Thank You, DEAM15!

Another year, another great DEAM!

Once again, DirectEmployers put on another amazing conference filled with informative sessions, motivating speakers, and many good, lasting connections made. They sure know how to put on a good conference! This year, the topics revolved a good deal around recruitment and compliance and how the two can and should be interrelated. During the sessions, we observed great focus, connection, and understanding between the speakers and attendees. You can’t ask for anything better than to see people having their “aha” moment during these presentations and networking events, involving key topics affecting HR today.

Last chance to say hello to the Olaf guys

If you haven’t had a chance to stop by and see our NEW Olaf USB drives, please come by, say hello, and snag the last remaining Olaf flash drives.  We couldn’t be happier to be at DEAM15 and help underwrite this amazing event. As always, Indianapolis and DirectEmployers treated us very well. So, thank you DEAM15 attendees and DirectEmployers for the fun AND productive sessions and networking events.

Arizona ILG Has Been a Blast

For those of you who didn't know, SourceCast has had the incredible opportunity to help sponsor the current Arizona ILG conference.

Arizona ILG Proud Sponsor

We have to tell you, it's been an honor to be able to sponsor a conference such as this. It's incredible to be able to participate in what this organization is trying to do, as well as take part in the greater role of promoting affirmative action and good hiring practices.

Arizona ILG Proud Presenter

Our very own Lilly gave a presentation earlier today on compliance best practices which was also a huge honor for us. Sure, we sell compliance solutions, but it was a truly unique experience to be able to publicly do what we do best: advise companies on not only how to comply, but how to make their compliance efforts work for them in recruitment and hiring. So, for all who were there, we hope you enjoyed the presentation!

Now to everyone, whether you're in Arizona at the Arizona ILG conference or not, we hope you have a terrific weekend! Until next week!

Veterans Day: There's More Work to Be Done

#187672968 / gettyimages.com

We got a little excited when we learned, leading up to this past Veterans Day, the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that the past year had seen a decline in the unemployment rate of veterans from 7 to 6.5%. Unfortunately, this is still noticeably higher than the national unemployment rate of 5.8%. Therefore, as the holiday season is just on the horizon, sparking in us a generosity to towards humanity, may we not ignore a deep gratitude toward our veterans. What do we mean? Allow the meaning of this past Veterans Day to resonate with you as you're heavily focused on end of the year recruitment. Veterans are the perfect hires for so many more reasons than you may realize.

We've been in the business of distributing jobs for veterans for quite some time now. So, we tend to hear through the grapevine about the success our customers have had. Constantly, we hear how their new veteran recruits:

• Take initiative: Under high pressure constantly, vets understand the need to start and complete tasks with the least amount of collateral interference.
• Are excellent contributors: Vets are keenly aware of the concept of teamwork and how important that is to complete tasks at hand.
• Maintain excellent attendance: Veterans are trained to perform in any condition and circumstance, and excuses for absence or poor performance are unusual for this group.
• Are technologically savvy: Vets are trusted with some of the most cutting edge technology in the world, with many fields interrelated, training is easier with this group.
• Learn and adapt quickly: In combat situations, there's no time to waste. Veterans are quick learners, light on their feet, and quite flexible to adjust to their environments.

This feedback provides a glimpse into workforces that hire veterans. Our veterans have been unwaveringly deployed into battle for us, so let’s have some faith and show our gratitude by continuing to lower the veteran unemployment rate, and allowing our vets to show us even more of what they're made of in our workplaces.

Source: TLNT

Veterans and the 7 Qualities You're Looking for In a New Hire

A couple days ago, The Muse came out with a list of 7 qualities that struck CEOs as distinguishing characteristics in top-performing employees. After looking at the list, we would have to agree. While being broad characteristics, they seem to hold high value in any corporate setting. However, as we studied the list more closely, we noticed this combination of characteristics immediately drew to mind one specific demographic that HR professionals love to hire: veterans. As we list the top 7 desired employee attributes, sit back and see if you don't agree with us.

• Flexibility: As an employer, you need to know that if a deadline is approaching, your team has the determination and flexibility to meet the deadline and produce top-quality work. As you know if you’ve hired veterans, flexibility is programmed by nature. A fast-paced environment is what they live by, and transitioning smoothly and quickly is their strong suit. Armed forces training has prepared these employees for any project and to overcome the unexpected barriers that accompany everyday tasks.
• Creativity: As technology continues to evolve at supersonic speeds, you need employees seeking knowledge to produce innovation and creativity to leave you ahead of the competition. While many people still hold the stereotypical notion that veterans, while amazingly focused, are too conventional and one-track-minded, this is simply not the case. Feeding off of their flexibility, veterans have been trained to incorporate creative solutions to combat barriers. While not only very shrewd, their backgrounds allow them to easily create innovative solutions at the drop of a hat.
• Hustle: Let's be honest, when you want a project done, you wanted it done yesterday. But, you don't want to sacrifice quality for speed. With veterans, many of you have seen first-hand the precision and attention to detail they produce within tight deadlines.
• Happiness: Nothing drags down productivity of an entire team more than even one, single negative attitude. Creativity, productivity, and quality stem from positive mindsets. Nothing can be tackled with pessimism, but we're not saying look for an employee who never feels stress or tension because we all know in our line of work, that simply does not exist. Simply, veterans are trained for high-stress situations and finding solace in these times. They are go-getters and problem-solvers, easily the desired candidate to balance high-stress teams and projects.
• Passion: The kind of work that we generally take pride in is on the projects that we are passionate about. Generally speaking, our armed forces include the most patriotic men and women of America; the people to live and die for their passion. How much more passionate of a person could you find than your veteran employees?
• Confidence: Speed bumps are par for any project or task in the office, and you employers need an employee who won't be deterred from success due to these challenges. In all branches of the military, our soldiers have no other option than to be confident in their line of work. Otherwise, no task or mission can be completed, jeopardizing themselves, their team, and the mission. Confidence is everything to a veteran.

While we are obviously not saying that only veterans possess these highly desired characteristics, but they are a relatively untapped resource that generally possess key features desired in any corporate setting. Not only do the new VEVRAA regulations require federal contractors to strive towards a 7.2% veteran hiring benchmark, but in support of all our veterans have done for us and their unparalleled work experiences should thrust their resumes into the top of your priority hires.