Recruitment: One Goal, a Million Paths to Get There

Recruitment has and will always be a buzzword in HR, but it's also been surrounded with controversy. What controversy, you may ask? Well, throughout our newsfeeds, email subscriptions, and other morning coffee reads, it's always safe to say that we'll see some article on the "5 Best Recruitment Practices" or "Recruiting the Right Way," etc. Clearly, there's controversy as everyone thinks they've struck gold with their latest-and-greatest recruitment breakthrough. People will always talk, and we will always listen…until we tune out due to a lack of statistical or at least "meaningful" evidence. Trust me, we're skeptics too when we read recruitment hot topics, but I think we've hit the recruitment jackpot when we observe the company named Zappos, an Amazon-owned retail business, and their recruitment model. I mean seriously, the jackpot is not proverbial in this sense; HR could be saving their companies a lot of money by infusing their organizations with new recruitment zen.

Recruitment Starts with Employee Engagement

According to Zappos, recruitment starts with employee engagement and appreciation. Zappos seemingly puts their employees first, often offering incentives and creating an environment where an employee feels appreciated and excited to work. They focus organically to create this sense of trust and dedication to the company and the brand. With a loyal workforce, Zappos allows potential new hires to chat with current employees, yielding tremendous amounts of applicants after hearing workplace praises from current employees. For years, Zappos has been listed as one of the "Best Companies to Work For," hands down due to the environment they've created by putting people first. In turn, they've ramped up their social presence and have taken to these mediums to turn up the volume of their happy community to 11 for the world to see. And what do you know, people are responding to it.

Recruitment Works Inside Out

This is the kind of environment we should all try to simulate. By focusing internally, you're ultimately assisting your external perception. In turn, recruitment sort of works itself out. Posting on job boards and using recruitment services are great; don't think we're anti-traditional hiring practice. However, the difference between the major and minor leagues of recruitment is your companies' work environment. Would your employees speak highly of your workplace? Could you rely on them to attract applicants? Do you have a strong, lasting relationship with your workforce? If you’re unsure or answer no to any of these questions, maybe it's time to reevaluate your recruitment strategies, starting internally.

Source: Talent Culture

3 Job Site Tips to Secure That New Hire

You know that feeling of frustration and rage you get when you click on a link and it either:

• Takes you to a site requiring everything but your first born child
• The site is so convoluted that you feel like a mouse in a cheese maze
• Modal windows with impersonalized offers pops up every 3 seconds, on the dot
• You have a question to ask, but only a computer to ask it to and a wait period after that

Well, unfortunately, that’s how recruitment is starting to feel like for those jobseekers out there. Nothing is personal anymore, websites are obliviously hiding their application links, and the recruitment process is absurdly long, especially to millennials. What if, when a jobseeker goes to your website, they:

• Easily find an application link without having to sort through your content, and undoubtedly losing interesting in your company.
• Receive a personalized email template thanking them for their interest in your position. All correspondences to any potential candidate should be personal.
• Are quickly and efficiently taken through the interview, assessment, and typical hiring procedures instead of waiting through a delayed, drawn out process. Technology affords us less time needed for practically everything, so why would hiring be any different? The younger the applicant, the more they expect a speedy return when applying for jobs. In addition, why leave it to chance for your dream applicant to get away just because you weren't fast enough to secure the hire?

These 3 things, as potentially obvious or easy as they seem, can be the differentiators making sure you secure the hire, not your competitor. Don't miss out on your dream hire because of simple, common mistakes. Take an enthusiastic approach to your recruitment strategy, and secure your top talent, today.

Source: SmartRecruiters

4 Tips to Job Descriptions That Attract the Right Talent

#93522445 / gettyimages.com

As we sip our morning coffee, scouring our multiple newsfeeds, we see things like "5 tips for landing a job" or maybe "3 ways to set apart your resume," all aiding the jobseeker. However, we don’t see as many tips aiding us employers in areas such as successful job listings, maybe. Why is that? We're people too! So, as we skim through the typical jobseeker-focused tweets and posts, here's a post shouting out to us employers!

4 Simple Job Description No-No's

As you read the tips below, you may think to yourself how simple these are, and sit there idly, waiting for that "ah-ha" moment. Truth is, you may not feel that moment with this post. The reason being, these tips sound so simple and things you've heard before, but we're hoping that posing them from a jobseeker's aspect, you may feel more inclined to turn thought into action with these. Today's tips relate to your job descriptions. This is the first thing a jobseeker is going to see: the portrait of a company they cannot see. Therefore, you need to lure them in given a limited amount of time the potential applicant will give the first few lines of your description.

1. Avoid confusing job titles: As a jobseeker, they most likely know nothing about you, the company, the products, or anything. So, having a non-universal job title does nothing more than read: "This job title is as confusing and complicated as the work you’ll be doing if hired." Not only does it cause applicants to turn away, but things like SEO suffer, because let's face it, Google is as clueless as we are when it sees job titles such as: "Remedy Engineers," (yes, these are real job titles, people).
2. Eliminate grammatical errors: This ranking high up there on our list of hates, along with spiders and snakes. As a jobseeker, this job description looks completely unprofessional and sloppy, leading to the applicant believing that's the type of environment to be expected in said organization. Remember, both the employer and applicant are being evaluated.
3. Please nix jargon or industry buzzwords: Please, please don’t eliminate your chances of a great hire because they read the word "thought-leader, go-getter, robust," and the list goes on in the job description. What do these words even mean? To tell you the truth, they have multiple meanings to different people, and probably not the ones you're intending. So, if you can't clearly define a word without background context, it has no business being in front of an applicant's eyes.
4. No gimmicks: We mean, give them specifics. We can all relate to being let down by a clever marketing ploy using generics. For example, "Big sale" signs that don’t hint at the staggering fine-print or the want ads that say "Hair apprentice," when really you come to find out that you're signing up to apprentice with everything but hair. We've all fallen victim, so to increase application and retention, be very upfront and specific about the duties your new hire is to perform. Plus, this helps strain the worthwhile applicants from the broad, maybe candidates.

While these items almost seem too simple, they are all-too common mistakes that we see in job descriptions daily. While this won't solve all of your recruiting conundrums, the right job description can get the right people, at least, in the door. Stay tuned as we uncover more tips to increase applications and to retain the right employees for your business.

Bullying in the Workplace: Common Problem?

#112184012 / gettyimages.com

As we continue to see equal opportunity, especially for applicants, plastered all over our news feeds, we are still reminded to treat our employees with the same non-discrimination after they've joined our teams. Lately, here at SourceCast, we've noticed a trend in reports and news feeds surrounding the topic of bullying. While it is talked about, we notice that it isn't gaining as much steam as we thought. Then we thought, maybe it's because the definition of bullying is so loosely defined or maybe it's because there hasn't been as much momentum surrounding the topic, therefore those affected may feel judged or shy? Whatever the case may be, bullying is trending, and that needs to stop. Now.

Bullying in Real Life

We recently read a story on another blog, detailing an account of an employee who ended up leaving his job due to a female bully. The more we swished the story around our palates, the more we saw the disconnect between such regulations as VEVRAA and how they're implemented in the workplace once the applicant is hired. It's not enough to claim equal opportunity and treatment at your organization if those hired are bullied once on the job! Equality must stem from the recruitment process and cultivate through healthy workplace relationships. Bullying and discrimination both focus on perceived notions, prejudices, and unfair treatment, but let's make it clear, bullies are equal opportunity in who they discriminate against. Isn't that interesting? Discrimination and bullying comes in all shapes and sizes and can happen to anyone.

Preventing Workplace Bullying

To prevent bullying, provide a safe workplace. While we know that's often said, but implementing that is a lot more tactical. This is where HR needs to step up and be the superheroes that we are. Providing team building opportunities, safe channels for discussion, seminars and workshops to explain bullying and prevent against it can ensure your employees feel secure and comfortable reporting something if encountered. There's no way to ensure an applicant won't be a bully, but there are ways to firmly enforce a no-bullying workplace and increase productivity and improve culture along the way.

Labor Day and the Ability to Work

As we continue to fill our coworkers in on our recent Labor Day festivities, have we had a chance to really consider what Labor Day means? Sure, don't get us wrong, we love the retail sales, the BBQs, and the prospect of an extra day waking up without the dreaded alarm clock as much as anyone else. However, Labor Day has other conscious and subliminal meanings that are far more important.

The History of Labor Day

For you history buffs, the Department of Labor cites the beginning of Labor Day as September 5, 1882. The intent was and is to celebrate the labor movement and the achievements and efforts of American workers. So, for most of you reading this, please give yourselves a nice pat on the back for your contributions to the working progress of our country. But, Labor Day should also be a day to acknowledge those who are less fortunate than us. This day should beg us to acknowledge those who aren't lucky enough to have jobs to feed themselves or their families, or jobs to solidify his or her place in society, or for those unemployed who can't bear to face their landlord knowing their inability to provide payment means eviction and homelessness. You see, this is the part that gets lost in translation.

Labor Day's Grim Reality

It's with a heavy heart, we point you to an article on SHRM's WeKnowNext blog, which released data for the unemployed. According to the article, 10 million people are currently unemployed. Of those 10 million, 638,000 of those unemployed are veterans. And the list just goes on and on with daunting, heart-wrenching statistics. Reading these numbers, you cannot help but to take off your party hat and ponder the reality of today's workforce. While it's amazing the lengths we gone to and the hurdles we've overcome, there is still so much more to do. Recruitment may mean something more than ever now. Are you ready to create the change and opportunity that we all deserve?

As you continue enjoying the recent memories or food and friends, also ponder ways to employ some of these unemployed workers such as veterans. We'll give you a little tip, some of the best recruitment resources are niche sites and organizations. No, we're not just saying that because it's our business to say that, but over 10% and counting of employers are raving of the quality of applicants they receive through niche sites such as organizations with connections to veteran and disability applicants. However, if you're currently content with your workforce, keep in mind these job seekers during a time of festivities, and cheers to a shortened workweek!

Source: WeKnowNext Blog

5 Tips to Improving Diversity in the Workforce

Whether we want to believe it or not, we desire change in our workforce. We hire, fire, and strategize to change and shift our workforces into the ultimate dream teams. However, when we refer to the word "change," people seem to seize up or go wide-eyed, maybe a deep shiver runs the length of their spine. Most of us, some way or another, have learned the notion that change is bad and takes seemingly inconceivable measures to adapt to it. In HR, our job is to stir the pot, create change, but we do this in a positive way. Especially recently, OFCCP is asking us to bring diversity to our workforces, hire minorities, and seek out underutilized workforce professionals to recruit locally. Not only do we strive to keep OFCCP off our backs, but we have the responsibility to fluidly mesh the generationally different employees with one another. The list goes on and on but we're constantly striving to change and shift to improve our organization. However, that's more easily said than done, so what are some tips to improve these processes?

• Be flexible. Especially when dealing with diversity (e.g., people with disabilities), advertising flexibility as a company is key. Whether flexibility means telecommuting or providing appropriate accommodations, this aspect can attract top talent and ensure you're meeting your hiring goals.
• Find commonalities. Bridging the gap between generations is never easy. In every human conflict, the key to bridging the difference and mending the relationship is to focus on the similarities the individuals share. With commonalities, we find solutions catered to both parties.
• Embrace technology. As technology is changing, you need employees that either know the trade or can quickly catch on. People like veterans will be your best friends. They have dealt with some of the most advanced technology available, so they are both pretty well equipped and quick learners.
• Get social. If you're having trouble finding targeted candidates, maybe you need to reevaluate your tactics. Are you utilizing your social media to its potential?

The majority of candidates are job searching on devices such as their phones, so are your sites mobile-friendly? Also, what does your recruiting branding look like on social media? Are your application forms accessible by screen readers?

These are just a few tips to help bring about the change and diversity you're trying to implement into your organizations. With more and more regulations either springing up or tightening, recruitment will need to continue improving and evolving. Change is something we all need but ask yourself, are you causing the change in your organization that you want or need to see? If not, maybe your recruitment strategy can add these tips or they can help you jump-start your research into new, diverse recruitment tactics.

Maybe the Problem With HR Has Nothing to Do With HR At All

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You're probably familiar with Ram Charan's infamous article It's Time to Split HR and if you're not, you've heard of it. You may have also read one or more of the mounting number of articles declaring what's wrong with HR or that we should ditch HR all together. Guess what, this isn't one of those articles. In general, it seems like HR is adapting to the times just like every other department in every other organization. As the title suggests, we're here to talk about the "problem with HR," so we're going to come out and say it: maybe it's you. Perhaps the problem with HR is really that we choose protecting and maintaining over confidence.

The Problem With HR Isn't Unique

As we've mentioned before, HR is about protecting, whether it's protecting the company against legal and compliance issues, or employees' rights. Therefore, it's easy to default to maintaining the status quo, rather than asserting our views or leading initiatives to improve workplace culture. But this problem, while we're talking about HR isn't unique to HR. No, this can be evident in any department, and most likely is to some degree.

The Problem With HR Is Real

It would be naive to say that because the "problem with HR" isn't unique, we can sweep it under the rug. You probably have plenty else to do, but stop. This is important. As the gatekeepers of compliance and culture, where is it most important to tweak when we see a problem. So, ask yourself, "Am I confident in how and what I do?" Are you a "yes" person? Are you at the beck and call of the C-levels? Is every day just another nose to the grindstone kind of day? Stop. Now breathe. And start saying "no."

The Problem With HR Is Not Saying No

Fixing HR starts with you being confident in who you are in the company, knowing your best contributions, and then taking that and being willing to grow. You will have to say "no" because a potential candidate loved by the hiring manager may harm the culture. You will have to say "no" to initiatives that aren't in the best interest of the company. You will even have to say "no" to the executive's disrespectful swipes at HR *gasp*.

No, this little tip isn't meant to fix everything. However, it will go a long way for both the "problem with HR" as well as your own work life. There's nothing intrinsically broken about HR, however the transition toward a better department begins with you being confident and doing what you do best: look out for the company, no matter how unpopular it may be at the time.

Source: Fistful of Talent

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.

Millennials, the Military, and Denials

What do millennials, the military, and denials all have to do with one another? Well, according to reports from the Pentagon, 71% of military applicants are denied entry into all U.S. branches of the military. Typically, simultaneous military branch cutbacks result in 70% of applicants being weeded out as each branch is allowed to be increasingly more selective. In and of itself, this 1% is not news, however, coupled with the fact that 21% of all military applicants are high school dropouts, contributing to the increased turn away rate, this is indicative of a real problem.

Uneducated Millennials?

However, education isn't the only culprit in the military's selectivity. Things like weight, drug use, psychological abnormalities, and even new tattoo and piercing regulations play a hand in denying young applicants. Gone are the days where the military caught your career fall. Joining the military is as hard as obtaining any job in today's job market. Speaking of job market, along with the difficulties that millennials are finding in joining our military, the job market has also plagued this generation as the hardest hit in noncombatant unemployment. So, what do our youth do in these times of employment crisis?

Advice Regarding Millennials

Undeniably, the first words of wisdom would be to complete the highest education curriculum, abstain from the potentially harmful party scene, and be mindful of career-hindering body art. Also, recognize the untapped resource of our national workforce professionals. These professionals' jobs revolve around finding jobs for others! Hence, employers, reach out to your local employment centers to locate all the top talent that is irrefutably out there, especially our veterans and military applicants. These nationwide employment centers are an answer to increased unemployment rates as well as enable employers to find the most well-equipped talent, locally.

Source: USmilitary.com

Telecommuting: Your New Old Workplace Benefit?

As we talked about last week, business is becoming increasingly mobile. Employers and employees are considering options to take business on the go, and one such option that is becoming increasingly desirable is telecommuting. In fact, not only is telecommuting just an option, but increasingly viewed as a benefit.

Telecommuting: Benefiting Staples Employees

Recently, Staples undertook their annual telecommuting survey that showed a whopping 71% of telecommuters listed the mobility of their job as a critical benefit. Even 10% of those surveyed would opt for a pay decrease in order to telecommute. As we can see, telecommuting is highly desirable, but how does a company as a whole fare when employees are offsite?

Telecommuting Makes Employees Happy

As an outcome of telecommuting, employers are noticing significant increases in employee demeanor. Employees are often happier, which has led to a statistical increase in productivity. Which, I am not quite sure why this surprises people, the happier- equals -production notion should be a no-brainer. Much of the workforce is spreading themselves thinner than ever, so as employers there needs to be a shift in flexibility. The age old 9-5 routine simply cannot work for everyone. So, how do employers make this a viable option and how do employees approach this topic with management?

Telecommuting: An Extension of BYOD

As an employer, thankfully, the products we touched on last week can have you cleaning out office space in no time as communication and accessibility can take place online. Again, options like Trello and UberConference replicate physical communication when time or circumstance don't allow for any. Another idea that has been sweeping the working world is allowing for BYOD (bring your own device). As it stands, about 4 out 5 employees use their personal devices for work-related tasks, so why not take that to the next level? We think it's safe to say that all of us have used our smartphones or tablets to churn out work emails, scope LinkedIn resumes, or follow the news on Twitter. We as people like the familiar, and if we have to choose between our own preferred devices versus a dull work device, we'd be willing to take a wild guess and assume we would all prefer utilizing our own personal gadgets. Not only are we familiar with these systems, but there's a sense of freedom when we break away from corporate control which also leads to greater creativity and ultimately, productivity. Not to mention, this hard drive follows its owner any and everywhere. While there are some issues such as compatibility and privacy, it's worth looking into in order to catch opulent talent, requiring telecommuting.

As old school as some of us are, times they are a-changin', and they're leaving us no choice but to follow the current. The world of HR is constantly changing from virtual recruitment to heightened compliance initiatives. Stay tuned for next week's blog as we continue to keep you up-to-speed on today's HR issues.

Source: HR Morning

More to read: New York Times Forbes