The Hiring Site

Employment News for the Week of November 6

2009-11-06T16:58:47Z

This week, while you were busy collecting your 27^th World Series title, debating whether or not to move your syndicated talk show to cable, or observing the anniversary of the invention of time travel, here’s what you may have missed in the world of hiring and recruiting…

Worker productivity, company profits surge in the third quarter. (So why aren’t we more excited?)
As office thermostats go down, so too does worker productivity.
Some people will do anything to get out of that 8 a.m. meeting….
Turns out, there IS a way to get your employees to work for free.
What’s almost as awkward as running into your colleagues at Burning Man?
And we wonder why H1N1 keeps spreading...
Help wanted. (Just not the help of any of the millions of available job seekers.)
At least there’s some good workplace-related news.

Bridging the Gap: Employment Branding Across Generations

2009-11-05T19:27:21Z

Your mama may not dance, and your daddy might not rock’n’roll…but that doesn’t mean they’re all that different from you – especially when it comes to evaluating prospective employers.

Despite the supposed “generation gap” that exists in the workforce, Gallup research has found that certain factors – such as management quality, compensation, quality team dynamics and career development – are valued equally across generations when it comes to prospective employers.

For those differences that still exist, however – both in what these groups want and in how they search for jobs – here’s a breakdown of what to keep in mind when branding yourself to these various age groups.

MILLENIALS
Generation Y, or “the Millennials,” are people born roughly between 1982 and 2004. The strongest defining characteristic of the Gen Y group is their technology-driven lives.

What to Emphasize When Recruiting These Workers
Millenials get a bad rap for their supposed attitudes of entitlement, but they just want what any other worker wants – to be challenged and to do work they’re proud of. But because they lack the professional experience of their older counterparts, they might find themselves easily frustrated when relegated to menial ‘entry-level’ tasks. For this reason, opportunities for rapid career advancement are very important for to generation, as well as good pay and benefits and great training programs, all characteristics shared by BusinessWeek’s Best Places to Launch a Career:

Great pay and benefits: Last year, Deloitte, which boasts the top spot on BusinessWeek’s list, offered hiring bonuses to 90 percent of their new hires, for an average bonus of $5,102. Additionally, it’s common practice for these ‘best places’ to offer tuition reimbursement, 401(k) options, flex time and paid time off.
Top-notch training programs. Cisco Sytems’ new hire training program includes a week-long orientation with various managers across 30 departments, enabling new employees to then select which managers they would like as their own as part of a “matching program.” Because of this system, new hires enjoy an immediate sense of ownership in their new roles. It’s also probably why a remarkable 98 percent of new hires are still with Cisco after two years.
Opportunities for rapid advancement: Every Ernst&Young employee participates in a formal mentoring program – perhaps helping to explain why most entry-level hires are eligible for a promotion and a raise within the first year.

Where to Find Them
Social networking is a part of this generation’s daily routine, so smart companies utilize various social networking sites to get in front of these candidates – using these platforms to post jobs, informational videos, podcasts and content, as well as interact with job seekers. (Learn about how Deloitte uses social media for both recruiting and retention purposes.)

Offline, these companies make use of their partnerships with college campuses. In 2008-2009, for example, Teach for America recruited on 471 undergrad campuses and made job offers on 379 of them.

GENERATION X
Born between 1965 and 1980, Gen X tend to be skeptical, pragmatic and practical, self-reliant, independent and individualistic, according to PsychologyToday. Like Gen Y, they are well-versed in technology, but have a few years of professional experience behind them, as well.

What to Emphasize When Recruiting These Workers

Stability: This generation is attracted to companies with strong portfolios, plans for the future, and proven longevity.
Corporate culture: Gen X thrives on diversity, responsibility, honesty and creative input. They like a casual, friendly work environment, seek challenge, involvement and flexible learning arrangements.
Work-life balance and flexible work arrangements: Many are working parents, so they seek assistance from their employers to care for both growing children and aging parents.

Where to Find Them
Generation X is more likely to use job boards, professional or trade association Web sites or visit individual company Web sites to search for jobs than Gen Y, as well as tap into their networks of friends, family and former colleagues. That said, it’s important that you not only communicate the benefits of working at your company clearly, but that you do so continuously, in order to maintain brand awareness.

BABY BOOMERS
Born between 1946 and1964, the Baby Boomer work ethic is characterized by dedication, loyalty and a willingness to stay in the same job for a long time. They have a lot to offer businesses with their work and life experience, skills and knowledge that many younger people can’t offer. They tend to work longer hours – and respect is paramount when managing a Baby Boomer.

What to Emphasize When Recruiting These Workers
Money is not necessarily the most important factor for seniors. Raised with a strong work ethic, these workers enjoy recognition and support for their efforts. Because they’re also thinking toward the end of their career, retirement benefits and flexible work arrangements are important to them. Focus on the following aspects of your company when talking to these workers:

Recognition programs
Health and retirement benefits
Flexible work arrangements (such as flexible scheduling, job-sharing, and phased retirement)

Where to Find Them
Cornell University, AARP’s Best Employer for Workers Over 50, uses placement agencies for older job seekers to successfully target mature workers and retirees. In addition, Cornell recruits from within its own ranks of retirees through the Cornell Retiree Association and the Cornell Association of Professors Emeriti. First Horizon, another ‘Best Employer’ on AARP’s list, also uses placement agencies for older job seekers and draws on a relationship it has cultivated with Senior Services of Memphis to locate and attract mature workers and retirees.

Keep in mind that, as noted above, certain qualities will always be attractive to job seekers, no matter what age group, and that no matter what, a cross-channel recruiting campaign – one that utilizes both online and offline resources – will give you the best chance for reaching the greatest pool of candidates.

Creative Down Time in the Workplace — Are You Down With It?

2009-11-04T23:16:08Z

I recently read this post about creative sabbaticals on Harvard Business Publishing’s blog. The article, which also features a video of a talk given by Stefan Sagmeister, owner of design firm Sagmeister Inc. in New York City, presents some interesting ideas about our ideas of creative thinking and space in the workplace — and asks how we use free time to refresh and become more productive.

For me, it raised questions from an employer’s perspective as well:

Do you encourage “down time” for your employees to help them spark creativity and new ideas?
If so, do you have any kind of organized process for this?
Do you think it’s healthier for your employees to be constantly busy, or to have opportunities to be idle and think or explore a topic or project completely different from their normal job duties?

I have included the video below; When you have a moment, it’s worth a watch.

Missed ASA’s Staffing World 2009? That’s No Reason to Miss Out….

2009-11-04T18:19:16Z

Missed the American Staffing Association’s Staffing World 2009 conference in Orlando, Fla. last month? (Or perhaps you were just tardy for the party…) No worries…

CareerBuilder’s Recruiter Business Unit was at the conference, and in knowing that many of you have been unable to attend many conferences this year, we’ve posted recaps from this, the largest and most recent staffing conference this year, on our YouTube page. Check it out for highlights from the showroom floor and key takeaways, including:

Interviews with keynote speakers Steven B. Wiley, Founder of the Lincoln Leadership Institute, and Joe Calloway, President of Engage Consulting Group
Interviews with ASA Executives Richard Wahlquist, Ed Lenz and Steve Berchem as they discuss current ASA and industry trends
Daily conference recaps and insider information from CareerBuilder directors

Check out a preview here, and then visit CareerBuilder’s YouTube page for more:

If you were at the conference, what did you think? Leave your thoughts here, and stay tuned to The Hiring Site for more conference highlights.

Un-Boarding: 5 Ways Companies Get Employee Onboarding Wrong

2009-11-06T17:00:46Z

It’s estimated that 46 percent of newly-hired employees fail within 18 months, according to a 2008 study by Leadership IQ. An effective employee onboarding program, however, can significantly reduce this number – along with costs associated with turnover and/or on-the-job mistakes due to lack of training.

Effective onboarding decreases the time it takes for a new hire to reach the minimum expected productivity level on the job. During these tight economic times, it has never been more important that companies work to ensure their new hires’ ability to thrive at an organization. When assessing or creating your employee onboarding program, avoid these common mistakes.

Onboarding is Treated Like Orientation. Unlike orientation programs, onboarding programs are not one-time events but long-term processes. According to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, a good onboarding process should take about a year – that’s about how long it takes for a new employee to experience an organization’s entire business cycle and become assimilated. And after all, you can’t possibly expect an employee to absorb everything he or she needs to know in a year in only the first few weeks.
The Process Starts Too Late. Onboarding new hires needs to begin with the interview process. Interviewing is vital to retaining employees as it both sets an employee’s expectations about the culture of the company and can lead to poor hiring decisions if improperly executed. According to a 2008 study by Leadership IQ, 82 percent of managers reported that, in reflection, the interview process could have been handled more effectively. They say they would’ve avoided certain mistakes had they taken the following steps: been more focused on the interview itself; listened more and talked less; spent more time on the actual interview; and had stronger interviewing abilities and experience.
There’s No Measurement for Success. Onboarding programs should operate like any other business process – with metrics that cover time to productivity, new hire retention/termination rates, new hire error rates, new-hire referrals, and program ROI, according ERE.net’s Dr. John Sullivan. You need to figure out a way to measure the success of your onboarding program and find ways to enhance it – otherwise, what’s the point? One of the best ways to measure success is to administer surveys to both employee and supervisor - to assess how well the employee is adjusting, strengths and areas for improvement – periodically throughout the first year.
Managers are M.I.A. One of the main reasons employees either leave or thrive in an organization is a direct result of their relationship with their manager. Research shows that 56 percent of Americans say their relationship with their boss has a direct impact on their work-life happiness. Taking the time to greet new employees in person and show them the ropes makes a critical first impression and is not something that can be delegated, according to Karen Lawson, author of “New Employee Orientation Training.”
There’s No Onboarding Program to Speak Of. Onboarding programs communicate to new hires how important their personal success is to your organization, immediately fostering a sense of both confidence and loyalty. Furthermore, a strong investment in employee training and development may also have quantifiable value to the organization’s bottom line: A recent study from the American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC) provides evidence to suggest that organizations that invest more money and effort in employee training may produce greater revenue per employee than those that invest less in this endeavor.

What does your onboarding program look like? Any ‘mistakes’ you’ve learned from at your organization that you’d like to share?

Soon to be a Ghost: Looking Back on October’s Workplace News and Gossip

2009-11-02T17:24:12Z

We’re carving our last pumpkins and sweeping up October’s leaves, about to let November move in. With one final look around, we’re donning our balloon boy costumes fondly reminiscing about all the things that made October such a special month. Where to start?

Ah, yes. There was that controversy over sex in the workplace, for starters. And employees dished about their most unusual excuses for missing work–including gems like “I was injured chasing a seagull” — and we promptly published them in a survey for employers everywhere to guffaw at (or scorn).

Employees come up with excuses for missing work for many reasons — including their boss. We spoke with the authors of “Working for You Isn’t Working for Me” about bad bosses, toxic workplace relationships, employee fear in today’s economy, and much more. Check out Part I, II, and III here.

Halloween begins the mad rush of the holiday season — and prime job search season. In the spirit of sharpening interview skills, we asked you to reconsider 5 “red flag” interview situations (yes, including a candidate’s lateness!), and in our first-ever contest on The Hiring Site, we asked you to give us your best interview questions–and you exceeded our expectations (and someone got a Flip Ultra video camera). We sorted through the many thoughtful, funny, and original responses, culminating in our Best of the Best interview questions–and Best of the Rest. Enjoy, and get in on November’s contest action!

Why aren’t you calling job seekers back? Many of you let us know that you just don’t have time –so we offered some solutions to get things back on track.

With all the Jon and Kate Gosselin Halloween masks out there, Halloween is scary enough. But in a recent CareerBuilder survey, we up’d the fear factor and asked employees which famous Halloween character their bosses most resemble — and found that 18 percent of workers describe their workplace as scary. Mask or not, that’s no laughing matter.

On a positive note, lots of businesses are doing things right — and what better way to get tips on improving your own processes? We took a closer look at the things “best places to work” are doing to recruit and retain top employees.

Now go get that last-minute Halloween costume together.

How Do You Identify a Leader? Give Us Your Thoughts for a Chance to Win!

2009-10-29T16:50:43Z

Calling all recruiters and hiring managers: you could be the lucky recipient of a brand new Kindle™!

The latest employment indicators show that companies will be slow to hire in Q4, even as their profit outlook improves. Part of the reason for this is economic uncertainty among employers; however, on the upside, it’s also a reaction to the fact that companies have found ways to do more with less, according to this Wall Street Journal article.

As employers seek to maintain momentum in the uncertain months ahead, they will need to rely on the next generation of leaders to drive their companies forward – whether in the form of new hires or current employees taking on new responsibilities.

As you help organizations seek out these leaders, what qualities should you look for in candidates and current employees? The Hiring Site wants to put together a comprehensive list of the top qualities recruiters and hiring managers should look for in identifying leaders, and we’re asking you to share your own tried-and-true practices.

Share your thoughts with us, and you could win a new Kindle™ Wireless Reading Device.

How to enter:
Simply answer this question – “What quality or characteristic do you look for – above all else – when looking for your organization’s next leader, and why?” – in the comments section below, and you’ll automatically be entered to win a brand new Kindle™.

Contest details:
Entries will be accepted from 12 a.m. CST on Monday, November 2, 2009 until 11:59 p.m. CST on Friday, November 6, 2009. Each account may only submit one answer for consideration; subsequent entries will not be considered. Spam responses will not be considered. The winner will be picked at random and notified via e-mail the week of November 11, 2009. Please read the full list of official contest rules and regulations.

“Working for You Isn’t Working for Me” Authors on Bad Bosses and More: Part III

2009-10-28T19:47:50Z

During Part III of my conversation with “Working for You Isn’t Working for Me: The Ultimate Guide to Managing Your Boss” authors Katherine Crowley and Kathi Elster, we discussed actionable steps bosses can take right now to start on the path to becoming better bosses–and Katherine and Kathi offered bosses some unabashed advice on leading in today’s workplace environment. Read on for interview Part III (of three):

——————-

1. If you could give one piece of advice to bosses, what would it be?

Kathi: I think they should give every new hire the boss baggage assessment. I think they should not hire people who cannot fulfill their expectations and needs, or whose fears they know they’re going to trip. I just think it’s important.

Katherine: What I would also say is, to carefully state your expectations and find out what theirs are of you. Define the relationship from the beginning. Oftentimes, that never happens. The boss is the one who has to define the relationship, because you could be hired by HR or someone else–that doesn’t matter. What matters is once you’ve accepted the job and you’re in that office or whatever setting, and you’re working for that person, you need to know what the job really is—what’s expected of you and what you can expect from your boss.

Kathi: I also think I’d like bosses to own the fact that there is an unfairness in the power between an employee and a boss. And that that generates issues and fears for people. That they do have power over this person, and to be responsible with that. A lot of bosses misuse it. They put fear in people, and I would just like them to be more responsible with that power.

——————-

2. Anything else you’d like to tell employers?

Kathi: This is our second bosses on workplace interpersonal dynamics, and this is something we’ve been studying and working on for a long time, and I think it’s getting really, really critical for people to wake up, because the multicultural workplace and multi-generations, it’s so evident that we’re not going to get along if we don’t start paying attention to these things. It’s no longer just white men running companies anymore—it’s really, really changed tremendously, and continues to change. And I think younger generations want more of a work-life balance, they have different priorities. So I think the time has really come to start looking at your employees as people, and knowing if you want to grow a company, you have to understand how to grow your people. I think that was dropped out for quite some time. It’s not that we all need our hands held–I’m not talking about child care. But just to understand that people come to work but they have needs, expectations and fears and they have to be dealt with, not ignored.

Kathi: First of all, there’s no offices anymore, everybody’s sort of out in the open and you hear so much, and then the people who aren’t even in the office, the telecommuting, and then the diversity of freelance, part-time, that whole element–if we don’t start getting this whole communication thing under control, it’s going to be a big problem. As they say, people don’t quit jobs, or companies, they quit bosses. They usually like the company. Usually people like what the company stands for; that’s why they went to work there. But they leave because of the treatment. They don’t leave because they don’t like the work–that’s the easy part.

Kathi: And now, we don’t have that much loyalty to companies–people just jump from one job to another. And part of it is because there isn’t any kind of human loyalty, and we need people in companies to have corporate memory of how things are done, otherwise we’re constantly reinventing the same wheel. But when you have people there who say, no, we did that five years ago, or we can do that again but let’s remember this… Without that, it’s just not as healthy for a company.

——————-

3. What is one thing bosses can do right now to start on the path to becoming better bosses?

Kathi: We get into that boss baggage, which is that everybody brings three things to the relationship: expectations, needs and fears. I think understanding that, even if they don’t take that test, understanding that the employee has needs, they have expectations, and they have fears of authority. It is a set-up relationship, you’re not equals. The boss has the power. So I think if bosses were just to begin to think about that, if they put a little more time into understanding what each person needs and expects and fears…

Katherine: And I would say to give each employee some face time, and in that time to state your expectations. Back to what Kathi was saying before, when we don’t know what’s expected of us, we assume the worst. But even just that one-to-one face time can dispel a lot of the

Kathi: I just had a meeting with an employee, somebody at a pretty high level in the company, and told the employee her expectations, and then she asked the employee, “What are your expectations of me?” and the woman had an amazing answer. She said, “I need you to back me. I need you to stand up for me.” And then come find out what happened. And the boss said, I never would have known that. Thank you for telling me that. And I’ve checked in a couple of times, and she’s doing that, and the employee’s now in love with her–they get along so well now. That’s a simple thing that now she knows, and she can do.

Katherine: There are a lot of cases in which people have been working together for a long time, and those employees need to know that you’re watching out for them-–or that you’re just watching them. And noticing how they’re doing–whether they feel overwhelmed, or whether they need some help.

Missed the beginning of my interview with Katherine and Kathi? Catch up with Part I and Part II.

New Survey Reveals Which Halloween Characters Bosses Most Resemble

2009-10-27T14:59:39Z

Might as well cross taking the “Which Halloween character are you?” Facebook quiz off your ‘to do’ list secret ‘to do’ list – CareerBuilder already did the work for you.

CareerBuilder recently asked more than 4,000 workers nationwide, “Which Halloween character does your boss most resemble?” – among other questions – for its Halloween survey, released today.

According to the survey, 18 percent of workers describe their workplace as scary. (And no, that’s not as in “scary how awesome it is.” Sorry.) When asked what made their workplace so frightening, workers reported the following aspects of their jobs:

Workload (18 percent)
Performance reviews (9 percent)
Tight deadlines (9 percent)
Hours worked (8 percent)
Their boss or supervisor (7 percent)
Sitting through meetings (6 percent)

It also doesn’t help, perhaps, that many workers likened their own bosses to famous Halloween characters. When asked which popular characters best reflect their boss’s behavior, and why, workers said the following:

Glenda the Good Witch – Liked and respected by all (20 percent)
The Wolf Man – Fine one minute, but howling the next (11 percent)
The Invisible Man – Never around (10 percent)
Casper the Friendly Ghost – Eager to help, but often misunderstood (9 percent)
Dracula – Constantly sucking the life right out of you (6 percent)
Wicked Witch of the West – Always acting conniving and sending out minions to do his/her dirty work (5 percent)
The Mummy – Slow-moving, with an ancient thought process (4 percent)
Grim Reaper – Constantly delivers bad news and inspires fear among workers (3 percent)
Frankenstein’s monster – Green with envy (1 percent)

Yikes. Not the most flattering depictions, most of these…but at least there weren’t any Norman Bates’ (‘dresses up like dead mother, spies on you in the shower’) or Pennywises (‘haunts your dreams, wears too much makeup’) listed. (Silver lining!)

Which Halloween character do you think your colleagues would compare you to?

Employment News for the Week of October 23

2009-10-23T19:47:58Z

While you were busy pre-ordering your Michelle Obama action figure, pre-ordering your balloon boy costume (oh, yes – it’s a real thing), or upgrading to Windows 7, here’s what was happening in the world of hiring and recruiting this week…

Some of FORTUNE’s “40 Under 40″ discuss business lessons learned the hard way.
The future of job interviews: no pants necessary?
Dave, Jimmy, take note: the very real downside to workplace affairs…
If “Lost”’s DHARMA headquarters or “Arrested Development”’s Bluth family blunders seem a little familiar, this may be why…
The recession brings about new respect for “Dirty Jobs.”
Primetime TV can help us navigate workplace politics. (The more you know…)
The future of office meetings: SCUBA gear required?
Does this mean a possible “Real Househusbands” series on Bravo soon? (Let’s hope not.)