iCIMS Hire Expectations™

In the current age, when we don’t know the answer to a question, we tend to turn to our good friend Google for the answer. In 2011 alone, Google performed a total of 1,722,071,000,000 searches – that’s an average of 4,717,000,000 searches per day! Needless to say, Google will be there to provide you with an answer to your question, but none of those 1,722,071,000,000 queries will tell you which candidate is the best fit for YOUR company. In fact, it might even provide an answer that is completely opposite of what you are desperately hoping to hear. Therefore, consider these three points when making important executive business decisions.

1. The most experienced candidate should get the job.
Some of the most important decisions made in an organization involve hiring new employees. Without a superior workforce, your efficiency and productivity will suffer. Therefore, recruiters must provide hiring managers with the best candidates for the position, every time.  But, what happens when your hiring managers don’t know who to hire?

A recent Fast Company article entitled “8 Rules For Creating a Passionate Workforce”, mentions that one must hire for passion and commitment first, experience second, and credentials third. To be honest, I was surprised to see experience second; however, candidates who are passionate and driven are more likely to thrive in your work environment than those who have prior experience but lack the necessary dedication.  Ultimately, looking for individuals that fit in with your corporate culture is just as important as finding someone with the technical skill set.

Remember: If the candidate looks good on paper, confirm he/she can also exemplify the necessary qualities to succeed and fit in with your organization!

2.Sourcing specialists must be proactive to find quality talent.
Because recruiters can leverage applicant tracking systems to collect job applications and communicate with candidates, they often have been seen as reactive to the candidate’s job request. But, what happens when there aren’t enough candidates that apply to your company?

Now, more so than ever, recruiters and sourcing specialists are constantly searching for qualified candidates on job boards and social networks. By using a sourcing system, HR departments can leverage internal operations to create a talent community for enhanced candidate engagement. What this really boils down to is the ability to capture a person’s information without requiring an application to be submitted. The visitor (with a click of a button) can simply show interest into  employment opportunities, while simultaneously adding themselves into a greater pool of candidates on the back end for recruiters and sourcing specialists to access. By creating this talent community, a reactive process is formulated allowing sourcing specialists to communicate with just about anyone that shows interest.

Remember: You just can’t communicate with the candidates you don’t have!

3.    Turnover rate is a large factor when measuring the effectiveness of your HR program.
Many will agree that a company’s biggest asset is its people. If you hire good people, sell a good product, and back it with quality support, your company will undoubtedly succeed. But what happens if you don’t hire good people? 

Some might assume that a high turnover indicates an ineffective HR program, but companies shouldn’t worry about these raw figures. Sometimes, high turnover could be seen as a positive entity. To shed some light, if a company loses 10 people because they weren’t fulfilling their job responsibilities and/or had trouble meeting expectations, is the company really concerned about their turnover? If HR can replace those 10 newly open positions with stellar recruits, one might argue that the turnover rate really does not matter. Think about it like this, would you really lose sleep knowing you lost 10 of your worst employees? In the interim, efficiency might slow a bit, but once the team is reinforced with new bodies, a successful onboarding program will get new recruits hired and ready to start in no time! Check out the eHow article “How to Calculate Turnover” for suggestions on what might be most important for your reports.

Remember:  Discuss your turnover rate with upper management. Find out how these metrics will be used and what the end goal is for your company.

Now, don’t be afraid to do your own research on how to equip your organization for the next hiring wave. But remember, keep it specific and aligned with your company’s mission, vision, and values. If you follow these guidelines, you’ll be celebrating your recruitment success in no time!

This past weekend was Mother’s Day. In honor of all mothers out there, I wanted to highlight some of the many lessons my own mother taught me while I was growing up. The truth of the matter is what you do in everyday life, the lessons you learn, and experience you gather cannot only help your own personal growth, but can also help you hone in on key qualities that can make you a better recruiter.

Now, I can’t say my very old-fashioned Italian mother will be like everyone else’s mom, but her lessons can be accepted throughout many family households. So let’s go back to the basics.

Lesson One: Do your homework! Did you find yourself waiting until the last minute to do projects growing up? Talk about procrastination, huh? But really, I don’t think there are any spark notes on how to become a better recruiter because it’s different for everyone, in every industry, and in every company. So why not follow industry bloggers, sign up for upcoming webinars, and read recruiting whitepapers to stay educated on trends and where recruitment is headed. With four different generations in the workforce, staying alert on trends can help you revitalize and invigorate your HR processes. I once heard, “the more you learn, the more you’ll earn”. Reap the benefits of that free information and come ready to work to measure your results.

Lesson Two: Clean your room! This might be the one I still battle with from time to time, but mom always said, “Clean your room”. Be organized and able to manage applicants and applicant workflows. There is always going to be that one item buried at the bottom of the laundry that you just can’t find. Don’t just bury resumes on top of resumes. Find a way to automate your communications, eliminate paper processes, and track every candidate that comes into your organization.

Lesson Three: Make yourself stand out from the crowd! As the youngest child of four, I remember always being compared to my older brothers and sisters (which, of course, wasn’t the worst thing ever, but I wanted to be my own person). In recruiting, how do you help your company stand out? Have you created a warm and inviting employment brand? In the social revolution we are in, capitalize on social networking to listen and engage with your candidates. There is nothing better than signing into your applicant tracking system to see the number of applicants waiting for a call from you and your company. It only makes your job that much easier.

I assume whoever originated the phrase “mothers know best” was not referring to human resources recruitment; however, life lessons applied to recruiting aren’t too farfetched. Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there! We appreciate your hard work and life lessons.

There is something about a new year that is very intriguing to me, maybe it’s the idea of getting to start fresh or maybe it’s the concept of not knowing what is coming next. Either way, I assume this is why year after year we make resolutions to improve, change, or alter what currently is. According to a poll on http://www.usa.gov/index.shtml, the top three (3) most popular New Year’s Resolutions for 2012 are to get fit (1), to save more money (2), and to find a better job. Here are some ways to tackle these resolutions and make 2012 a year of success, personally and professionally.

Resolution #1: Get fit.  Now, I’m no fitness expert; however, what I have noticed is the more you exercise, the better you look, and ultimately, the better you feel.  I only started going to the gym a couple of weeks ago, and I have already noticed a huge boost of energy to my daily routine. Unfortunately, I understand how the gym isn’t right for everyone, so why not start small and use your lunch break as an opportunity to become more active by walking around the nearby department store?  After all, it is the little steps taken that go a long way. In the workspace, more and more HR departments are becoming “socially fit”. What does this mean? Leverage social recruiting tools to attract top candidates. The more visibility your job postings have, the more candidates you will reach. Here’s a secret: Streamlining your HR processes is much easier than streamlining your fitness schedule. Start in the workplace and hope to see results fast!

Resolution #2: Save more money. If your resolution this year is to save money, here is a great tip that I received from a coworker. I was told to automatically divide my direct deposit into two separate bank accounts, the “primary pay the bills” checking and the “build a house, a home, and a family someday” checking. By using this innovative idea, I was able to save money without too much effort at all.  Similarly, an onboarding solution allows HR to get online documentation from new employees prior to their first day of work. This allows companies to save on time, paper, and money during the onboarding process and helps get employees started faster!

Resolution #3: Find a better job. Well if this isn’t right up a recruiter’s ally, I’m not sure what is!  If you are looking for a new job, leverage your past experiences to get noticed. Optimize your Linked In, Facebook, and Twitter accounts by updating job information and specialties that can allow you to shine.  If you’re looking for a great growing company to work for, check out the iCIMS career portal (Note: they didn’t tell me to put this in, I did it all on my own!).  If you are happy with your current job (which I hope you are), meet this resolution from the other end of the spectrum and optimize the opportunity presented by adding talented employees to your own staff! What should you do? Positively influence the candidate experience by creating a company-branded and user-friendly career site. It is important to find the most qualified candidates, but also ones who understand the company’s mission and culture.

Today could be the day you make the decision to change your life and/or your HR processes. Only you can decide! Feel empowered by the New Year so much that you make the change to create a more fantastic YOU and a more fabulous HR!  When change is for the better, how can you choose not to?

 

Happy Holidays from iCIMS! As a special treat, we’ve compiled our top 5 HR blog posts from 2011. Hope you enjoy them!

			Retail's Role in Job Creation March 2011 - How can the retail industry tackle the challenges associated with creating new jobs? Learn tips on how to execute a successful retail recruitment strategy.
			Recruitment Marketing – Starting with Social Recruiting March 2011 - Do you have a social recruiting program? If you don’t, maybe you should. Three simple questions to ask yourself on how to make recruitment marketing desirable and attainable for any business.
			Finding Answers to Your HR Questions June 2011 - Scared to let an HR software company in the door? Discover how being “social” can help HR professionals lower cost-per-hire and time-to-hire by implementing recruitment software
			Match Maker, Match Maker, Make Me a Match July 2011 - Best practices for hiring managers- does your company have them in place? Great takeaways on how to develop internal relationships between HR executives and hiring managers.
			What Can HR Recruiting Teach Us about Fantasy Football November 2011 - Cha Ching! What if all fantasy football players (like resumes) could be tracked in one configurable system that could easily be filtered?

If you have already seen these posts and would like to learn more about the iCIMS Talent Platform, view our free online demo or call 1-800-889-4422 today! We will see you in the New Year!

The year 2011 has been quite an adventure for me. To date, I graduated college in May, landed my first professional job in August, and coincidentally, found two new passions of mine in September. I’m sure if you read the title of my post, you were already able to figure out that my passions landed in recruiting and fantasy football. I spend every Monday-Friday at my office, but on Sundays, I am glued to about 10 different TV screens routing on my fantasy football players. Now, you ask, what can HR recruiting teach us about fantasy football? The answers are endless.

1. The Draft: If you are a fantasy football guru, you were probably planning for the 2011 Fantasy Draft since you were born, and your knowledge well encompasses the past 10+ NFL seasons. Yes, I am being a little over the top, but still, somewhat serious so that you see my point. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for me. My NFL knowledge was slim to none until about 9 weeks ago. Instead, what I had to do was try to cram as much information about the players and teams on a shortlist as possible. I searched numerous websites, blogs, and magazines. All while thinking, wouldn’t it be nice if there was one system that could give me all of the best information I needed? This made me think of an applicant tracking system.  For recruiters, those who have an ATS find it much easier to look for the best talent. They can post to social media sites, track which candidates meet the job profile with screening questions, and so much more. If fantasy football had an ATS, I could easily track my offensive players, kickers, team defenses, and ultimately, where the best talent can be found. Bottom Line: use the best resources to find the most qualified talent.


2. Players on a Bye:  Isn’t it awesome when a running back (or any player for that matter) consistently puts up 20+ points every week?  You find yourself extremely happy until his bye week comes, and then, you scramble to find someone on your bench or the waiver wire that can help you match up. Same idea occurs when you are trying to find the right candidate to fill a key leadership position in your company. Recruiters can use succession planning to ensure their team or company still performs. After all, you can’t put in Shonn Greene (NYJ), and expect him to perform anywhere near the level that Fred Jackson (BUF) has been performing this season. Bottom Line: be prepared for the future.


3. Trade Time: If you have Aaron Rodgers (GB) as your starting quarterback, it’s safe to say you won’t be getting rid of him anytime soon (and I won’t lie, I envy you). However, if you have an above average QB on your bench such as Cam Newton (CAR), he will serve up a large amount of trade bait. What does this mean? Put Newton up on the trade block and see what you can get to improve the rest of your starting offense! Managing the players you have is so important, and recruiters know that for sure! They can use an employee data management solution to manage their entire workforce effectively. Time and money is precious, don’t you agree? That following Sunday will come before you know, and the best thing you can do is know what you need, and what measures you can take to get there. Bottom line: manage effectively.

Well there you have it! Men, I hate to break it to you, but if a woman can have a 6-2 record and be in the top 2 spots every week, it’s probably not because she’s the most sports-knowledgeable one in the league. I may have the luck factor on my side, but what really worked for me is that I found the best talent, planned ahead, and managed my team effectively. I took the strategies that recruiters should use every day, and it’s paying off for me.  Now, if only I could have that Talent Platform to keep track of my players, I could rest easy until the end of the season!