Job Now! Photo by Wendy Scofield on Unsplash 3. Poor telephone reception Depending on circumstances, you may need to use your cell phone for your telephone interview. If thats the case, make sure that wherever you do your call you have good telephone reception. There is nothing worse than having the call drop or not being able to hear the interviewer (or them hearing you). Scout out some areas a day or two before the call so that you can test the reception. Make sure your phone is fully charged as well. 4. Did not read the job description You are interviewing for a job that is a great fit for you. You should have read the job description and you should be familiar with it. The best part is that you can have the job description right in front of you for reference while you are interviewing, but you should not be reading it for the first time. Take notes and highlight potential questions prior to the interview. You may expect that the interview is a high-level screening, but it would not be unusual to be asked very detailed questions. An interview is an opportunity to highlight your strengths and emphasize your fit for the position. However, you shouldnt expect that the hiring manager will only ask easy questions about your past wins and proud moments. Come prepared to answer the tougher questions, like ones about your regrets, mistakes, and weaknesses. TopInterview.com 5. Distractions Your dog might be ready for a walk but you are in the middle of an interview. Your spouse may be looking for you to run some errands and your children think you are taking them out to play. If you are making your call from home or a common area, focus on the conversation on hand. Make sure your family knows you are on a telephone interview so that you are not interrupted. Make sure youve cleared your calendar and no one is expecting you to be available. 6. Not listening or allowing the interviewer to speak Its more difficult to get the ebb and flow of conversation in a telephone interview as compared to an in-person interview. Listen for cues from the interviewer and be careful not to dominate the conversation when its your turn to speak. While you will want to direct the conversation to your skills and experience, allow the interviewer to ask all of their screening questions. 7. Call waiting notifications You might find this hard to believe, but there are people who get an incoming call and then ask their interviewer to hold on. Needless to say, it is doubtful they will make it to the next round. Turn off your call waiting, email notices, Facebook notices, and Twitter notices while you are on your call. 8. Not preparing for company or job specific questions You may have read the job description and done your homework in terms of the company, but have you prepared both, answers to questions that might be asked and questions that you may have? Some interviewers will ask open-ended questions like Why do you want to work here?, What attracts you to XYZ company?, Why do you think you are a good fit for this position?. Be prepared. Photo by Arthur Savary on Unsplash 9. Lack of confidence or low energy Keep focused and engaged during the interview. When you speak about your experience, be confident about your achievements. While the interviewer may ask difficult questions or challenge your achievements, stand firm in your conviction of your accomplishments and qualifications. 10. Throwing your current employer under a bus Dont speak badly about your current employer. The interviewer knows you have reasons for looking for new employment. Let your reasons be about career advancement and better opportunity. Regardless of any difficulties in your current job, it will not help your cause to complain about these issues during your interview. Interview Books: Get That Job!: The Quick and Complete Guide to a Winning Interview 15 Minutes to a Better Interview: What I Wish EVERY Job Candidate Knew Interview Resources: Personalized interview coaching Tony Robbins Coaching What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. Looking for related topics? Find out how to nail the interview and get hired. Subscribe and make meaningful progress on your career. It’s about time you focused on your career. Get Educated Contact Us Advertise Copyright 2020 CareerAlley. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy + Disclosure home popular resources subscribe search

Resume Writing All in the Details

Resume Writing All in the DetailsMany people are using resume writing to do more than just convince an employer that they are qualified for the job. Many of them are filling out resumes so that they can include their best work at a point in time. This can be advantageous to employers in that it shows that they are aware of what an employee is capable of doing. Here is some more information on resume writing all in the details thoet, Alison.Resume writing all in the details thoet, Alison helps you understand why a resume should be filled out with specific details. Most job seekers want to know exactly how their resume will look when it is given to the employer. Here is some more information on resume writing all in the details thoet, Alison.First, you must learn the importance of making sure that you have all the necessary information on your resume available. When you are filling out a resume you will need to have information about your past and present position, education, previous employment and a detailed description of your work history. All of this information will be important when the employer is reviewing your resume.Help is on the way too. Many employers can now use their computers to help them gather information from the majority of available sources.In order to make sure that you include all the correct information, you should have already gone through the entire thing and make sure that you have taken all the necessary steps in order to get all the information that you will need. Once you have completed this process, you will have a professional resume that will help you get hired and given an interview.Another great benefit of using resume writing all in the details thoet, Alison is that it gives you more time to pursue your other goals. You do not have to worry about writing a job description for an employer that will become the focus of your attention once you get hired. You will have a resume that is all in the details thoet, Alison.In addition to finding the proper ways to fill out a resume, you can also find all the resources available online to help you make sure that you are doing everything properly. From resume writing all in the details thoet, Alison.Just remember that you need to write a resume that will attract an employer and should also give them reasons to hire you. There are many ways that you can make sure that you are completing this part of the job application process. Consider some resources from resume writing all in the details thoet, Alison.