Recruitment Questions of the Week
Steps Toward a Successful Recruitment Process
HR Question:
I understand that we’re living in a “candidate’s market,” which means I need to be both efficient and effective when recruiting for new talent. I want to know what best practices are to create a strong candidate and brand experience. What steps should I take to build a successful recruitment process?
HR Answer:
You’re right – today, businesses are operating in what’s called a “candidate’s market.” This means that job seekers have more opportunities and professional options to choose from. More importantly, though, it means that the top-tier candidates have the most leverage for the best opportunities. Secondly, it means that you can no longer use the same old hiring practices that you’ve used in the past when there were more candidates than there were jobs.
While the recruitment process may look different depending on factors such as business size, industry, or seniority of the position, some fundamental steps can be taken to help ensure a successful recruiting process.
Define the Position
The most successful recruiting efforts are built on clearly defined roles, which means creating (or updating) the job description for the role. You should meet with the relevant stakeholders (i.e., managers and peers) to understand which skills, tasks, and experiences are critical to the success of the position, and possibly missing from the team and organization, to update the job description.
Then, for clarity and effective candidate screening, a best practice can be to identify the top three to five skills or qualifications that are essential to the position (rather than providing an exhaustive list of potential needs) and build your job ad around those items.
The difference between job descriptions and job ads
It’s important to note that your job description and your job ad are not the same thing! Your job description should provide a detailed view of the job requirements, expectations, reporting structure, etc. Your job ad should give a brief overview of the position and highlight the most critical qualifications needed to be successful.
Your ad should also provide compelling reasons why candidates would love to work for your company. Remember, your job ad needs to be intriguing enough to potentially woo someone away from their current job. This is your chance to highlight why they should consider making that leap.
Another key task in these early stages is making sure that you have a clear description of the culture and what a “strong fit” may look like for the existing team. Be sure you understand your “need-to-have” qualities (such as the ability to pivot quickly or experience with certain software) versus “nice-to-have” qualities (i.e., it would be great if the candidate came with these skills, but I can teach them if they don’t).
When it comes time to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), consider the following:
- Job ads should be easily read on a mobile device with minimal scrolling, as almost 70% of job seekers in 2021 applied via their mobile devices.
- Utilize catch statements at the beginning of the ad (i.e., are you looking for a fast-paced, creative environment?) that speak to the candidate you may be looking for.
- Use a short paragraph to summarize the major responsibilities of the position. No more than three to five sentences.
Post the Position
Once your job ad is written, it’s time to cast a wide net to attract a diverse candidate pool. Consider major job boards like Indeed, LinkedIn, and ZipRecruiter, as well as a number of free job boards, niche/industry-specific job boards, diversity job boards, and social media groups. Don’t forget to leverage your own network, including LinkedIn alumni groups and associations in the area you are recruiting in. Be sure to post it on your company’s career page too.
As you post the role, be sure to simplify the candidate’s ability to post/apply to positions. Remove any unnecessary steps that make the application process lengthy or complex, which may turn off the candidates from even applying in the first place.
If you use pre-screen questionnaires, make sure they are optimally designed and easy to complete. Wait until after initial conversations with a candidate before making them complete lengthy applications or assessments. This allows for an opportunity to “sell” the position and the employment brand of the company and to get the candidate interested in moving forward through those tasks.
Be Proactive!
In a tight candidate market, you may not want to solely rely on waiting for the candidate to come to you. Research organizations, social media outlets, or other networking options that are relevant to the position or company. Routinely connect with your network, share news, and let them know that you are hiring.
And if you are competing for the same candidates as other organizations, be ready to sell the candidate on why your company will be their best choice. This is not just a discussion of pay and benefits, but more about the culture, mission of the company, and potential career growth. So, if your organization does a great job of providing career paths and development opportunities, be proud of that, put that message first and foremost ahead of pay and benefits.
Focus on Candidate Experience!
As candidates come rolling in, you’ve reached a crucial time in a successful recruitment process – you need to make sure you’re reviewing and responding to candidates in a timely fashion. A best practice is responding to the candidate with an acknowledgment, if not the next steps, within one to two business days. This can be a simple email that thanks them for their interest and includes an explanation of what the next steps in the process will be. The candidate will appreciate the follow-up, which will also help protect the employment brand of your company.
Other best practices include:
- Utilizing readily available technology to find alternate ways to reach out to candidates. For example, texting can be an effective way of quickly getting in touch with candidates, as it boosts engagement and may cut down on the amount of time spent playing phone tag. This is especially true if your organization has a lot of high-volume recruiting.
- If you know that there will be multiple steps in the process, communicate that as early as possible. This also opens the door to encouraging the candidate to keep you informed as well should there be any developments in their current job search.
- Simplify the interview process as much as possible. Avoid having candidates come on-site multiple times for interviews by scheduling as much as necessary in one or two visits, max. Top-tier candidates are usually currently employed, which makes it very difficult for them to take time off to interview.
Be sure that your entire hiring team prioritizes the recruitment process and that they are actively involved in the hiring process so that you do not lose top talent to roadblocks caused solely by the hiring team. More often than not, your best candidates may come in the first round of resumes that you receive. Encourage anyone involved in the hiring process to keep this in mind as they recruit and to be timely in making decisions.
Thank you to Lisa Johnson, CIR and Samantha Kelly for contributing to this edition of our HR Question of the Week!
A successful recruitment process is much more than just posting an ad. It requires a targeted message, the right resources, and a significant amount of candidate engagement. Are you overwhelmed with your recruiting? Our on-demand recruitment services can give you the support you need no matter where you are in the process. Visit our Outsourced Recruitment page to learn more, or contact us today!
How Can My Company Choose Between Different Types of Recruitment Services?
If your organization is struggling to get candidates to apply or remain in your selection process, can’t seem to find the right person to fill a key role, or simply don’t have the bandwidth to fill the volume of open positions, it may be time to consider external recruitment solutions. There are many types of recruitment services that can often help you find and hire the right talent faster, improve your recruitment function’s effectiveness, and save you money in the process.
So, how do you get started and what should you look for?
Four Types of Recruitment Services
We’ll break down four different types of recruitment services to help you understand what they can do, their typical pricing/fee structure, and how to decide if it’s right for you.
1. Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO)
RPOs, also known as outsourced recruitment services, are described by the Recruitment Process Outsourcing Association as being similar to business process outsourcing, where “an employer transfers all or parts of its recruitment processes to an external service provider.” An RPO can manage some or all of your recruiting process while also offering options for establishing or improving your internal hiring function.
How do RPOs work?
Full-service RPOs act similar to an internal recruitment team as they work on your behalf representing your organization and employer branding. Many times, because they are a seamless extension of your company, candidates don’t know these recruiters aren’t on your staff unless it is shared.
These recruiting experts can tackle all aspects of your recruiting from initial scope to onboarding including:
- Creating compelling job ads and posting to their curated networks
- Screening resumes and sourcing candidates
- Conducting interviews, setting up interviews for your hiring managers, and gathering feedback
- Communicating with your decision makers and candidates – ensuring an excellent client and candidate experience throughout the process
- Conducting reference and background checks
- Extending offers and assisting with negotiations
- Arranging and leading onboarding
There is additional value as you leverage their candidate reach, discounted job ads packages (including social media), technology, and applicant tracking tools. Many outsourced recruitment services can use your applicant tracking tools, provide their own, or even help you establish new ones.
RPOs are often strategic consulting partners for your organization. In addition to supporting or managing your hiring process, they can address underlying issues with your recruitment strategy, refine your processes, and identify cost-saving opportunities.
This structure allows for an on-demand approach, as outsourced recruitment services can manage as much (or as little) of your recruitment as you prefer. Some companies choose to use an RPO to manage their entire recruiting function – eliminating the need for an in-house recruiting team. Others take an à la carte approach using outsourced recruitment services to support their biggest area of need, such as advertising or initial screening.
Ideal for:
- Organizations of any size that have limited, overburdened, or no dedicated staff for recruiting. They allow business owners and managers to focus on their business.
- If you don’t have the resources or your plate is too full, an RPO can keep your timeline moving with a minimal time commitment on your part.
Pricing/Fee Structure:
As you can imagine, not all RPOs are alike, and neither are their pricing structures. Some charge an hourly rate for time worked while others charge monthly, project-based, or cost-per-hire rates. So it’s important to do your homework!
For companies seeking recruiting support with the most flexibility and time and cost-savings, outsourced recruitment services that charge by the hour may be the best fit. That way, you’re only charged for their time working on your needs, and not charged when they’re not.
2. Interim/Temporary Staffing Agency:
This type of recruitment service is also a third-party entity that operates entirely independently of your company. Temporary agencies usually have a database and network of individuals who can quickly fill in for short-term needs. These candidates may be on the payroll for that staffing agency or simply be employed on contract as needed.
Ideal for:
- Quickly filling an interim position
- Bulk hiring for short-term projects or seasonal staffing needs
Pricing/Fee Structure:
Employers typically pay an hourly rate to the agency and the agency determines the temp’s pay rate.
Some agencies may also offer the contract-to-hire option, where you pay the hourly rate, but have an option to hire the temporary employee long-term. At that point, you often pay a conversion rate or a placement fee when you hire.
3. Retained Search
Retained search firms often take a deep dive into understanding the needs and expectations of the open role, in addition to their clients’ company branding, culture, vision, and mission to fill a position. They use this information to identify ideal candidates more accurately.
Retained search firms often find and present a few top candidates after conducting thorough screening and interviews. They also help with ongoing communications with those candidates if you choose to interview them. The firm will also help negotiate and provide offer expectations for their candidate(s).
Ideal for:
- When your recruiting team doesn’t have the appropriate network or time to dedicate to this key position
- Guaranteeing you’ll get a hire for a hard-to-fill or important role within your team.
Pricing/Fee Structure:
Many firms charge 30-40% of the position’s first year salary. Employers pay an upfront retainer fee and get a “guarantee” of a hire, often accompanied by a prorated rate refund or replacement if the hire leaves within a short period.
4. Contingency Recruiters
These recruiters set themselves apart as they are only paid if you hire their candidate(s). They recruit for entry- all the way through senior-level positions and work to develop a wide network of candidates for various roles in multiple industries.
To increase their chances of securing a hire (and getting paid!), they tend to recruit for multiple companies and may submit the same candidate to more than one company. Because of this, it is important that you act quickly if a candidate is a great fit so as not to lose them to a competitor.
When using this recruiting approach, you’ll want to understand what happens to your search if you opt for a contingent option while the firm’s other clients are using the retained search model. This can lengthen your time-to-hire.
Ideal for:
- Similar to a retained search, when your recruiting team doesn’t have the appropriate network or time to dedicate to the position
- In tight labor markets when you need to search your competitors’ rosters
Pricing/Fee Structure:
You pay only if you hire the candidate they present. Typical fees range from 25-35% of the new hire’s first-year pay.
How to choose the best recruiting service for you
No matter which of the types of recruitment services you choose to explore, we recommend that you:
- Check client and candidate references to understand their reputation with both groups.
- Ask how they find and recruit candidates. Do you still have to pay for job ads, professional membership fees, etc.?
- Learn about the process including if they utilize your ATS or their own.
- Understand the average or expected time to hire or similar analytics.
- Know your time/involvement needed upfront and on-going.
- Ask how they provide a positive candidate experience, as well as who/how they will handle all follow-ups.
- Do the math! Compare costs between your top options. You might be shocked at how much you can save.
Bottom line, any of these staffing options can offer support when you need it. The key is to find the best fit for your needs, as well as budgetary and time constraints.
Thank you to Andrea Whalen, Senior HR Business Strategist, and Melinda Canino, MS, Senior HR Communications Advisor, for contributing to this article.
Do you need recruiting help? Our Outsourced Recruitment Services may be the perfect solution. We’ll manage the full process or support just where you need it for one or all of your positions. Plus, we offer flexible pricing options including retained, contingency, and hourly rates! Call Clark Schaefer Strategic HR today at (513) 697-9855 or email us for a free recruiting consultation.
If you don’t have openings but still want to evaluate that your process is top-notch, it may be the ideal time to take our Free Recruitment Checkup.
What Should We Include On Our Careers Page?
HR Question:
What should we include on our company Careers page to ensure we’re keeping up with the times?
HR Answer:
You’re wise to have the quality of your company’s Careers page on your radar. This is a critical recruitment marketing tool to capture the attention of potential candidates. Your page’s content, look, and feel must grab their attention fast to keep job seekers engaged and interested in applying. Otherwise, you lose them before they even apply. You’ll want to make sure that you seize the opportunity to showcase who you are, what you have to offer, and why job seekers would want to work at your organization.
Your Careers page should be designed to intrigue candidates to want to learn more; actively engage them with your content; and compel them to apply. There are many components that you can consider to optimize your Careers page. Here are some suggestions to get you started.
Nine Tips to Optimize Your Careers Page:
1. Showcase your employer brand
Your employer brand encompasses your mission, values, benefits/perks, and overall company culture. It can be viewed as your company’s reputation as an employer, which is a critical piece that job seekers want to understand.
Although this is different than your company brand, your employer branding should be aligned with your company brand. We’ll touch upon some components of employer branding below, but to dive in further, check out this LinkedIn article, “What Is Employer Branding and How Can It Grow Your Business?”
2. Share your mission and values
According to what we’ve learned about generational preferences, a “values match” between the candidate and the company ranks among the top reasons any generation would prioritize when deciding whether or not to join an organization. By incorporating your company’s mission and values on your Careers page, candidates can connect to your company’s purpose.
A great way to showcase this can be through testimonials from your employees sharing how your values come to life in your workplace. This presents a good opportunity to ensure that you are indeed living the values that you profess for your company.
3. Include benefits / perks
It should be no surprise that job seekers want to know about the benefits and perks that you offer. This is a prime opportunity to market what you offer to your employees and tout why it’s great to work at your company. Wondering what today’s job seeker values the most? Check out Forbes’s “Best Employee Benefits of 2023.”
4. Shine a light on company culture
Your company culture is what makes your organization uniquely YOU. Candidates want to have a realistic picture of what it’s like to work at your company so they can assess if it feels like a good fit for them. A powerful way to communicate your culture can be through videos. For example, you could share “A day in the life” videos showing real employees at work and hearing about their experiences.
Not sure where to start? Check out 8 Steps to Producing a Great Employment Video for tips and tricks!
5. Ensure a fast and easy application process
If you capture the job seeker’s interest to the point where they’re ready to apply, make sure you don’t lose them in the application process! Many applications are too long, and with the number of current job openings far exceeding the available talent to fill them, job seekers can pick and choose where they want to apply.
Make sure your application only asks for the information that you absolutely need at that stage in your selection process. It should be quick and easy to complete – target completion in 5 minutes or less.
6. Make it mobile friendly
Many candidates (particularly millennials) conduct their job search on the go using their phones, so be sure that your Careers page is mobile-friendly. To the point made above, you’ll also want to ensure that your job application is mobile-optimized as well. If you’re not sure, try it out for yourself!
7. Offer job alerts
Don’t count on job seekers to go back to your Careers page on their own if they don’t see a job opening that interests them when they first visit your page. Your Careers page should offer the opportunity for job seekers to sign up to receive job alerts for the type(s) of position(s) they want to pursue. This push notification can help to re-engage that candidate when an appropriate job becomes available.
8. Allow applications without a job opening
Don’t let a potential candidate slip through your fingers simply because you don’t have the right job opening for them today. Seize the opportunity to engage that candidate in a future job opportunity by allowing them to apply for a future fit position. If you do this, be sure that you source your ATS when new positions become available to ensure that you re-engage these candidates who have expressed an interest in your company.
9. Explain your hiring process
Job seekers want to understand your hiring process. They want to know the expected steps it takes to get hired. They also want to know what they can expect from you in this process. Providing an explanation of your hiring process either through text or video can help to manage candidates’ expectations and answer some of their questions on the front end.
After you’ve completed the suggestions above, consider taking it a step further! Reviewing your entire recruitment process annually – from application to offer to acceptance – is a great way to ensure that you’re creating a welcoming, efficient, and attractive process for potential talent to follow should they want to join your team.
Thank you to Samantha Kelly and Stephanie Kolodziejski, Talent Acquisition Consultant, for updating this HR Question of the Week.
Do you need help creating or updating your Careers page? Give us a call! Our expert Talent Acquisition Consultants can help evaluate, streamline, and suggest ways to build efficiencies into your recruitment process. Or better yet, take it off your hands completely! Visit our Outsourced Recruitment page for more information on how we can help you effectively and efficiently find your next employee.
How Can I Improve My Recruitment Processes?
HR Question:
We’re in desperate need of the right talent, but I can’t seem to attract or engage the number of candidates I need! How can I improve my recruitment processes to attract more candidates?
HR Answer:
You’re not alone! Recruiting the right talent is a challenge in almost every industry and market right now. Because the competition for candidates is incredibly tight, employers everywhere are looking internally to find ways to improve their recruitment processes to catch more prospective employees. By eliminating barriers for candidates and making the job search and application process engaging, efficient, and user-friendly, employers can see an increase in their candidate flow, further increasing the likelihood of finding the right candidates for their organization.
So, let’s dive in to identify what employers can do to attract more candidates – without losing them during the application process.
Optimize Your Job Ad
First, make sure your job ad is designed to show off your company by highlighting the areas that candidates want to know more about – the culture, the day-to-day, what success looks like, and why they would want to join your organization. What makes you stand out against your competition? Take note of these reasons and work them into the ad, as just placing your job description on your company’s career page is not likely to attract many candidates. Paint the picture of your company and the open role with clear and concise language, limited bullet points, and the key requirements of the position.
Consider researching similar positions in your area for popular job titles to make sure you are not reducing your audience by titling your position something unfamiliar to your target applicant pool. For example, don’t name your Customer Service Representative a “Client Wizard” or “People Pleasing Person.” While the titles may bring a smile to your face, they won’t show up in basic keyword searches.
Although it may cause some hesitation, it is also recommended to include the salary range in your job post, even if it is a broad range. Research has proven that candidates are more likely to apply if they know the compensation range, and it eliminates time down the line by not considering candidates significantly out of range.
Cast a Wide Net to Attract More Candidates
Now that your job ad is written, it is time to get the right eyes on it! In order to make sure you’re spending your time and money to optimize your return on investment, take some time to do a brief search of where similar positions are being advertised. Check out any applicant stats that the job board may highlight about those roles. How many people have applied? How long has it been posted? Are there other similar positions posted on the site? This will help you understand if this is where your desired audience might be found.
If you have the budget to advertise your job, use it. If not, there are also online recruitment platforms where you can post your positions for free, most of which take little time to use and can help with visibility. You can also look for local, county, or state job networks where you can share your position for free. You may want to consider joining some professional associations or alumni groups on LinkedIn and Facebook that align with your organization so that you can share your open positions. You can also use your involvement in these organizations and groups to build a network from which you can source current and future candidates.
Keep It Simple
Once you have a candidate interested, it is important to make your application process as simple as possible. Keeping the process short and simple will help convert the number of views of your job into completed applications. Mobile-friendly application processes are now “a must,” rather than considered “nice to have.” In fact, almost 60% of job seekers apply via a mobile device, so having a long application results in fewer completed applications.
Several job posting platforms allow candidates to apply with one click, which has become an increasingly popular option for applicants and recruiters alike. If you do require an application, first make sure it is mobile-friendly and that your system can auto-populate employment history from the applicant’s resume. Any additional screening questions should be yes or no questions and only those things that are essential to the position at the application stage in your process (i.e., age requirements or required certifications). Save any other questions for later in the recruitment and hiring process.
If you want to improve your recruitment processes, it won’t necessarily require a full overhaul of your entire department. Particularly when departments might feel stretched thin or understaffed, simplifying the steps required and creating targeted materials can make the process easier on both the recruiter and the candidates. Consider taking some time today to review your processes and find ways to simplify your steps!
Special thanks to Lisa Johnson, CIR, and Samantha Osborne Kelly for contributing to this HR Question of the Week.
Recruitment is more than just posting a job ad. It takes a targeted message, the right sources, and lots of follow-up. But recruiting doesn’t have to take up all of your time and money! Our team at Strategic HR knows what it takes to attract, hire, and retain the best employees. Check out our Outsourced Recruitment page to learn more or contact us for recruiting help!
What’s the Most Effective Way to Use Panel Interviews?
HR Question:
As a retention and growth opportunity, we have decided to shift to panel interviews to engage our team members in the hiring process. What’s the most effective way to use panel interviews?
HR Answer:
Panel interviews, when planned properly, can greatly exceed the effectiveness of single interviewer methods.
Why Single Interviewer Methods Can Be Difficult
From the perspective of an interviewer, conducting an effective interview can be a challenging task. The interviewer must concentrate on asking good questions and listening to the candidate’s responses. At the same time, the interviewer has to formulate an appropriate follow-up question, monitor how much time is left, jot down interview notes and, most importantly, pay close attention to both verbal and non-verbal responses of the interviewee. These tasks altogether create distractions that cause an interviewer to miss important cues from the candidate.
Panel interviewing addresses the shortcomings of the single interviewer method. As the Society of Human Resources shares, panel interviews allow interviewers to get a broader picture of the candidate and their experience while observing the candidate’s verbal and non-verbal responses and taking good notes. From the candidate’s perspective, it can significantly reduce the amount of time that they must spend interviewing with the employer as compared to interviewing with several employees separately.
How to Build an Effective Interviewing Panel
The interview panel generally should consist of three to five members with one of those individuals playing the role of panel facilitator. Whenever possible, the panel should represent the diversity of your organization. Although the specific individuals selected to participate on an interview panel will most likely change based on the positions you are seeking to fill, once a panel is selected for a particular role, the members of that panel should stay consistent until the position is filled. Panel members should receive training on effective interviewing techniques and be briefed in advance regarding their role in meeting with the candidates.
Before each interview, the panel facilitator will be responsible for a few tasks, such as assigning questions to each panel member, establishing the expectations of the panel, briefing the panel on certain areas for more emphasis or depth of questioning depending on the candidate’s situation, as well as distributing the materials to be used by the panel — candidate resume, application, interview guide, job description, etc. Ideally, these materials should be provided ahead of time for each panel member to review in advance.
During the interview, the facilitator will introduce the candidate to the panel, monitor time and, after the candidate has departed, lead the evaluation and consensus rating of the candidate. Preferably, panel facilitators should have good leadership skills, interviewing experience, and consensus-building skills.
The “Flow” of an Effective Panel Interview
The best panel interviews follow a sequence that allows panel members to get the most information from the candidate. Effective panel interviews will naturally follow the same steps.
First, introductions are made by the main facilitator, who will also detail the process for the candidate. The facilitator should let the candidate know there will be time for their questions at the end, so the candidate can feel at ease.
Using the same interview guide, the facilitator and other panel members will take turns asking questions of the candidate. It’s important that other panel members remain silent and take note of the candidate’s responses when it isn’t their turn to allow the candidate to focus on responding to only one person, as well as to make sure they’ve accurately captured the candidate’s thoughts. Once the panel members’ and candidate’s questions are answered, the facilitator will tell the candidate what to expect next and will escort the candidate from the interview room.
Afterward, the facilitator will lead the discussion on the candidate’s responses, qualifications, and ratings for each area questioned during the interview. Panel members will discuss their ratings, point out the basis for their evaluations, compare their decisions, and support their observations. Finally, a consensus on next steps should be reached.
The Importance of Reducing Candidate Stress
The most effective interviews provide candidate responses that are candid and thorough. Candidate stress can inhibit straightforward responses and reduce the effectiveness of the interview. Therefore, a genuine attempt should be made to put the interviewee at ease. This can be done in several ways, such as:
- Giving the candidate enough warning that this will be a panel interview, along with background information on each panelist to help the candidate have a better idea of who they will be meeting with.
- Avoid seating panel members behind a massive table or facing the applicant as if it were an interrogation or a trial by jury.
- Make sure that each interviewer finishes asking all of their assigned questions before others ask follow-up questions. Without this, the candidate may feel interrogated rather than engaging in an open dialogue.
Special thanks to Terry Wilson, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Senior HR Business Advisor for contributing to this edition of our HR Question of the Week!
Could you use some help in recruiting the best talent for your organization? Learn about our Recruitment Services, or better yet, Contact Us to find out how we can help.
How Can I Use Salary Benchmarking As a Recruitment Strategy?
HR Question:
Like many companies, we’re struggling with recruiting right now. I’ve been tasked with doing salary benchmarking to see if compensation is part of the problem, but I’m not sure how to go about doing it. Can you advise me on how to tackle the benchmarking process?
HR Answer:
Attracting and hiring talent is one of the most challenging yet critical processes for any organization. Descriptions of a welcoming work environment, rich benefit offerings, and career growth are frequently at the top of the most attractive attributes that organizations tout in their job ads, but one feature stands out among the rest – salary. If you are struggling to hire the talent that you need and your organization has not assessed the market pay rates for your positions, or if it has been a while since you’ve done this analysis, then it will be very beneficial to gather salary benchmarking data to ensure that you’re offering a competitive and attractive salary, particularly in a candidate’s market.
What is Salary Benchmarking?
Salary benchmarking is a process in which companies compare their internal salaries to those of other competitive companies to understand the market average. This allows them to create compensation structures and programs that can meet (if not beat) other competitors in the industry and attract top talent.
But beyond attracting talent, salary benchmarking can also take steps towards reducing costs, rather than just increasing them. Consider the average amount of time and money that goes into hiring, onboarding, training, and equipping new employees. Then, picture your bottom line should a candidate leave soon after joining the team for a higher, more competitive salary – one you had the ability to offer in the first place. And now, the process has to start all over again due to a more competitive offer. So how can organizations reduce the frequency of these situations through salary benchmarking?
How to Begin Salary Benchmarking
First, determine the roles you want to benchmark and create descriptions for each of them. The descriptions should include key job responsibilities, skills, education, and experience criteria. Next, determine the market criteria you want to compare against. Factors to consider are companies within the same industry, geography, organizations of similar size, and cost of living.
After you have established your criteria, conduct external research and compile salary data by comparing your roles against similar roles in the market(s) you’ve identified. Salary data can be found through several sources including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), online salary surveys, job posting websites, compensation reports, and third-party providers. Keep in mind, when using free online resources, be sure to reference several sources as the data may not be up to date or completely accurate.
Once you’ve compiled external salary data for each job, establish an internal pay range that aligns closely with the external market. Salary ranges should include a minimum and maximum pay range, and a mid-point that lies within 50% of the range. Once you understand what your organization is able to pay, use the salary range to create a compensation and recruitment strategy for your organization. For example, are you able to pay “at market”, meaning your pay is at a level that matches the market average salary for a specific job? Alternatively, you may opt to pay ‘above market’ and offer a higher rate of pay than other companies in the market. Company and employee performance, the company’s financial ability to pay, and overall business strategy should drive the compensation philosophy you adopt.
I Have My Compensation Strategy… Now What?
Adhere to your compensation strategy and salary ranges to maintain both internal and external salary equity for your employees. In other words, internal employees within the same job classification and similar experience levels should be paid similarly to their internal counterparts. New hires should be paid within the established pay range of the position and their pay should be commensurate with their level of experience. An employee’s placement in the salary range should align with their overall experience level and tenure. Entry-level hires should be paid toward the lower 25% percentile of the range while more experienced employees should be paid between the 50% mid-point or 75% percentile of the range.
What About My Current Staff?
What happens when the candidates you’re recruiting for all have higher salary demands than the salaries of your current staff? It could mean your salary structure is out of date and lagging behind what the market is offering. Or, there may be dynamic forces in place which have drastically shifted salaries – such as inflation, increased competition, or a major market event.
In either case – it’s best to research, validate, and adjust the starting salaries for the positions you’re recruiting for rather than continue to offer below-market wages. These lower wages can not only hurt your recruitment efforts but also compound any “below-market” compensation issue you’re experiencing. Instead, conduct an internal analysis of positions and/or employees who are being underpaid and develop a strategy to bring pay up in line with the marketplace. This may require an immediate adjustment to salaries or, a long-term plan which brings salaries up over time.
Lastly, in addition to starting rates and salaries, hiring managers and HR professionals should also benchmark what other perks are being offered to attract talent. Sign-on bonuses, flexible work hours, and enhanced time-off benefits are just a few of the perks offered by employers today to help attract staff and retain staff.
Special thanks to Terry Salo for contributing to this HR Question of the Week.
Need assistance in benchmarking your organization’s salaries? Strategic HR can help! Contact us to get started.
How can internships address your talent shortage?
HR Question:
We’re having a hard time meeting our business goals as we’re understaffed and finding it difficult to fill our open positions. The idea of using interns came up in a brainstorming session. Should my company consider creating an internship program to address our talent shortage?
HR Answer:
You are not alone as many companies are currently struggling to find the talent that they need. It is smart to be thinking about various ways to address your talent gaps, and internships can be a great way to help lighten your current workloads while providing helpful work experience to college students. They also give you the chance to groom potential future employees.
How a lack of internships has impacted college students, aka your future employees
In 2020, the number of internships that were completely removed or scaled back was significant. It’s understandable that internships, which by design are temporary and transitional in nature, were affected by the pandemic. However, it’s important to recognize the impact of the reduction of available internships on college students, aka your future employees.
First, college students depend on internships to solidify their field of choice and receive relevant work experience. With fewer internships, many students are graduating unsure and unprepared. According to Forbes, “About three out of four students said losing their internship has caused significant disruption to their future.”
Secondly, 2020 and 2021 college graduates who couldn’t complete internships are finding it difficult to secure full-time positions in their fields. Their resumes are lacking the robust one or two internships experiences that employers, like you, are typically looking for.
When companies are recruiting to fill full-time positions, they often look for candidates who can bring some relevant experience. Previous experience, particularly through internships and co-ops for new college grads, can provide relevant work experience to help them hit the ground running in a full-time post-graduation role. It’s difficult to get experience if internships are not offered. Hence, the argument for the value of internships for both the students and employers.
How internships can address labor shortages, fill your talent pipeline, and create brand awareness
As you’ve likely experienced, the hiring landscape is challenging for many positions. With labor shortages created by fewer available workers than open jobs (.7 person for every open job according to BLS), coupled with the Great Resignation, employers are struggling to fill many of their open positions. As the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) reported, internships have “proved advantageous for companies that need some extra help but can’t afford to take on new staff or hire a temp.” We encourage you to look at how you can leverage internships to get meaningful work done that helps you to meet your business goals.
In addition to addressing immediate needs, training college students for your future employment is a forward-thinking recruiting strategy. Hiring an intern is one of the best ways to “try before buying” your next employee. It also gives interns an insider’s perspective on what it’s like to work in your organization which can lead to increased new hire retention rates as they have a realistic view of what it’s like to work at your company.
Offering a meaningful internship program also shines a positive light and message to the community. It helps to increase brand awareness among upcoming college grads, which is particularly important for small to mid-sized companies who may not be household names, yet excellent places to work.
How to create an internship program
If you don’t already have an internship program in place or a former one that you can dust off, it can feel overwhelming to get started. There are many resources available to help create or revise an internship program such as these employer internship resources. You may also want to review the 15 best practices for internship programs according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). In general, it is important to provide a meaningful experience where the intern is introduced and welcomed into your company culture, gains valuable work experience, and helps your organization to meet your goals.
One of the benefits of having experienced a year or more of learning online, today’s college students are highly adept at working remotely. Typical summer internships can now be offered year-round, remote, or hybrid. As Forbes points out, “A virtual internship today might be pretty good preparation for the remote work of tomorrow.” In addition, students can continue remote learning and have an internship concurrently, if needed. It can be a win-win for the student and your company.
Offering paid internships will not only make the positions easier to fill, but depending on the school(s) they attend and/or local, state, or federal laws, you may be required to provide compensation. Be sure to understand the law(s) around paid versus unpaid internships in determining compensation.
Bottom line, now is a great time to consider offering an internship program. There are many benefits for college students and for you, their future employer.
Special thanks to Cindy Eldred, Talent Acquisition Consultant, for contributing to this HR Question of the Week.
Are you wondering whether an internship program could help to meet your talent needs? Would you like to start an internship program but just don’t have the time to do it? Our talent acquisition experts are happy to help! Contact us today.
What Features Should I Consider in a New Applicant Tracking System?
HR Question:
My company is considering purchasing an Applicant Tracking System to help organize and bolster our recruitment process. There are so many options out there in the market! What Applicant Tracking System features should we keep in mind as we go through our search?
HR Answer:
As we roll into 2021, companies are beginning to see an increase in demand and are eagerly preparing for an uptick in business as the push for “normalcy” continues. With an increase in business comes an increase in the need for talent, which can cause a scramble for candidates if companies are unprepared. However, by implementing an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), organizations can be better prepared to tackle their talent needs. The options are endless and easily overwhelming, so it is important to know what key features and functions of an ATS will support your organization’s recruitment goals.
At the beginning of 2020, Strategic HR went through the process of selecting a new Applicant Tracking System and learned several lessons along the way. Through our research and experience, we discovered a myriad of categories to prioritize in our search and have created a go-to list of categories and questions to consider as you navigate your ATS search.
Budget
Just as with any large software purchase, it’s key to identify a range for how much you’re willing to spend before you begin your search. This will determine the level of implementation support you can achieve, the number of technical questions or concerns you can submit post-implementation, and the level of customization you have with the system.
Customization / Setup
Once you have established your budget, evaluate the flexibility of the systems within that budget range. Can you adjust and customize the system to work with your organization’s recruitment workflow and hiring needs? Can this customization be done alone or does it require additional involvement and potential cost from the vendor? How easy is it to configure and update the process flow as your recruitment needs and team structure adjust? What is the implementation and set up timeframe? All of these questions will determine not only the time required to set up and implement the program, but also the time that is taken up later by questions, concerns, and changes that inevitably come about when working with a new system.
Recruitment Flow
How customizable is the workflow? How easy is it to see all of the candidate information from their resume to their LinkedIn profile, past job submissions, notes from other recruiters on the team? How easy is it to see and move candidates through the different steps in the recruitment process? Can you send communications, application forms, and schedule interviews through the ATS? How well does the system automate the recruitment process from auto-populating candidate’s information to scheduled automated messaging for candidates throughout the interview process?
Parsing
Parsing is the process of moving candidates from your job portal or your email into your ATS. How seamless is that process now, and what improvements can the system make to the process as it stands today? Does the system automatically input candidate contact and address information from their resume? Does the ATS recognize and flag duplicate candidates in the system? Does the system automatically parse in candidates who apply through certain job boards? How easy is it to determine if a candidate is submitting a new resume for a job, or one you already have on file? Does the system also parse in any cover letters, references, and certification information for easy review? How well does the ATS track the requisition ID and referral source of a candidate for reporting purposes?
Sourcing / Screening
How fast and accurate are the search capabilities? Can the system search multiple online sources for key skills and easily parse them in as a candidate profile? Can you search, add prospects to your new ATS account, and contact them directly in just one quick submission? Can you create tags for key skills and prospect folders for future recruitment and highlight strong future candidates?
Job Posting / Employer Branding
Your employer brand is one of the most vital (and free!) pieces to a successful recruitment process. It’s important to protect and maintain that brand through any job posting or career portal you use. So, as you begin to explore the system’s career portal capabilities, ask if the career portal allows for employer branding and how customizable it is. How easily can you make changes to the portal and how frequently does the system update? Is the career portal mobile-friendly? How user-friendly is the candidate application process? Does the system easily integrate and push to national job boards? How many job boards does it integrate with?
Integration
You most likely already have several different systems set up to support your recruiting efforts. The more integrations a system might have, the easier the transition may be. Does the system communicate with your email provider to track communications? Does the ATS have a texting platform or integrate with one? Does the system have a calendar integration for scheduling interviews? Does the system have a CRM feature and how well does it coordinate with the ATS? Does the ATS have a video interviewing integration? Does the system integrate with any other systems, like payroll, and how customizable are the integrations?
Data Storage
What is the data storage limit on the system? This is important if you have a large amount of data to import into the ATS.
Mobile Application
If 2020 taught us one thing, it was to be ready to take our work anywhere. Does the system have a mobile application? How user-friendly is the mobile application? What features are not available on the mobile application? Does the mobile application work with Android and iOS?
Training
There’s nothing worse than diving into a new system without sufficient guidance. Ask your salesperson if training is offered as part of the implementation process? Is there an extra cost for training? Does the system offer a Help Center, and how useful is the content? Is there ongoing support and how quick is the response time from the support team?
Reporting / Analytics
Assess your reporting needs, and ask the following questions: How robust are the systems’ reporting and analytics capabilities? Can you build your own reports? Can you create recurring scheduled reports? Can you filter reports and how well is the information displayed for review? Can you easily export or share reports? Even if you don’t currently have an in-depth reporting structure, the data you collect today may help you tomorrow.
Financial Investment
Does the platform allow for unlimited users? If not, what is the cost per user in the system? While preparing for unlimited users may be more expensive at first glance, this package may benefit your organization (depending on the number of members on your team and your expansion plans in the next three to five years). How much will it cost to import/migrate your existing candidate data? Is there an additional cost for training and customer support? Is there a contract length requirement? Is there a cost associated with customization to the system or to integrate features such as text capability?
In the end, you will need to choose which applicant tracking system features mean the most to your organization. In Strategic HR’s case, we used each of these key features to review our top ten ATSs and rated each system by these features to narrow our search to the top four. We then went through multiple in-depth demos and trial runs with the sales and integration team for each system, allowing for multiple potential users to ask questions. By utilizing this step-by-step process, we were able to save time on the selection process, involve multiple team members in the search process, and clearly define those items that were top priority in a new ATS (versus wish list items).
Thank you to Lisa Johnson, CIR for contributing to this edition of our HR Question of the Week.
Need help picking out an Applicant Tracking System of your own? Call Strategic HR today at (513) 697-9855 or email us for a free recruiting consultation. Let us tackle your recruiting challenges so you can have time to do what you do best.
Ten Steps to Optimize Your Recruitment Process
HR Question
We’re having a hard time finding the right candidates and filling our open positions. I know we need to evaluate our recruiting processes, and I don’t want to overlook any critical parts. What are the key areas to assess to optimize our recruitment process?
HR Answer
We continue to navigate through a “candidate-driven” market where the number of job opportunities far exceeds the number of job seekers to fill the roles. This gives top-tier candidates the most leverage for the best opportunities. It is critical for an organization to stay ahead of recruiting trends to have competitive access to a new generation of talent.
We have identified the following questions to evaluate the most critical parts of any recruitment process. The following ten areas should be routinely assessed to ensure an organization’s effectiveness in competing for talent.
Top 10 Areas to Analyze and Optimize Your Recruitment Process
1. Employment Brand and Candidate Experience
Do we have a strong employment brand and do we provide a positive candidate experience? These are two separate concepts but are dependent upon each other to give you a competitive edge to attract and hire top-tier talent.
The success of all of your recruitment processes is dependent upon the strength of your employment brand and the experience that candidates have interacting with your organization during the recruitment and hiring process. Check out our suggestions for how you can improve your candidate experience.
2. Careers Page
Does our Careers page include mission/values, employment news, testimonials, benefits/perks, and videos? Your Careers page should be the landing spot for job seekers as they navigate through job boards and social media pages that you have created. You’ve got one chance to make a great first impression, so make it count!
Candidates want to see a realistic picture of what it’s like to work at your company. They want to know about the culture and how it is lived every day. They also want to see what role your organization has in its connection and commitment to the local or broader community. For more, see our 9 tips to optimize your career page.
3. Social Media and Online Reviews
Do we have a strong social media presence? Are there reviews of our organization posted online? With the average time Americans spend on social media increasing year over year, it makes good business sense to ensure your social media presence is as up-to-date and robust as possible.
Social media can provide an online networking opportunity to raise awareness about your organization and to showcase your products and/or expertise. Why not take advantage of this free opportunity to drive traffic back to your carefully crafted website and your exciting careers page?
Part of having an online presence should also involve managing reviews to protect your company’s reputation from outwardly harsh or inaccurate comments. Reviews by current and past employees can often make or break a candidate’s interest in moving through the application process.
Candidates can find reviews in several different locations, whether it’s Indeed, Glassdoor, Google, or Facebook. While you can’t control exactly what your current or past employees post, you can control how you respond. It’s important to respond to both positive and negative reviews. For example, check out these do’s and don’ts of responding to social media reviews.
4. Job Posting Templates
Are we using best practices when creating job postings? It is important to not confuse a job posting with a job description as those are distinctly different documents serving different purposes. The goal of the job posting (also known as a job ad) is to create a post that is engaging and accurately reflects the company culture while sharing key highlights of the job duties and requirements. You should also include the values and perks of working for your organization. Job ads should include links to your career page or other social media to promote your employment brand. Keep in mind if you plan to post your job on social media, you will need to format the ad to best fit the type of social media being used.
Also, some sites, such as ZipRecruiter and Indeed, boast a percentage increase in the number of views and applications a position can receive if salary information is included. In this tight market, it makes sense that more and more employers are including those numbers in their posts to attract the right talent.
5. Job Posting and Sourcing Resources
Are we utilizing the best posting and sourcing resources for our positions? It is always important to have a strong workbench of resources to promote and post your positions. Do not rely on just one resource to post or source for your positions!
Depending on the type of position and industry, there are thousands of resources that are often free to post your position and/or to create a network of candidates.
Want to hear more? Download our free on-demand webinar: “The Secrets to Optimizing Your Recruitment Process.“
6. Application Process
Do we have a quick and easy way for candidates to apply for positions in our organization? Can candidates easily apply using mobile devices? A recent Candidate Experience Report from Greenhouse found that a majority (66%) of job seekers determine whether they will apply for a job based on the length of an application. And over 70% of job seekers abandon an application if it takes more than 15 minutes to complete. From our experience, depending on the nature of the job and your industry, even a 5-minute application could be pushing it.
If you’re not sure how long your application takes or whether it’s mobile-friendly – try it out! If it takes too long to complete, remove anything that’s not truly needed at that stage and can’t be easily gathered later in your process.
7. Interview Process
Do we have a well-organized interview process? Are interviewers and candidates provided with the information they need to have a positive experience? Once a candidate has met your initial screening criteria, it can be helpful to have them progress through an interview process – whether that is by phone, virtual/video, in-person, or a combination of these.
It is best practice to prepare specific questions ahead of time to help assess the candidate’s relevant skills, abilities, and fit for the position. Using behavior-based questions that are tied to key competencies of the position are the most beneficial.
It’s important to prepare any staff member who is involved in the interview process. This includes providing them with the candidate’s resume, interview guide and schedule, and ensuring they have been trained on how to conduct legally compliant interviews. They should also be prepared to be excellent hosts throughout the experience keeping in mind that candidates are assessing your organization as much as you are determining their fit.
8. Applicant Tracking System
Does our applicant tracking system (ATS) meet the hiring needs of our organization? There is a wide range of ATS systems on the market today that can be customized to suit the needs of any organization. An effective ATS system can provide a way to automate communications and steps in the recruiting process which can be critical to delivering a high-quality candidate experience.
9. Other Automation Tools
Is it difficult to manage our time to communicate timely and effectively with candidates? Short of having an expensive applicant tracking system to automate communications with candidates, there are several inexpensive, stand-alone tools that can still provide automation to your recruiting process, such as texting and scheduling platforms/applications. These are great tools to reach job seekers (especially mobile device users) efficiently and effectively.
10. Onboarding
Do we have an effective offer and onboarding process for our new employees? In this market, candidates will often continue to have other employers contacting them with other opportunities. It is important to stay engaged with your candidates throughout the entire recruiting and hiring process.
A strong onboarding program will: keep candidates engaged, promote better communication, improve job satisfaction, and promote commitment to your organizational goals. After all, a great resource for finding new employees is referrals from your existing employees! If your employees believe in your goals and have had a strong employment experience themselves, they will be more likely to share opportunities with their own networks.
As you can see from the list above, there are many factors to consider as you look to optimize your recruitment process. By ensuring that you have the best processes, tools, and resources in place, your organization will be well-positioned to attract and retain the best talent.
What Is an RPO?
HR Question:
I keep hearing about RPOs… but I don’t have a clue what they are. What are they, and should I be looking into one?
HR Answer:
It’s nearly impossible to keep up with all of the business acronyms, new or old, so it’s not shocking that you may not have heard of an RPO – particularly if you work outside of the HR space. An RPO – or Recruitment Process Outsourcing – can be beneficial to all kinds of companies, particularly if you’re working with limited staff dedicated to human resources.
What is an RPO?
The Recruitment Process Outsourcing Association defines RPOs as something akin to business process outsourcing, where “an employer transfers all or parts of its recruitment processes to an external service provider.” While that might sound intimidating, think of it this way – an RPO takes care of clearing your desk of resumes, pending background checks, job descriptions desperate for review, and all of the other paperwork that goes along with hiring new employees. An RPO can operate as a seamless extension of your organization throughout the entire recruiting and selection process.
An RPO will require an element of transparency that you may not be used to, but don’t worry, it’s in the name of better service. An RPO will want to understand your organizational culture, how you typically approach your recruitment process, the reason why you’ve done it this way in the past, and previous candidates that you’ve worked with or considered. This will keep the RPO team from spinning wheels already spun while making sure to move your process forward to find the best candidates who fit your needs and your organizational culture.
Benefits of an RPO
Not only does an RPO take care of the more tedious and time-consuming aspects of talent acquisition, but they can also tackle some of the softer approaches that recruiting calls for in today’s market. With the additional time and attention RPO teams are able to afford candidates, they can create the “human touch” that is so often called for in a recruitment process. Don’t believe us? Check out Monster’s article on candidate experience and why it matters.
RPOs can also be a significant money-saving recruitment solution. When you consider the average placement rate of many staffing firms – which ranges from 25-40% – versus the hourly rate of many RPOs, you can save thousands of dollars. For example, take a new manager position with a target salary of $60K a year. If you were to work through a staffing firm, that new hire could cost you between $15,000 – $24,000, not to mention the time and energy put in by your team to hire and onboard this individual. Should you work with an RPO (with an hourly rate of $150) using an average of 55 hours to fill a position, you’re only spending $8,250 – a cost-savings of almost $7,000 – $16,000. This provides a compelling argument for using an RPO if you’re seeking buy-in from your CFO.
Is an RPO right for you?
Even if an RPO is a great process for some businesses, it’s not meant for all. This tends to be a good recruiting solution for businesses that have a lean or limited recruiting team. If you don’t have the resources or your plate is too full, reaching out to an outsourced recruiting firm can keep your timeline moving with a limited time commitment on your part.
If you don’t need help month-in, month-out or your needs ebb and flow more than you can plan for, an RPO may be a good fit. Ideally, their consultative approach should be able to be turned on or off when your needs call for them.
Or perhaps you may need a recruiting expert or a strategic partner. You and your team might recognize the limits of your understanding or knowledge in recruiting while doing your best to avoid compliance issues. An RPO provides an opportunity to partner with a team of talent acquisition experts who can help to support your recruiting and compliance needs.
What to look for in an RPO
While there are many RPOs out there, not all are the same. When trying to assess which RPO is right for you, consider the following items:
Expertise
If you’re handing off your recruitment process with an increased level of transparency, you want to make sure you can trust the team with which you are partnering. Take a look at the level of expertise the company boasts. What is their approach to talent acquisition? Are they thought leaders in their industry? Do they create and share helpful content? Are they able to speak to providing a positive candidate experience, data analytics, and cost-savings?
Examples & Testimonials
Take a look at their online reviews. Have others in your industry used this RPO? Is this company able to speak to the experience that both candidates and clients have had during their time using their services? Does this company have experience in your industry and understand the nuances that might come with your jobs? Consider sharing your recruiting challenges and ask how they intend to address them. Or, ask about the challenges they have faced recruiting in your industry and how they have overcome those challenges.
Clear Communication
Can this company clearly outline their costs and how they will save you money? Can they provide an accurate prediction of potential costs you may encounter along the way? Are they as timely with you as they are with candidates? How will they communicate progress with you? This may be another good reason to dig into your network and seek client/candidate testimonials to see what others say.
As with any business service you consider working with, be sure to do your homework first to ensure you find the best RPO for your organization.
Thank you to Samantha Kelly, Senior Sales & Marketing Strategist and Melinda Canino, MS, Senior HR Communications Advisor for contributing to this HR Question of the Week.
Do you think an RPO might be a fit for you? Strategic HR can tackle your recruiting challenges so you can have time to do what you do best. Learn about our approach to Outsourced Recruitment or Contact Us today.
Hiring on a Shoestring Budget
Have you heard it’s a candidate’s job market? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. unemployment rate (currently 3.7%) is the lowest it has been in 50 years. Many companies are struggling to find the right talent to fill their open positions. For talent acquisition professionals, this problem is further exacerbated by working with small or decreasing recruiting budgets. As you navigate through stressful recruiting times, it’s important to look at new ways to ease your recruiting pain as well as to be reminded of the tried and true low-cost recruiting tactics that can help you to attract great talent.
Job Posting Strategy
Choose your job posting resources carefully and spend your job posting dollars wisely. Job posting costs can vary dramatically from source to source from being free to costing several hundred dollars per posting. Keep in mind that some posting resources are better for certain job types more than others. Do your research before posting! Below are a few job posting ideas that stretch beyond typical job boards.
- Programmatic Job Advertising – As defined by AppCast, “Programmatic advertising is the buying, placement, and optimization of ads performed by software, rather than people. It allows advertisers to target their ideal demographic across the web, and keeps them from overspending on clicks that don’t convert with automated bidding processes.” Some companies have found this approach to be an effective, lower cost way to generate better, on-target applicants. Learn more from AppCast’s article, “What is Programmatic Job Advertising?”
- Job Seeker Support Groups – It is typically free to send your job openings to job seeker support groups. Consider attending these meetings to develop relationships with all types of job seekers and to position yourself at the top of their minds as an employment resource, in addition to emailing your job opportunities for distribution.
- Google for Jobs – This has become a game changer for job seekers because they don’t have to go to a specific source to look for jobs, rather they can simply find jobs through organic Google searches. The key for employers is to ensure that your jobs are being indexed on Google for Jobs; otherwise you risk missing out on millions of job seekers. If you don’t see your jobs on Google, here’s how to get started.
Expand Your Sourcing Resources
Given the long stretch of low unemployment we’ve experienced in the U.S. over the last couple of years, recruiters have learned that we simply cannot rely on incoming applications as a primary source of filling positions. Rather, we must take a proactive approach to source candidates. Then we put on our recruitment marketing hats to work to persuade them to consider new opportunities.
So, where do you look for potential candidates? In addition to pursuing the “typical” sources such as LinkedIn and professional associations, consider putting the following under-utilized and internal options on your list.
Source Targeted and/or Internal Candidate Pools Including:
- Veterans – This is a great pool of individuals with extensive training in leadership and technology, strong work ethic, ability to follow procedures, and are adept at working in diverse groups. Learn more from the Career One-stop Business Center about hiring vets and how you might be eligible for a tax credit for hiring a veteran.
- Retired Workers – Particularly those who have retired early may find that retirement isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be, and they are still looking for life fulfillment and/or supplemental income.
- Company Alumni/Boomerang Employees – Stay in touch with employees who have moved on from your company. Sometimes the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, and they are flattered when you reach out to them to spark an interest in coming back. Plus, they’re already familiar with your company culture and the nature of your business, so they can hit the ground running if hired again.
- Employee Referrals – Leverage your employees’ connections and provide incentives for them to share referrals. Let them know they don’t have to “sell” the job opportunities, rather if they can provide the names and contact info of viable candidates, you’ll take care of engaging the referrals.
- Stay-at-Home Parents – This can be a great pool of candidates for part-time positions that can occur during the school day, job-sharing, or at-home work opportunities.
- Ex-offenders – This is a segment of the population that deserves a second look and a second chance. More companies are hiring ex-offenders as part of their inclusion strategies, in addition to enjoying the financial benefits such as the Work Opportunity Tax Credit and Federal Bonding Program as described in this CNBC article, “Why Companies are turning to ex-cons to fill slots for workers.”
- Search Resume Databanks – There are several resume databanks you can use to find the right talent to fill your jobs; some are free, and some are low cost. Don’t forget about your local or state workforce development system resources as well. For example, OhioMeansJobs.com, in partnership with Monster.com, provides a free resource for Ohio companies to post jobs and search resumes. At the end of August, they plan to launch enhanced search capabilities leveraging Monster’s proprietary technology, so don’t miss out!
- Your Applicant Tracking System – Don’t forget this excellent resource of candidates who’ve expressed interest in your company in the past. Never underestimate the value of this resource! Stay in touch or reach back out to “silver medalist” candidates who maybe weren’t a fit for a role in the past but could be a great fit now.
- Consider Growing from Within – Look among your current staff for viable candidates. Is there anyone for whom your job opening could be a smart career development or promotion opportunity? Showing that you’re willing to help with your employees’ professional growth can also be an effective retention tool.
Shine a Light on Your Company Culture, Branding, and Careers
Examine your company’s culture and employment brand, employment marketing, recruitment processes, and work environments. There may be moments of opportunity where you could make small changes resulting in a big impact.
Employment Branding
Your employment brand reflects who you are and what it’s like to work at your company. It is more than the message that you outwardly present, but it’s also the message that comes from your employees about their experiences in working at your company. You want to leverage what makes you unique and communicate what makes your organization a great place to work. At the same time, you must be authentic. Perception must match reality. Job seekers will research reviews about your company and are far more likely to believe comments from your employees versus slick marketing messages that come directly from your organization. To learn what leaders in recruitment marketing and employment branding are doing, check out the Smashfly Transform 2019 Action Guide.
Social Media
Social media has changed the way we interact with others, socialize, and now how we find talent. It’s critical for recruitment professionals to network and build relationships, and social media provides an easy avenue to do this. It can also save valuable time and resources when used effectively in your recruiting process.
According to a recent SHRM survey studying the use of social media in talent acquisition, they identified the effectiveness of social media marketing in decreasing the time to fill various positions:
- 71% effective for non-management, salaried positions
- 67% effective for management positions (director/manager level)
- 59% effective for executive / upper management (c-suite)
- 53% effective for non-management / hourly workers
Although it’s certainly not the only game in town, LinkedIn comes to mind as the leading social media platform for professionals. We recommend reviewing your company’s LinkedIn content, use, and effectiveness. If you haven’t updated your LinkedIn profile, there’s no better time than the present. Candidates actively research companies and recruiters prior to applying for a position, so be sure you’re putting your best foot forward. Also, consider posting your job openings in your company LinkedIn updates, and encourage employees to share your jobs with their networks.
Careers Page
Make sure that your careers page is showcasing not only your current job opportunities, but also tells the story of what it’s like to work for your company. Adding short videos to hear from employees and hiring managers is becoming a compelling way to share your company’s story. If your company doesn’t have a careers page, now is the time to create it! To learn more, check out our tips for effective career page development.
Candidate Communication
Set yourself apart with effective candidate communication and feedback. You’ve heard about the importance of providing an exceptional candidate experience, and effective communication is a critical component. There’s no need to overcomplicate this – bottom line, be responsive, be positive, be timely, and respond through effective means. For some candidates, communicating through email or social media messages works well. For others, text messaging is more effective. You can also consider using AI chatbots to help ensure timely responses, especially to easily answered yet frequently asked questions.
Flexible Work Environments
The early bird may get the worm, but the right work environment will get the candidates! Sometimes the smallest of concessions on your part make a world of difference to a job seeker. Consider if offering a part-time schedule, job-sharing, or remote work opportunity could help to fill your open positions.
Manage Hiring Manager Expectations
As recruiters, we know the hiring manager wants the position filled “yesterday.” A critical first step in your process should be to set expectations with the hiring manager. Get a clear understanding of the role and a short list of “must have” qualifications. This will help immensely in your screening and sourcing process. Also, educate the hiring manager on the state of your labor pool. They need to understand the current supply/demand ratio of job seekers to jobs to fully appreciate the need to move quickly and be responsive with you and candidates.
Time for Action!
We’ve provided several ideas on how to positively impact your hiring process with limited financial resources, so now it’s up to you to determine what is most important for you? Assess your priorities of where and how you want to spend your time and recruiting dollars and go for it!
Thank you to Melinda Canino, MS, CIR and Melissa Dern, CIR with Strategic HR for sharing their insights and findings on recruiting on a shoe string budget. If you have any questions or would like to share your comments, contact us at info@strategicHRinc.com.
Hiring Practices in a Candidate Driven Market
HR Question:
What best hiring practices should I have in place for a “Candidate Driven” market?
HR Answer:
Since the Great Recession in 2008 and especially over the last several years, the economy has moved from recovery mode to consistently maintaining strong growth. The latest news release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the national monthly unemployment rates have been remaining steady at 3.7%, while at the same time, job numbers continue to stay positive. Many financial experts see that trend continuing for the foreseeable future.
So, what does that mean? First, it means that all job seekers have more opportunities and professional options to choose from. More importantly though, it means that the top tier candidates have the most leverage for the best opportunities. Secondly, it means that you can no longer use the same old hiring practices that you’ve used in the past when there were more candidates than there were jobs.
The easiest solution to this problem would be to simply raise wages and increase benefits to attract the top tier talent, or have employee sign on bonuses or other incentives. For most companies though, that simply is not an option. So, what can employers do to improve their ability to compete in these tough, competitive markets that are cost effective and simple to implement?
Below are some best hiring practices and strategies for hiring top tier talent in a Candidate Driven market:
- Write clear and concise job ads that promote both the position and the organization. Include information and links to the company website and other social media outlets that put on display your “employment brand”. This is usually the first impression a candidate sees when introduced to your organization, so make it a great one.
- Focus on candidate experience! In this market, the difficulty of the hiring process can have the most detrimental impact on a company’s ability to hire top tier candidates. There are several simple and easy steps to create a strong candidate experience:
- Utilize readily available technology to find alternate ways to reach out to candidates. In today’s world, people are always on their phones. As a result, utilizing text messaging to reach out to candidates is an effective way to communicate with candidates. This is especially true if a company has a lot of high-volume recruiting. Texting is a great way to reach a lot of candidates quickly and effectively. It boosts candidate engagement and may cut down on time spent playing phone tag.
- A recent study completed by Glassdoor found that 58% of job seekers search for new opportunities on their mobile devices, and 35% prefer to apply to positions on those devices. Be sure to offer options on your postings for candidates to easily provide links to their LinkedIn profiles or other social media.
- Simplify the ability of the candidate to post/apply to positions. Remove any unnecessary steps that make the application process lengthy or complex, which may turn off the candidates from even applying in the first place. Wait until after initial conversations with a candidate before making them complete lengthy applications or assessments. This allows for an opportunity to “sell” the position and the employment brand of the company, and to get the candidate interested to keep moving forward through those tasks.
- Implement internal best hiring practices or set expectations to ensure that new candidates are contacted within the first 24 hours after applying to a job. This can be a simple email that thanks them for their interest and includes an explanation of what the next steps in the process will be. In today’s environment, with the use of technology to apply for positions, candidates can easily feel that they are sending their resume into a black hole, never to be seen again. If the candidate doesn’t meet the qualifications, send an email letting the candidate know. The candidate will appreciate the follow up which will also help protect the employment brand of the company.
- Simplify the interview process as much as possible. Avoid having candidates come on-site multiple times for interviews. Top tier candidates are usually currently employed, which makes it very difficult for them to take time off to interview. Try to schedule as much as possible in one trip. The more that the interview process is dragged on and delayed, the more likely the candidate will get frustrated and find another opportunity. A lot of time and money is spent in the recruiting process, even up to the point of scheduling interviews and it is always costly to restart that process. If you have a good candidate, make sure that you maintain a high level of engagement and keep them interested throughout the process.
- An increasingly popular trend is to offer candidates an option to spend part of a day job shadowing with current staff in the role. Depending on the role and ability for a company to do so, this may be a great opportunity for the candidate to spend time with the team and to get a sense of the culture of the organization. Of course, you need to have a strong team and organizational culture to make that effective.
- Be proactive in your searches. Don’t wait for the candidate to come to you. Research organizations, social media outlets, or other networking options that are relevant to the position or company. Routinely connect with your network, share news, and let them know that you are hiring.
- Sell the position to the candidate! As previously mentioned, if you are competing for the same candidates as other competing organizations, be ready to sell to the candidate on why your company will be their best choice. This is not just a discussion of pay and benefits, but more about the culture, mission of the company, and potential career growth. This is especially important when interviewing Millennials. A 2016 Gallup report, found that a full 87% of Millennials say that professional development and career growth opportunities are what is most important to them. So, if your organization does a great job of providing career paths and development opportunities, be proud of that, put that message first and foremost ahead of pay and benefits.
- If your organization is utilizing a recruiting agency or firm to supplement recruiting efforts for those tough to fill positions, it is imperative to provide feedback and stay engaged in their recruiting efforts. If the agency does provide a qualified candidate, be sure to act quickly and move the candidate through the process. These are often currently employed, passive, candidates that have been sourced by the agency. They require being sold on the company and may take more effort to make them want to leave their current jobs.
Hopefully these tips and best hiring practices have sparked easy and simple ideas for you to strengthen your ability to compete for top tier candidates in a very competitive market without having to spend a lot of money. In fact, many of these are great hiring practices to implement in any market!
Are you struggling to find qualified individuals that fit your culture and make productive, long-term employees? Finding the right person to “fit” a job is a critical HR function. That’s why Strategic HR utilizes a variety of resources to help client’s source, screen and select the best candidates and employees. Please visit our Recruitment page for more information on how we can help you effectively and efficiently find your next employee.
Emphasizing Empathy for a Successful Candidate Experience
Question:
We’re in the process of improving our candidate experience, and we just don’t know where to start. What should we consider as we re-vamp this process?
Answer:
In an industry that contains a high percentage of rejection, talent acquisition can often times become somewhat demoralizing, both for the job seeker and the recruiter. One of the rising focuses within the recruitment industry is prioritizing the candidate experience. Companies are beginning to assess how they communicate with potential employees and the impressions they leave behind with those that aren’t a fit. As employers break down the components that make a strong candidate experience, there’s one key that comes out on top: empathy.
Before we dive further into how empathy fits into the recruiting machine, what is candidate experience? As Melinda Canino wrote in her article “Candidate Experience: How Small Tweaks Can Make a Huge Impact”, she describes candidate experience as “the collective whole of a job seeker’s interactions with and perception of a company during the recruitment and hiring process”. This means that there is so much more than just the voice behind the phone – candidate experience covers everything from the job ad to the application process to the final communication as you wrap up the requisition.
So how does empathy find its way into the process? When recruiters have that ability to understand and share in the feelings of their potential candidates, it allows them to craft their messages and actions towards them, including them in the process rather than leaving them out on an island. As Greg Savage details in his article “You Are Not In ‘Recruitment’. You Are In ‘Rejection’.”: “we are in the rejection business. And classy rejection is a skill worth refining.”
Whether or not you agree with the classification of being in the “rejection business”, everything is better with a little bit of empathy. Empathy can be demonstrated in several different ways throughout the recruiting process:
- Let candidates know when you’ve received an application: many candidates are sending their resumes into unresponsive black holes. Even an automated message alerting them to the receipt of their resume is enough to recognize the hard work they’ve already put in.
- Don’t leave them out in the cold: If the process is taking a while, let your candidates know where you are in the process. It doesn’t have to be incredibly specific (i.e. “the hiring manager is reviewing your resume, but you’re sixth in line to interview”), but enough to let them know that the process is ongoing. Keep your candidates warm, and recognize the agony that the wait can produce.
- Communicate early, often, and clearly: In a candidate’s market, talent acquisition professionals no longer have the luxury of working on their own timeline. Sometimes candidates have multiple potential positions in the works, and many are juggling different combinations of benefits, salary and PTO to find their best fit. By connecting with them early, and creating an empathetic connection, they may be more willing to continue down the path that you’re trying to lay.
- Train your memory: Don’t you love it when someone remembers a small, but personal detail? If you’re balancing several requisitions at one time, or if you’ve had an overwhelming response to a posting, it would be near impossible to remember every candidate’s name and each line of their resume. However, taking notes and remembering personal details will help candidates feel significant, cared for, and give the impression that they matter to your organization (because they do!). Make sure you’re taking note of questions or concerns during your conversations, and file them away in connection with each candidate. You don’t have to remember their childhood pet’s name, but it will benefit you in the future if you remember their prowess in a difficult-to-master skill set.
Not every candidate will receive the position they’re vying for, and many of them will be disappointed. In order to keep candidates interested and engaged with your company, even after they’ve received the rejection notice, consider emphasizing empathy within each step of your recruitment process.
Recruitment is a critical HR function. Strategic HR knows that finding and keeping talented employees is the key to company survival. That’s why our Talent Acquisition Consultants utilize a variety of resources to help client’s source, screen and select the best candidates and employees. Please visit our Recruitment page for more information on how we can help you effectively and efficiently find your next employee.
Strategies to Help Your Recruiter Succeed
Candidate Attraction Specialist.
Talent Acquisition Consultant.
Contingent Workforce Manager.
Principle Delivery Consultant.
Chief Talent Officer.
While these positions all have a variety of titles, their job function remains the same: they’re all recruiters trying to help their company attract top talent to their workplace! Recruiting is a complex and exciting job, and it may not be for everyone. It’s important for you to consider what it takes to be a successful Staffing Specialist, including some of the wins and challenges your recruiter might face.
First, let’s consider what makes a recruiter successful. The role of talent acquisition requires a unique mix of soft and technical skills, meaning this individual would benefit from a background of hands-on knowledge and strong networking experience. Here are some of the softer skills that your recruiter can rely on to develop in this area:
- They’re a People Person: Recruiter.com makes an excellent point in their blog post, Should You Become a Recruiter? 5 Signs You Have the Stuff. Because recruiters are making decisions that could make or break a person’s next career change, the whole process can be incredibly personal. You’ll want your recruiter to be able to build strong connections with your hiring managers and your candidates to be able to have tough conversations and find that right fit.
- They Have a Thick Skin: Like we said, recruiting is personal. Your recruiter won’t be able to please everyone, and they can’t give everyone a million dollars for their annual salary. However, your recruiter can be pleasant, understand that everyone is coming from a different walk of life, and do their best to meet both the hiring manager and your candidates’ needs. It’s a tightrope, but you can walk it!
- They’re Driven: recruiting requires the ability to be flexible. Sometimes the perfect candidate found another position, or that ideal fit wasn’t so ideal for the hiring manager. That’s okay! It just means your recruiter needs to head back to the drawing board, and not give up until they find your purple squirrel.
Those are just some of the skills that make a strong recruiter, and they’re a great starting point. You’ll also want to consider if your recruiter has or may benefit from technical knowledge in Engineering, IT, Manufacturing, Business, Healthcare, Nanotechnology, or any other particularly difficult industry. That knowledge can make for a successful start as your recruiter will already be ten steps ahead in absorbing some of the more complex details of your job requisitions.
There are some other issues you need to consider to help your recruiter succeed.
- In their blog, 10 Reasons Why Being a Recruiter is Awesome, Firefish Software made a good point: a recruiter’s compensation can be tied to your placements. Some (not all) recruiting roles are commission-based, which means a percentage of the recruiter’s annual salary is based on the success they have with attracting talent.
- Much like in a sales role, your recruiter will be told no. Often. A candidate may not be a fit, a candidate may not be interested, or a hiring manager may not want to move forward the diamond in the rough. That’s okay. Your recruiter needs to be able to face rejection head on and be prepared to deal with it in a constructive and productive manner, like diving back in with renewed energy.
- Recruiting isn’t always an 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. job. You may find your recruiter’s hours might shift, or your potential candidates may not be available during normal business hours. Plus, the number of job openings can change at the drop of a hat. Your recruiter will need to be agile and able to pivot quicker than Ross could in Friends.
Do you have the perfect employee in mind for this role? But now you need to sell them on what makes recruiting such an exciting profession? Here are some of the facets of the recruiting world that engage team members from all backgrounds:
- Recruiters will learn and meet fascinating people, and you will learn about disciplines they never knew about. They will quickly become an expert in your field. The variety is never-ending!
- Recruiting can give you the opportunity to practice and hone all of the soft skills (and more) that we discussed earlier. Your recruiters will become an expert in navigating difficult conversations, networking, and trusting their gut to find that right fit.
- Most important, your recruiter can make a lasting impact in someone’s career. Firefish makes this excellent point in the blog mentioned above – you can be the connection between a candidate and their dream job, which makes each “no” worth it.
What else would you say is needed to make a great recruiter for your organization?
A special thanks to Samantha Osborne with Strategic HR for sharing her insights and findings on recruitment. If you have any questions or would like to share your comments, contact us at info@strategicHRinc.com.
Creating a Strategy for High Volume Recruitment
Question:
Our organization is about to go through some very high volume staffing this year. What measures should we put in place to ensure that we will successfully meet our hiring goals?
Answer:
In this candidate-driven market, it is a must that you have a robust plan or strategy in place to accomplish your hiring goals and to measure the success of your efforts.
Below are a few strategies to consider as you develop your next moves. By incorporating these tactics, it will ensure greater opportunity of success in your hiring goals:
- Employment Brand: Your brand is a critical component to igniting candidates’ interest in your organization. Creating an exciting image of how great it is to work at your organization can make you stand out among competitive companies hiring the same talent. The great thing about your brand is that you have complete control of it – this is your chance to create a narrative that best represents what it’s like to work with you and your team. Ideas for developing your brand include:
- Developing an easy-to-use link to the “Careers” page on your company website. Make it easy to find! Don’t hide the link in the bottom corner of the home page. And, include testimonials and videos if possible.
- Create jobs posts that reflect your company culture, such as including your values or perks of working for your company.
- Use social media – build out social media networks and create social media accounts for your company on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You also should be prepared to respond to on-line reviews, such as Google reviews, about your company to help manage your company’s reputation.
- Employee Referral program: Statistically, the best resource for candidates is from your existing employees. If you do not already have an Employee Referral program, or if it has not been very effective, take the time to set up or review your plan for opportunities to strengthen it for maximum results. Think about what would motivate your employees to recommend others to work at your organization? Money? How much money? Time off?
- College recruiting: Do you have a position that could benefit from hiring new college graduates? If so, get in touch with your local colleges and universities now. Don’t wait until it’s the end of the school year, as many institutions will have job fairs year-round. It is in the best interest of those schools to help find avenues for their students to find great jobs. Take advantage of those relationships and get in ahead of your competition!
- Niche job boards: Online resources are constantly evolving. Ensure that you are aware of all available job boards and posting opportunities that are relevant to your open positions.
- Training opportunities: If you are having trouble finding candidates that can come into your organization and hit the ground running, look for opportunities to recruit candidates that could be trained to be long-term and successful contributors.
- Partner with a staffing firm: Having a strong and effective staffing partner to subsidize your recruiting efforts will allow you to stay focused on other areas of your organization that require a high level of priority.
Now that you have your strategies in place, and you’re ready to start hiring, how will you measure success? Metrics are always an important tool for HR to determine the effectiveness of a company’s recruiting efforts. The right kind of metrics are crucial when it comes to high-volume recruiting. Below are some metrics to consider:
- Qualified candidates per hire: This metric measures the number of candidates hired compared to those who made it past the first stage of the screening. It will quantify the effectiveness of your selection process in determining the most qualified candidates to move forward in your hiring process. If you have a large number of qualified candidates who are falling out of your recruiting process, this will present the opportunity to review your screening criteria to be sure it is in line with the needs of the position.
- Source of hire: Tracking the source of your hires is critical. You want to know which sourcing method is generating the most return on your investment in both dollars and time. If you are using a source that only generates a few hires, you will want to evaluate if you are applying your budget most effectively.
- Recruiting life cycle: The recruiting life cycle starts at the beginning stage of posting for the position and continues to the day that the candidate is scheduled to start. It includes screening resumes, phone screening, interviewing, making the offer, and completing any background checks. Knowing how long that process takes will let you know when you need to start executing your recruiting plans.
- Interview to hire ratio: This measure is critical to comprehend. If you know how many interviews it will take to make a single hire, it will help determine the most effective amount of recruiter resources needed to meet your hiring needs in a given amount of time. A good tip would be to make it a practice to have a post-interview summary with the hiring manager(s) to better understand why or why not a candidate may have been selected for hire. Make sure the candidate profile you are searching for is in line with what the organizational needs.
- Offer acceptance rate: It is important to understand why every offer is declined and to track the responses. Knowing this information:
- will allow you to address it early in the candidate life cycle, and it will help candidates self-eliminate themselves before investing more time in them.
- will help determine if adjustments to the candidate profile need to be made.
- will help determine if any organizational adjustments can be made to open up the opportunity for a wider candidate profile (e.g. work life balance concerns, pay, relocation).
Ultimately, high-volume sourcing requires high-performing strategies that rely on data-driven practices and not just HR best practices. Understanding the data will allow HR to engage in discussions with senior leadership from a level of authority which will help justify personnel and budget allocations needed for success.
Strategic HR provides a variety of resources to help you find the help you need. We offer outsourced recruiting, on-site contract assistance or contingency placement. We can create a plan that’s custom fit for your specific recruitment needs. Please visit our Recruitment page for more information.
What is a Certificate of Qualification for Employment?
HR Question:
This week a hiring manager was excited about a candidate but learned during an interview that the candidate has had a Felony for theft. The candidate mentioned having an Ohio Certificate of Qualification for Employment that they could provide. Although we are not a bank and the role does not handle money, we need to make sure our organization will not be put at risk by making a careless hire. Alternatively, we do not want to be discriminatory or lose an otherwise qualified individual that could make a great fit for the role. So what is a Certificate of Qualification of Employment and how can it help our company?
HR Answer:
Ohio law provides for a certificate to be available that removes criminal-record-based barriers to employment, without erasing or hiding the criminal record itself. The “Certificate of Qualification for Employment” (CQE) will allow persons who have a previous felony or misdemeanor conviction to apply to the court to lift the collateral sanction that bars them from being considered for employment in a particular field. A CQE is only given if an individual has been through an extensive application and investigation process and deemed, by both the Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (DRC) and the Court, to be rehabilitated. A Certificate of Qualification for Employment may be revoked if the offender is convicted of or pleads guilty to a felony offense committed subsequent to the issuance of the certificate.
Employer Benefits of a Certificate of Qualification for Employment
A CQE can benefit an employer by removing mandatory rules that prohibit licensure or employment of individuals with certain criminal records. The Certificate may be used for general employment opportunities as well. If an employer knowingly hires a CQE holder, the Certificate offers the employer legal protection from a potential negligent-hiring lawsuit. (However, if the employer fails to take action if dangerous or criminal behavior is exhibited after hiring and retains the employee after such behavior, the employer can then be held liable.)
The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction provides information to learn more about the certificate and a link where you can assure the authenticity of a CQE. You can also contact The Ohio Justice and Policy Center or directly review Ohio Revised Code 2953.25.
Banning the Box
There are many states and cities with laws making it illegal to exclude an otherwise qualified applicant who has had a misdemeanor or felony. At least 16 states have already passed legislation, “banning the box”, which prevents employers from inquiring about a criminal background at initial application. Federal EEO laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibit employers from discrimination by using criminal history information in their employment decisions because they can significantly disadvantage protected individuals such as African Americans and Hispanics.
The EEOC also has written the following guidance you may refer to:
- What You Should Know About the EEOC and Arrest and Conviction Records
- Enforcement Guidance on Consideration of Arrest and Conviction Records in Employment Decisions Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
This candidate’s Certificate of Qualification for Employment could prove to be a win-win. An applicant who has the qualifications you need and is looking for that long-deserved break may prove to be one of your most grateful and loyal employees if given the opportunity. Remember whether hiring or declining, before making a potentially costly decision, it is important to educate yourself on related federal, state, and local laws and/or seek legal counsel.
Struggling with hiring the right person and figuring out how and where to find candidates? Wondering how to do drug screens, background checks, physicals, references, and assessments? We can help you make sense of it all. Whether you need a complete recruitment solution or just help with pieces of the process, Strategic HR can assist you. Visit our Recruitment page to learn how we can provide you with top-notch outsourced recruitment solutions.
What Are the Benefits of a MicroMasters Certification?
Question:
I was recently reviewing a candidate’s resume and I noticed that they had listed a MicroMasters certification under their education for supply chain management. What is a MicroMasters certification and what does it mean for a candidate’s qualification for my open position?
Answer:
A MicroMasters certification is a certificate of completion of an abbreviated online graduate level course from one of many top universities through edX. edX, founded by Harvard University and MIT has been developing massive open online courses since 2012 and has co-developed MicroMasters programs in association with top-brand institutions worldwide such as Columbia University, MIT, RIT and the University of Michigan. All of the MicroMasters programs are sponsored by at least one industry partner such as Microsoft, IBM, GE, Bloomberg and Boeing to name a few.
The MicroMasters certification on a resume means that the candidate has completed a career-focused program backed by a top-tier educator and some of the most respected businesses worldwide. They provide deep learning in a specific career field and are recognized by employers for their real job relevance. A MicroMasters certificate program is designed to be a continued and targeted education to move forward in a specific field of work or it can be the stepping stone to expediting the completion of a Master degree. These MicroMasters programs are being offered in many fields, however there is a strong focus on new technology skills areas like AI, IoT, robotics, and data science.
Anant Agarwal, the CEO of edX, and a professor at MIT, says “Adding MicroMasters to a resume/CV or LinkedIn profile signifies that a learner has gained exposure to a field at a strategic level, giving them the knowledge necessary to advance their career.” Employers are confident that successful students in the MicroMasters programs have the education and training needed to meet their organization’s needs. The MicroMasters programs are supported by employers such as Microsoft because frequentative learning is a way of re-skilling your workforce and contributes to a culture of lifelong learning.
The programs are advantageous to both students and employers. edX lists five specific advantages:
- Career-focused: The programs are validated by top companies.
- Backed by credit: A MicroMasters credential equals 25-50 percent of a Master’s degree – 20-30 ECTS in Europe.
- Speed: Each program is designed to take three to six months.
- Affordable: Program costs range from $800 to $1,400.
- Flexible: Programs are offered online multiple times per year and on-demand. Students proceed at their own pace.
“After earning a MicroMasters certification, learners can immediately apply their new knowledge to further their career, or they can apply to an on-campus program and put their MicroMasters credential toward completing a master’s degree,” Agarwal says.
We will continue to see the addition of MicroMasters certifications on resumes as the number of subjects and universities participating in these programs is expected to continue to rise. MicroMasters certifications can vary depending on the program and university, but what is universal is that they all offer global learners the opportunity to study master’s level courses from top-ranked graduate programs, advance their professional skills, and earn valuable credentials toward their Master’s from top-tier institutions to advance their career.
Are you overwhelmed trying to screen and hire the right talent for your company? Hiring isn’t what it used to be and it can be difficult to keep up with new regulations and sources of talent. That’s were Strategic HR can help. Let our team of experts assist you with your recruitment needs. Visit our Recruitment page to learn more.
What Should I Use To Measure Recruitment Performance?
HR Question:
I need to measure our recruitment performance and develop a metric to do so. How do I set that up and what would I measure?
HR Answer:
Since there isn’t a universal formula for calculating recruitment performance and costs, you will need to determine what costs you want to track and attribute to your hiring efforts. There are many direct and indirect costs that you may consider including in the calculation. Below are some of the basic costs that you should consider when measuring recruitment performance.
Sourcing
Costs incurred to source for candidates using online job posting boards, resume banks, social media ad campaigns, etc. Be sure you divide the cost of these sources by the number of positions you are filling that use the source on order to have a true cost for a specific hire.
Screening
Costs associated with the time and expense for your staff to handle and review resumes and applicants for a particular position, including:
- Administrative staff time to open, respond, and route resumes to the hiring team. To calculate this time, figure out an average cost per resume and track how many resumes are received for each job to calculate the administrative cost per job.
- Hiring team/recruiter time spent screening through resumes and following up as needed. Similar to administrative costs, this can be calculated per resume/applicant to determine an average cost.
- Be sure to track time spent on preliminary phone interviews or pre-screens. Look at how many were conducted and the time spent by the recruiter to prepare, conduct, summarize and communicate the results of those interviews.
- Do you have an automated applicant tracking program? This is an indirect cost that you may choose to pro-rate across your hires for a specific period of time, somewhat like depreciating a new computer on your taxes.
Interviewing
Costs associated with the interview including time spent scheduling interviews and travel expenses or accommodations for the hiring team or interviewee that were reimbursed.
Remember to calculate interview costs to include the number of staff members involved in the interviews, their time spent per interview, and the number of interviews they attended to determine the average cost of the interviewers’ time.
Hiring
Hiring expenses include:
- Time and expense associated with the follow-up with candidates during negotiations and to notify those that were not hired.
- Cost of referral fees from a recruiting agency or an employee referral.
- Relocation costs for the new hire to relocate. Some costs may include moving company, airplane tickets, hotel accommodations, temporary housing, house hunting visits, assistance with sell/buy, or spouse/dependent assistance.
- Cost for background investigations and/or reference checks and drug screens.
- Incentives or sign-on bonus for the new employee.
- Think about all the costs to bring someone on board, such as orientation, mentoring, benefits enrollment, computers, cell phones, uniforms, etc.
Not every hire will incur all of these expenses. And, your organization may choose not to track some of these costs, but this list is a starting point to help you identify your recruitment costs per hire. The key is to identify what recruitment costs you are going to track and then consistently track them for all your hires to have an internal comparison from one hire to the next.
Other Considerations
There are other measures you need to consider as you evaluate the overall success of your recruitment performance and what you can do better next time. These include:
- How long did it take to fill the position from start to hire date?
- What could you have done to reduce the time to hire and not have impacted the quality of the hire?
- What was the impact on productivity while the position was left vacant? This is a very difficult calculation to conduct especially depending on the position. However, it does have an impact on the hiring manager and the organization as a whole. If it can’t be quantified, at least keep it in mind.
- How satisfied was the hiring manager / organization with the hire? This assessment can be done following the hiring but should be repeated again 3-6 months after the employee has been on the job to get a real sense of how successful the hire was.
Be sure you review your cost analysis and each of these other measures to identify what you can capitalize on next time and what you need to do different. For example, what was the success of your recruitment sources? Which ones provided the most candidates and more importantly the quality candidates? Which ones did not?
Again, it’s important to recognize that there are many ways to measure your recruitment performance. If there are other metrics that are important to your organization beyond those that are suggested, you can and should add them to your list of metrics.
Recruitment is more than just placing an ad in the newspaper. It takes a targeted message using the right sources and lots of follow-up. It can be expensive when not well thought-out, but when done correctly it doesn’t have to break the budget. Strategic HR knows what it takes to attract, hire and retain the best employees. Visit our Recruitment page to learn how our services can help you get your recruiting on the right track.
Recruiting and Retaining Millennials
By Robin Throckmorton, MA, SPHR, SCP
The Millennial generation now dominates our workforce as they have successfully surpassed the Baby Boomer generation. And guess what, multiple studies show we can expect the Millennials to be 50% of the workforce by 2020 and 75% of the global workplace by 2030. With Baby Boomers retiring and labor market getting tighter, companies are going to have to make changes to their recruitment and retention efforts to accommodate the Millennials to have any hope of attracting and retaining them.
Who the Millennials are is a little vague because of varying definitions. Based on our research for our book Bridging the Generation Gap, my co-author, Linda Gravett, PhD, SPHR, CEQC and I define the Millennials as the Generation Ys (born between 1977-1990) AND the Gen Zs (born between 1991 – 2001). These two generations grew up viewing the terrorist attack on 9/11 on TV, mass school shootings, immersion in technology their entire life, globally connected, and embracing a diverse society.
To recruit this generation, you’ll need to understand who they are and what their life experiences have been so far to create an effective strategy that addresses where to find them, what they are looking for and how to recruit. Some of the top things Millennials are looking for in a company include:
- Culture with aligned values
- Growth and development
- Team oriented environment
- Work/Life blending with workplace flexibility
- Pay and perks
Millennials are going to research your company well before they apply to confirm whether or not your organization meets these needs. And they will continue their review through your hiring process. You will more likely find Millennial candidates on LinkedIn, Indeed, your company website, or social media (not just LinkedIn and Facebook but also Snapchat and Instagram). Your application process needs to be mobile friendly and your recruiting process needs to be efficient, quick, personalized, and extremely responsive. Consider having the Millennial interview with the team they will work with as well as shadow someone if possible to get a realistic view of the job.
Now that you have the Millennial hired, don’t assume that the job is done. Recruiting the Millennial is only half the battle. Once you find them, you will have to work hard to keep them. But, if you are willing to make a few changes, a 2017 survey by Deloitte found that you’ll see the average tenure of two years grow to beyond 5 years. A few key changes you’ll want to incorporate include:
- Assigning meaningful work
- Providing opportunities for growth and development in a realistic time frame
- Understanding the influence the parent(s) can have on the Millennial’s choices
- Providing quality regular communication and feedback
- Offering flexibility in hours
Failure to make changes could result in significant impacts in turnover. According to a May 2017 article in The Business Journal, the cost to replace a Millennial employee is $15,000 – $20,000. Plus, this doesn’t account for the impact of the loss on morale and other employees deciding they should see if the grass is greener someplace else too. If you do lose a Millennial, keep it positive. Conduct an exit interview to find out why they are leaving and what you could do different to help retain more Millennials. We are finding it isn’t that uncommon for a Millennial to come back once they test the waters elsewhere, especially if they left on good terms and see you making some changes for the better.
Each generation before has brought new changes to our workplace. At first, they seem irrational but over time that changes. We are seeing the same with the Millennial workforce. You will likely find as you make these improvements to your workplace it will not only help you attract and retain Millennials but also other generations.
Robin Throckmorton, MA, SPHR, SCP is the President at Strategic HR (www.strategicHRinc.com). If you have any questions or would like to share your comments, contact Robin@strategicHRinc.com.
What To Do If a Background Check Results in a Rejection of Hire
HR Question:
What steps need to be taken after I reject an applicant based on the results of a background check? What are pre-adverse and adverse action notices? When do I need to send them?
HR Answer:
When considering the addition of a new employee to your team, background checks are an essential final screening tool that many employers use. But, what happens when the results of a background check are concerning? Can you simply reject this applicant and move on to the next one? Think again!
If hiring decisions are made as a result of the findings on a background check, employers are legally required, under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, to take certain steps in order to remain compliant.
Pre-Adverse Action Notice
Before making a final decision, a “Pre-Adverse Action Notice” must be sent to the applicant. This notice should inform the applicant that there were questionable findings on the background check, but should not cite specifics. After the notice is sent, a reasonable amount of time must be given to the applicant to dispute these findings. Although the Fair Credit Reporting Act does not define a “reasonable” amount of time, the Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau state that a minimum of 5 business days can be considered “reasonable.” Along with the Pre-Adverse Action Notice, the applicant must be sent a copy of the background check and a copy of the Fair Credit Reporting Act’s, “A Summary of Your Rights.”
Adverse Action Notice
If, after a reasonable amount of time, the applicant has not disputed the background report findings, then an “Adverse Action Notice” must be sent to the applicant. Along with the reason for denying employment, this notice must include several key pieces of information:
- The name and address of the Consumer Reporting Agency, along with a statement that the adverse action is based upon information in the background check.
- A statement noting that the Consumer Reporting Agency who supplied the report did not make any decisions regarding the adverse action.
- A statement outlining the applicant’s right to dispute any information included in the background check.
- A notice stating that the applicant can receive a free copy of the report within 60 days.
Often your background check provider can help you through this process and may even provide the forms and an online tool to initiate the notices.
Does the thought of hiring someone make your head spin? Perm, temp, temp-to-perm, intern…drug screens, background checks, physicals, references, assessments – we can help you make sense of it all. Whether you need a complete recruitment solution or just help with pieces of the process, Strategic HR can assist you. Visit our Recruitment page to learn how we can provide you with top notch recruitment solutions.
Are You Struggling to Recruit Millennials?
By Avery Helwig, aPHR and Robin Throckmorton, MA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Whether you like it or not, the Millennial generation has arrived; and amid the stereotypes, this is a generation that is determined to reach success. While it may be hard to look past the labels that have been put on this young generation, we must learn to modify our recruitment efforts to attract this outstanding talent and truly recognize all they have to offer. The Millennials include both Generation Y (Born 1977 – 1990) and Generation Z (Born 1991 – end not determined) and are predicted to make up 75% of the workforce by 2025.
Here are 7 key things to consider as you begin your search for new talent specifically targeting the Millennials. And, guess what, they are just paving the way for the rest of us. Many of the strategies to attract the Millennials, you’ll find, will help your overall recruitment for all talent.
1. What is the company’s reputation?
The company’s employment brand and reputation exists whether you’ve taken time to focus on it or not. This means, your job recruiting a Millennial starts well before you start creating the job ad. As Avery explains, “when I see a job that appeals to me, it’s not only the job description that gets me to apply, it’s the reputation and culture of the company as well.” Some things to think about include:
- Does the company appear on Glassdoor? Google? Facebook? Is it positive or negative?
- What are others saying about working at your company?
- What is the company’s social media presence like? statuses
Millennial job seekers are actively looking at these types of websites. Plus, Millennials are also great at networking and will seek out others who have worked for that employer for feedback.
2. What does the company do?
The majority of Millennials value meaningful work over almost everything else. This makes it no surprise that Deloitte found that 77% of Millennials note their current company’s purpose was one of the primary deciding factors in accepting a position.
Some companies are going to naturally appeal more to Millennials. It is critical for you to be sure it is easy for someone to understand your business either through your company website and/or the job ad. Avery said, “If I’m applying for the job, I want to understand exactly what the company does. I’ve run into employers with open positions that I’ve researched and I could never quite figure out what they do, which made me less likely to apply to the job.” Millennials want to be able to make a difference at a company and need to ensure their values are aligned with the company.
3. Is your job ad compelling?
To catch the attention of a Millennial, your job ad should not just be a job description or a short one paragraph classified ad. You need to make the ad compelling to catch the attention of the Millennial so they are interested in learning more. Think about:
- What hooks you can use?
- What details about the job and company need shared?
- What’s in it for me? Why should I apply?
- How do I apply?
4. What’s your application process?
How do I apply? The simple answer is your application process needs to be very easy. How easy is it for someone to find the careers page of your website and drill through to your current job openings? Statistics show you lose about 50% of your job seekers with each click they have to make to drill down to the job and apply. Plus, a Millennial job seeker is less likely to apply if it takes 15 minutes just to get to the application.
Recently, a Millennial stated “If I’m applying for a job, I want to give you my name, email and resume. If you are interested in me, let’s talk further before I give you my social security number, supervisors, compensation, etc.”
Your application process needs to be short and quick. With technology today, you are able to make your application processes efficient. Candidates shouldn’t need to recreate their resume in your online application but rather just attach their resume. If your process really needs them to complete an application, consider having the candidate complete the application when you decide to have them interview with you. Remember, your application process is a good example to candidates on how your company runs.
Even more important, show your candidates you care that they are investing this much time into the initial application. Take the time to respond to the candidate regardless of your decision to pursue them or not.
5. How do you reach out to Millennials?
Like other generations, Millennials are extremely busy. But, their cell phone is never far away. The best way to reach them throughout your recruitment process is email or even text. This allows them to get to a place where they can respond to you without interruptions or distractions.
Of course, emails can get lost in spam, so a phone call may be necessary but should be secondary and include the details for how the Millennial can get back to you via email rather than playing phone tag.
6. What’s Your Feedback Process?
Last, but surely not least, in your recruitment process is demonstrating respect to the Millennial for the time they invested in your company. Providing feedback that they are no longer being considered or even why they aren’t being considered is critical. Remember #1 above, company reputation: the Millennial not hired still becomes an ambassador for your company; will it be positive or negative?
In Proactive Talent Blog’s “5 Tips to Create a Winning Candidate Experience”: they cited:
- 42% of job applicants who had a negative experience say they would never apply to that company again;
- 78% of the applicants say they would share their bad candidate experience with their network; and
- 34% of the candidates would share their negative experience on social media for the entire world to see.
7. Don’t Stereotype!
The final most important part of your recruitment process should be avoiding stereotypes. Millennials are extremely eager to learn from the older generations and forming those successful partnerships are crucial for success.
While understanding how each generation is different helps your company succeed, using those differences as stereotypes will backfire. Not all Millennials (all 75 Million of them) are the same. Assuming they are all lazy, disrespectful and entitled will end up causing you to lose out on some great talent that your competition will win. Millennials grew up in a different era and they are highly motivated, innovative, and tech-savvy quick learners. Therefore, they go about things in a different way…but no less effective. What did the generation before yours say about you?
How will you change your recruitment process to attract more Millennials and ensure you have a diverse workforce?
Struggling to recruit or have questions about this article? Contact Robin at Robin@strategicHRinc.com, Avery at Avery@strategicHRinc.com, or visit our Outsourced Recruitment Solution page to learn more.
Are Social Media Background Checks Legal?
Question:
Should my company conduct social media background checks as part of our recruitment process?
Answer:
When a hiring team considers using social media background checks on potential candidates, they should first assess the risk of performing these checks and proceed with caution. Social media profiles often include information such as:
- Age,
- Race,
- Gender,
- National Origin,
- Religion, and
- other protected classes.
Previewing this protected information can lead to an assortment of legal trouble if hiring decisions are made or appear to be made based on social media checks performed by someone that has the ability to impact the hiring decision.
Another item to be aware of is protected activity. For example, if a candidate was criticizing his or her former employer on social media and a hiring decision was made based on those comments, it may be considered protected concerted activity under the National Labor Relations Act.
In the past, some employers have requested social media user names and/or passwords to access the information this way. However, many states are now making it illegal for employers to request this information.
This only skims the surface of the potential workplace compliance issues that could arise by conducting social media checks on potential employees. If you are going to use social media as a tool in your recruiting process, it is generally a good rule not to handle social media background checks internally. However, if you still feel a candidate’s social media can help you in your recruitment process, you need to identify job related information that you hope to gain from the check (i.e. writing skills, consistency of job titles and dates), AND have someone that is not at all involved in the hiring decision (i.e. another employee or an external service or consultant) conduct these searches. This way, you will be able to obtain the information you need, without the perception of discriminating against your candidate.
Recruitment isn’t just a matter of finding and hiring the right person. There are scores of regulations that must be adhered to or you risk stiff fines or penalties. Strategic HR specializes in helping companies find, hire, and retain a talented workforce while keeping an organization compliant. Visit our Recruitment page to learn how we can help you hire safely.
3 Keys to Successful Recruitment
Would you agree that we are in a tightening labor market? Are you finding the need to engage passive candidates in order to fill those complex positions? In order to be successful, these influences will drive companies to improve their recruiting processes in order to find the right candidates.
The complexities of the recruiting world are affecting all three of the main actors in the process: Candidates, Recruiters, and Hiring Managers. In this article, we have taken the perspective of each of these parties and evaluated their involvement with the other parties.
From a candidate perspective, getting your resume noticed by a recruiter and making a good impression can be extremely nerve-racking. According to Career Builder, 3 out of 4 job seekers cite job hunting as one of the most stressful things in his or her life. If employers want to attract the best talent, one of their main focuses should be a positive candidate experience during the interview process.
Candidates aren’t the only ones finding themselves in stressful situations during the recruiting process. As a hiring manager, it can be frustrating to be in the position of trying to hire for a tough to fill job. Whether there is a lack of communication between all parties (recruiters, candidates, and hiring managers), or you are seemingly being presented with unqualified candidates, there are best practices that you can follow in order to make the process as seamless as possible.
Like the candidate and hiring manager, the recruiter has a unique perspective as well. Perhaps the person who seemingly knows the recruiting process the best, the recruiter still seems to run into frustrations daily. Whether you are trying to wrap your head around a complex job or you are beginning to feel that the hiring manager has expectations that are just unrealistic, there are some tips that you can take to make the process run as smoothly as possible.
Recruiting is not a science and does take a great deal of skill, organization, flexibility, creativity, and patience. But, by understanding your process, tools and actors in the process, you will make your recruitment process that much smoother and successful.
About the Authors:
Avery Helwig is a Talent Acquisition Consultant with Strategic HR. She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and a minor in Organizational Leadership with an HR focus.
John Throckmorton is a Director with Strategic HR. He has been involved in running projects and operations for the last 25 years. John has worked in multiple industries including IT, environmental, manufacturing, and the public sector. If you have questions for John or would like to contact him directly, email him at John@strategicHRinc.com
Is recruiting just too much for your workload? Are you concerned you don’t have the knowledge of the latest and greatest recruitment strategies? Strategic HR can help you. We provide an Outsourced Recruitment Solution to help manage as many jobs as you need. Our fee structure is hourly therefore reducing your cost to hire substantially while still being able to take advantage of our years of experience, certifications, and more. Contact us to talk further about your recruitment needs.
In my recruitment strategies, can I really text a candidate?
Question:
Sometimes, in my recruitment strategies, I have such a hard time getting candidates to respond to my calls and emails. A colleague asked if I had tried texting? Can I really do this? It seems intrusive.
Answer:
In a word, yes. Especially if a good candidate is not responding to other means. Texting is a ubiquitous part of our everyday life, why not use it in your recruitment strategies? The fact is that many people are more likely to check messages on their mobile phone and keep it nearby. A text may get their attention when a voice message may not. If you do so, I would offer some parameters:
- Make sure and identify yourself.
- Keep it brief but professional.
- Your goal should be to engage in a dialog/conversation; craft your message carefully to gain the best response.
- Consider the right time of day to text someone; where texting is more immediate, is it appropriate to text a candidate in the evening or early morning?
- There are also web-based phone options that will also allow you to text, which can avoid using your personal cell phone.
It’s a very tight job market, and a recruiter must use every tool available to reach candidates. The world has changed and our recruiting tactics to keep up.
With today’s high unemployment there are lots of job seekers, but only one is going to be the right “fit” for your job opening. It takes a targeted approach using the right message, the best resources and lots of follow up to find that “needle in a haystack”. It can be expensive when not well thought-out, but when done correctly doesn’t have to break the budget. Strategic HR knows what it takes to attract, hire and retain the best employees. Whether you need a complete recruitment solution or just help with pieces of your process, we can assist you. Visit our Recruitment page to learn how we can provide you with top notch recruitment assistance.
Recruiting Reality Check
Question:
A couple of my hiring managers are disconnected from the reality of our current labor market – they still want to compare several top candidates before making a decision. We’re losing great candidates because it’s taking too long to try to find more candidates to compare. How do I help them understand we need to move smarter and faster?
Answer:
We understand your frustration, and you’re not alone! Since you’re in the trenches of daily recruiting, you know firsthand how quickly great candidates are getting snatched up by competitors who are able to move faster in their selection process. You probably also noticed that it’s more difficult to find viable candidates for many positions because the available labor pool is small. According to the Southwest Ohio Region Workforce Investment Board’s latest unemployment statistics (September 2016), unemployment for the Greater Cincinnati area is 4.1%.
We can no longer post job openings and expect to be flooded with resumes. Rather, recruiters have to spend more time sourcing to identify viable passive candidates. Once we find those candidates, we need to move them through the selection process quickly or we risk losing them altogether. All of this combined heightens the need for a fast and efficient recruiting and selection process with the ability to make quick, astute hiring decisions.
So, how do you explain the reality of today’s labor market to your hiring managers? If sharing the points above doesn’t help, maybe you can try a new angle. Have you ever noticed the similarities between the recruiting process and house hunting? Ask them to recall how they approached house hunting, which often goes like this:
Step 1: You go into house hunting with a huge list of “must haves” that you simply cannot live without – just as we do when recruiting for an open position.
Step 2: You see the houses currently available on the market, which may not be nearly as many as you had hoped for, nor do they have all of your desired features. (Where are the granite countertops and hardwood floors?!) But you need to find a house, so you forge ahead to step 3!
Step 3: You do a bit of soul searching to refine and prioritize your “must haves” list to identify what’s truly most important to you and determine what you’re willing to live without or change/update yourself. (Everybody likes a DIY project, right?)
Step 4: Act fast and call in your offer immediately before someone else snatches up your next soon-to-be dream house! (You’ve learned this because it happened with the last two houses you tried to buy, but took too long to decide upon, and lost them to other buyers. Meanwhile, those other savvy buyers are already hosting their new housewarming parties!)
If you apply the lessons learned during the house hunting experience to your recruiting and selection process, you know you need to:
- Be accurate in defining the role you’re looking to fill and the “must haves” versus “nice to haves.” Make sure your job descriptions are up to date too!
- Assess the current pool of potential candidates and connect with them quickly.
- Readjust expectations and “must haves” if the labor market doesn’t meet all of your criteria. Determine critical skills needed to start, and what could possibly be trained.
- Move fast on strong candidates; even if you don’t have several to compare. Don’t let your desire to shop around cause you to lose a great potential employee.
- Celebrate knowing that you did your homework, understood the market and made a smart, fast new hire!
Hopefully, this gives you a new angle for your recruiting conversations with your hiring managers. Building a strong, trusting relationship with your hiring managers will be invaluable as you navigate the waters of recruiting in today’s labor market.
Finding qualified employees for your business can be one of the most difficult and time-consuming HR functions. Strategic HR has a wealth of knowledge concerning current trends in the job market as well as where to go to find the key staff you need for your company. We have the know-how, the contacts and the tools needed to get your job search up and running. Whether you need to fill several on-going job openings, or have a hard-to-fill position that’s been zapping your energy, allow Strategic HR to do the work for you. Find out how our Outsourced Recruitment Solution can help you with all stages of the recruitment process.
Hiring Ex-Sex Offenders
HR Question:
I am open to the idea of possibly hiring someone with a past record as a sex offender. Will this be a concern to my employees? What do I need to think about before bringing them on board?
HR Answer:
When it comes to hiring ex-sex offenders, companies should walk into the situation with eyes open, educating themselves while being open-minded to the many benefits the hire can bring to the table. Not only can you bring benefits to your organization, you will be helping the individual by offering employment and stability to those looking for an opportunity in the working world.
While sex offenders should have just as much of an opportunity to employment as anyone else, there are questions that an employer must address before hiring these individuals, based on their criminal past. It is essential to ensure that they are able to perform the essential duties of the job and ensure that they have no restrictions on their employment. Some ex-offenders are faced with restrictions such as working with minors, or having access to a computer and/or internet, and employers will need to work with the offender in order to find a suitable position that meets these requirements, if that is possible. Open and honest communication with the individual will help you to meet these requirements. Other considerations:
Consider relevant factors
Relevant factors that should be considered include the type of offense, the number of offenses that have occurred, rehabilitation efforts, and length of time it has been since the offense.
Is the offense job related?
While it is easy to justify not hiring a sex offender “just because”, employers should be open minded and think about if the offense could potentially affect the job to be done. If not, then the applicant should be considered like any other.
Do I still feel like I am providing a safe work environment for my employees?
The most important thing you should consider when considering hiring an ex-sex offender is if you are still providing a safe and comfortable work environment for yourself and other employees. This answer can vary based on your opinion about sex offenders, but employers should keep an open mind and take into account all of the factors that go into hiring someone with a criminal background. Keep in mind that applicants should always have a chance to explain their criminal background.
Finally, keep in mind that if you do hire someone with a record, your company may be eligible for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, which is a Federal tax credit that is available to employers who hire and retain individuals from target groups that face considerable barriers when it comes to finding a job, like sex offenders.
Do you struggle to find qualified individuals that fit your culture and make productive, long-term employees? Finding the right person to “fit” a job is a critical HR function. That’s why Strategic HR utilizes a variety of resources to help clients source, screen and select the best candidates and employees. Please visit our Recruitment page for more information on how we can help you effectively and efficiently find your next employee.
Recruiting Etiquette
Question:
This is supposed to be a tough job market with too many job seekers and not enough jobs. I would think job seekers would be extra careful about their business etiquette. But I’ve called and emailed would-be candidates to the point of “stalking” with no response – how many times should I try before giving up?
Answer:
Both sides of the fence, job seekers and recruiters, have been complaining about the lack of business, or more specifically recruiting etiquette, these days. Seems that all camps are presently unhappy with the current state of things.
When contacting applicants it is most common to try multiple times and ways to reach them. Whether the applicant sends in a resume or they are sourced via another method, you should call or email as the first contact, wait a day or two, then follow up with the opposite of how you first attempted contact (call if email was used as the first contact method or vice versa), then wait a few more days before making a last contact using the original method (call or email). Simplified it looks like this:
Email – Call – Email <or> Call – Email – Call
Depending on the time frame of the search, this contact process might span a few days or as much as a week or two. This method of contact allows for multiple approaches (in the event the email gets caught in spam) and multiple times (in the event that you catch them on vacation and unavailable). This will provide adequate opportunity for a truly interested applicant to respond.
If none of these approaches work, before you give up on an applicant entirely, be sure to look at surrounding circumstances that might impact a speedy response time. Did you contact the applicant around the holidays? Could their message be in YOUR spam folder? Do they work on an off-shift that makes connecting with you problematic? Make sure you provide them with alternate ways to get back in touch with you! Privacy concerns may be an issue so be sure to be discreet if necessary and respect the applicant’s need for discretion. And, when possible, be patient.
Strategic HR provides a variety of resources to help you find the help you need. We offer outsourced recruiting, on-site contract assistance or contingency placement. We can create a plan that’s custom fit for your specific recruitment needs. Please visit our Recruitment page for more information.
How to Handle Background Checks for Temporary Employees
HR Question:
We had a fabulous individual working for us through a temporary agency. We decided to hire the individual and ran them through our process, including conducting a background check. The results were shocking – we thought the temporary agency had already verified their background. How should I handle background checks for temporary employees going forward to ensure this doesn’t happen again?
HR Answer:
Many companies treat temporary employees differently when it comes to background checks and only realize it when it’s too late – when they try to hire the individual. The staffing company said they ran a “background check” before they placed the individual with you. However, when you compare the results of your own verification versus the staffing company’s, it hits you: If you had run your own background check first, instead of relying on the staffing company’s, you would never have considered the individual in the first place. So, now what do you do?
Unfortunately, this situation is all too common. Many employers allow temporary workers into their organization without knowing anything about the “background check” the staffing company performed before those individuals started working for their organization.
Did they only run a database search? Maybe they just entered the employee’s name in a local county records website or simply Googled the person. Or, even more disturbing, maybe they didn’t research the person’s background at all!
The term “background check” is very broad. When working with temporary employees, it is best practice to confirm that your staffing company is running quality courthouse background research before you let them place temporary personnel with your organization.
Background Check Tips for Temporary Employees:
- Connect with your attorney to discuss whether or not you should include background check requirements in your Master Service Agreement (MSA), as well as how they are to be conducted. Many times that might include the last seven years of residence, county, state, social security number, aliases/previous last names, etc. You may want to consider using a third party rather than an internal database search.
- Ask to see the reports for individuals who have a criminal record. It is a good HR practice to apply your evaluation approach consistently to both temporary and permanent employees.
- Consider including county criminal research. Many organizations have found county research to be a helpful source in finding if a felony or misdemeanor charge exists for an individual, and it can help to support HR Compliance with the Federal Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
- Don’t be fooled by a “federal” search. This check certainly has its value, however, it can be misleading. While it may sound all-encompassing, it only includes federal crimes. Pre-employment screening companies have found the majority of crimes committed are state crimes. Therefore, most people with a criminal past would come back clean on a federal search.
Managing the hiring process can be tricky. If you currently run pre-employment screenings before you bring someone on board, you already understand the importance of this verification process. To help protect your organization and your employees, follow the best practice of having employees from staffing companies meet the same expectations as direct hires.
A special thank you to Matt Messersmith, President/CEO, Signet Screening, and Amy Turner, Senior HR Business Advisor, for sharing their expertise in this HR Question of the Week.
Does the thought of hiring someone make your head spin? Full-time, temporary, temp-to-perm, intern…pre-employment assessments, references, background checks, drug screens – we can help you manage it all. Whether you need a complete recruitment solution or just help with pieces of the process, Clark Schaefer Strategic HR can assist you. Visit our Recruitment page to learn how we can provide you with top-notch recruitment solutions.
Keeping Electronic Recruiting Correspondence
Question:
Much of our recruiting is now done online and via email. Do I need to keep the emails generated from our last round of hiring? Does it matter if the candidate followed through with a response or not?
Answer:
You need to keep any records from the search for one year – those that you were considering AND those that you were not (even those that applied but may not have followed through with a response to your email). Keeping them in an electronic file is great – date it and pitch it next year. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) requires employers to keep employment records for one year. After that time, employers can either discard the record or archive it, provided they maintain the confidentiality of information contained in each record. Suppose you have a resume, cover letter, list of references and brief notes from a telephone screening, yet you decided to select other candidates for in-person interviews. The records generated, including electronically, during the course of the preliminary screening are, in fact, hiring records. They must be kept for one year, pursuant to EEOC regulations.
Another important reason to keep hiring records on file even if the applicant wasn’t hired is so applicants don’t have possible recourse if they are rejected during the hiring process. Applicants who claim they weren’t hired based on factors not related to the job (i.e, race, sex, national origin, age or religion) have up to one year to file a formal discrimination charge with the EEOC. Should the EEOC decide to investigate the applicant’s complaint, the agency can ask employers to produce records used during the hiring process. The company’s hiring practices don’t look favorable if the employer can’t comply with the request because it has discarded the hiring materials.
Employment recordkeeping does not rank high on the list of favorite human resources functions, but it is vitally important. What you keep can be as detrimental as what you don’t keep in some instances. Avoid the fines and minimize your stress level by having Strategic HR assist with your recordkeeping compliance. Visit our Recordkeeping page to learn more about our services.
Working in the Executive Project World
by Terry Spriestersbach, Project Leader/Search Consultant with Amotec, Inc.
As the economy attempts to recover from its doldrums, companies are starting to address many of the initiatives they had in process before things went flat. Projects that were set aside both out of necessity as a cost saving measure and because of declining business orders are being re-evaluated.
In the process of moving forward again, companies are looking at assets available to them. The review of these assets include examining human capital, some of which was laid off or eliminated creating gaping holes in the corporate talent fabric even at the senior level. For most companies, patching those holes with executives and managers available on an interim or project basis makes sense from several perspectives.
Executive level projects in essence allow management teams to “clone” themselves to increase the capacity of the core team or serve as a temporary fill in for staff that may be added later. These project executives are people who have been at the “C”, VP or Director level and come to a company ready to go to work.
Building a competent project team allows companies to quickly get back on track without making premature hiring decisions or loosing an avenue to competitive advantage. Different from consulting engagements, project executives deliver real, usable results [like structuring an M&A, preparing a company to go public, implementing Sarbanes Oxley, launching a Six Sigma initiative or performing an intricate cost analysis] instead of expensive recommendations. Companies have the benefit of their interim executive being available to answer questions and direct the implementation of and train the core staff on maintenance of programs.
Project work has definite advantages for the candidate too. Taking a traditional “job” just because it is available for the short run can sometimes have a negative affect on someone’s career in the long run. Working in a project capacity appears on a resume as a laser focused use of a portion of the person’s skills and abilities rather than looking like a hiccup or step backwards. Project work also allows candidates who were caught in the economic cross fire to look at new industry segments that may have an appeal for them but in which they have little or no experience [like crossing from service to manufacturing or from support functions to operations]. It’s also a great way to become familiar with an employer’s corporate culture prior to making a decision about where to work [having a courtship before getting married]. Many people even choose projects as a way of life and comment on the flexibility of being able to choose when and where they will be employed.
Building projects can be accomplished in several ways, but the most successful is using a project broker or search consultant that has experience in engagement and project management. When [as either the company or the candidate] setting about choosing a firm to do business with, do these things:
- Meet face to face with the project leader/search consultant when ever possible. As a client, bring the management team together to meet and interview perspective consultants just as if it were a hiring decision [which, in essence, it is]. Don’t put the burden on the HR team alone. Make selection of the service provider a corporate decision. As a candidate, treat the consultant as a personal talent agent [which they are].
- Make sure the firm is a full service firm [including payroll and benefits for the interim executives]. Ask if the firm can provide project and career placed talent AND if it can work on a national [and if necessary international] basis.
- Choose a firm that works with and for its clients [both companies and candidates]. Examine their mission statement to see if it that matches your business philosophy.
- Partner with your project leader/search consultant. Share your vision and expect them to share your passion.
Thanks to Terry Spriestersbach,a Project Leader/Search Consultant with Amotec, Inc., for contributing his article and his expertise to our newsletter. He has a successful practice in executive project engagement management and search consulting. Terry can be reached by e-mail at tspriester@amotecinc.com or by phone at 440-250-4600 X 250 for questions and additional information.
What Are Allowable Religious Requirements for Hiring?
HR Question:
When hiring for my religious-based organization is it legal for me to require candidates to be of the same religion?
HR Answer:
While religion is protected under Title VII, there is a Religious Organization Exemption that permits religious organizations to give employment preference to members of their own religion when hiring. This exemption only applies to organizations that can ‘define’ their religious association through articles of incorporation, religious day-to-day operations involving services, products, or education (such as a church or school), non-profit status, or an affiliation with or support from another religious organization.
This exemption does not allow religious organizations to discriminate on the basis of age, gender, race, color, national origin, or disability – even when the religion has, as a tenet of its beliefs, an element of discrimination (such as not associating with people of other races).
If your organization has a “purpose and character that is primarily religious,” then you can prefer to hire individuals that meet your religious needs.
Recruitment isn’t just a matter of finding and hiring the right person. There are scores of regulations that must be adhered to or you risk stiff fines or penalties. Strategic HR specializes in helping companies recruit and retain a talented workforce while keeping an organization compliant. Visit our Recruitment page to learn how we can help you hire safely.
Is It Okay To Use Personality Tests Prior To An Interview?
HR Question:
Is it okay to ask candidates to take online personality profile tests before they interview with anyone from our company? Only those candidates who “pass” the profile will move forward in the process. I’m concerned that using such a test to screen candidates could be legally questionable.
HR Answer:
Generally speaking, it is not recommended to conduct a personality assessment as the first step in the recruitment process, as personality fit is only one factor in the hiring equation. Any assessment used for hiring purposes needs to rely on the bona fide occupational qualifications (BFOQ) of the position. Additionally, the test itself needs to be proven reliable and valid for testing those BFOQs. There are many pre-employment tests sold that are loaded with inappropriate questions – questions not necessarily linked to the necessities of the job. If the assessment can be shown to be related to the skill needs of the position and it is administered to all the applicants equally for that position then it should be okay. But when talking about personality assessments, that’s another matter.
How personality profile tests can lead to disparate impact
While many large corporations use such tests as part of their initial online screening, if the test has not been vetted and causes a disparate impact (i.e., has a detrimental impact on one group of applicants versus another group), this can cause major legal headaches. What happens, for example, if the test results are deemed voided? Should the employer not rely on them at all? If the employer does not rely on them, what about the applicants that did well on the test – do they have a possible legal claim along with the applicants who did not get hired? These instances often give rise to very expensive lawsuits with lots of publicity – the New Haven firefighter case decided in 2009 by the Supreme Court is a great example.
What is the preferred timing for a personality profile test?
If a personality test “must” be done, it would be best to do so only after hire, as a tool to help guide management in building a relationship with the new employee, or it should only be administered to final candidates as a tool to help distinguish between candidates; not select a final candidate. A personality profile isn’t something that should be used as a tool for hire unless it can be shown to be job-related. And it should never be THE tool to determine if a candidate is hired or not, but one of many tools.
Regarding the legal risk associated with using such a test, this is a very complicated legal area, and can easily give rise to litigation. You should check with your legal counsel before using such a test.
Strategic HR understands the complexity and pitfalls of hiring. From applicants to candidates to prospects, we know the ins and outs of sourcing, screening, and selecting your next new employee. For more information on how we can help you fill your job openings efficiently and cost-effectively, visit our Recruitment page.
Using Competency Mapping to Align Recruiting Efforts with Strategic Objectives
by Linda Gravett, PhD, SPHR
It’s well documented that organizations today are facing a skills crisis. There are simply too many Radio Babies and Boomers going out of our doors without an adequate number of younger people coming in behind them. This means that we have to be creative in our recruiting and retention efforts if we want to entice the best and brightest of all generations to join our organization. We’ve found that competency mapping is an excellent tool for executives who want to ensure this happens. Competency mapping will especially help in your recruitment efforts for Gen Yers, born between 1977 – 1991. People in this age group that we interviewed for our book, Bridging the Generation Gap, told us that they won’t even seriously consider working for an organization that doesn’t demonstrate how their position connects to and supports the company’s strategic objectives.
Competency mapping is an approach that has the objective of helping an organization align individual development with the strategic objectives of the company. We recommend the following step-by-step process for competency mapping.
Step 1. Development of Core Competencies
In this step, the leadership of the organization meets to brainstorm which core competencies the organization requires in order to achieve its Mission , Vision, and Key Business Imperatives. Examples of core competencies that are usually essential in organizations today are problem solving, teambuilding, decision making, and communication skills.
We encourage executives to be very specific about what these competencies look like. For instance, a description of customer focus might read like this: “strives to understand customers’ needs and to meet or exceed customer expectations; interacts positively and courteously with customers; and sees every customer problem as an opportunity to provide excellent service.”
Step 2. Assessing Competency Levels Required Across Positions
After the leadership team decides which competencies are essential, it’s necessary to determine the degree to which, and manner in which, these competencies are required in each type of position (i.e., Sales Manager, Receptionist, and CEO). This assessment can be made through interviews with incumbents of sample positions, using a Position Information Questionnaire (PIQ) as a guide. Examples of questions on a PIQ include:
- Who are your internal customers and how do you determine their needs?
- Describe how you draw in coworkers in departmental activities or projects.
- What type of records do you need to access and what methods do you use to access information in a short time frame?
Step 3. Developing Competency-Based Job Descriptions
Following the interview process, job descriptions can be developed that include not only duties and reporting relationships but the core competency descriptions that are tailored to each position. These same competencies are included in each employee’s performance appraisal instrument so that he/she is evaluated on the same criteria that are specified in the job description. For employees of all ages, this parallel process reinforces the fact that the organization has a set of critical competencies that will ensure success.
Step 4. Competency-Based Matrix
For career development purposes, the youngest generation of new employees (or potential employees) will be interested in career progression options available once they master different competency levels. In a career matrix framework, as career options become more complex and sophisticated, the core competencies are elevated in terms of sophistication as well. The career matrix is an excellent tool to show how each job family has a clear progression requiring development of core competencies to achieve.
Step 5. Individual Development Planning
Using the job descriptions and the performance appraisal process as a foundation, Human Resources can provide coaching for individuals based on their unique developmental needs. For example, if a sales representative is interested in a position as Sales Manager, a Human Resources professional can counsel this person about current strengths and areas for improvement and point out the competency levels required for the higher level position. Then the employee and the HR person can jointly map out a plan for the employee’s development (courses, workshops, mentoring, etc.) In our interviews, Gen Ys in particular expressed a keen interest in this type of process to entice them to accept a position.
Strategic HR would like to thank Dr. Linda Gravett, Ph.D, SPHR with Gravett & Associates for writing this article and sharing her insight. If you have any questions or wish to share your comments about this article, you can contact Linda at Linda@Gravett.com.
How To Say Sponsorship Is Not Available And Remain Compliant
HR Question:
Although we need to find ways to broaden our recruiting efforts, our company is not able to provide sponsorship to candidates who want to work legally in the United States and need an H1-B Visa. How do we say that sponsorship is not available on our employment ads to avoid problems? Can we hire someone who has been granted political asylum?
HR Answer:
These are great questions! Let’s break it down and address each one separately.
Am I required to accept applicants who need an H-1B Visa?
Due to the ease of access, online job ads and recruiting efforts can generate a multitude of candidates, including those who are not yet authorized to work in the United States. For some companies, this is a benefit as it allows them to access a wider talent pool. For others, particularly smaller organizations, it can be a financial hardship for them to sponsor or transfer an H-1B Visa for employees who require an employment Visa to work legally in the U.S.
It is important to clarify that employers are not required by law to sponsor an H-1B Visa for a candidate who is not eligible to work in the United States. It can help both your organization and candidates to know upfront if you are unable to provide sponsorship. You can freely specify “no sponsorship” in a job ad and refuse to consider people who are not already authorized to work in the U.S.
How can I communicate sponsorship is not available in our job ad?
There are multiple ways that you can communicate this message, but we have commonly seen the use of the following language:
“Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.”
Can I hire individuals who were granted asylum?
To address your second question regarding whether you can hire a candidate who has been granted political asylum, the answer is yes – if they have followed the proper process. Individuals entering the United States seeking protection/asylum can remain in the U.S. and apply for asylum within one year of arrival. These individuals are not eligible to apply for permission to work (employment authorization) in the U.S. at the same time they apply for asylum. They are, however, able to apply for permission to work after 150 days of their asylum application if they are still awaiting a decision on their application.
The federal government grants refugee and asylee status to people who have been persecuted or fear persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Because of their status, refugees’ and asylees’ permission to work does not expire.
On March 29, 2022, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it will extend asylum seekers’ work permits so that they are valid for a longer period of time while renewal applications are pending. The current auto-extension period is 180 days.
A person granted asylum is protected from being returned to his or her home country; is authorized to work in the United States; may apply for a Social Security card; may request permission to travel overseas; and can petition to bring family members to the United States.
Individuals granted asylum may work immediately. Some asylees choose to obtain Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for convenience or identification purposes, but an EAD is not necessary for asylees to be able to work. Visit I-9 Central to determine how to properly complete the I-9 form for an asylee and what identification is needed by the Department of Homeland Security.
As you seek to make the right decisions for your organization, remember that it is best practice to consult your attorney to ensure your HR Compliance.
Thank you to Cecilia Vocke, MS, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, Senior HR Business Advisor and Melinda Canino, MS, Senior HR Communications Advisor for contributing to this HR Question of the Week.
VISAs, EADs, I-9s – An alphabet soup of acronyms and rules pertaining to the hiring of a foreign national. It can be confusing, even to the experienced HR professional, if you aren’t familiar with the process. Clark Schaefer Strategic HR can help you navigate through the process to ensure everything is handled correctly. Visit our Outsourced Recruitment page to learn more about how we can help.
The Difference Between Applicants and Candidates
My recruiter talks about applicants and candidates as if they’re not interchangeable–what’s the difference?
