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?

 

Adventure is my middle name when it comes to food. And lucky for me, I got to chow down at some great restaurants over the holiday break. At one of the restaurants I went to, I decided to order their holiday tasting menu. I was so excited to try some great dishes that I could hardly wait for the first course to arrive. After what seemed like forever, the tinniest crab cake was set before me. Another eternity passed when the second course arrived, and it was then, that I realized that this was going to be a very long dinner. The time between each course seemed to be increasing, and I just wanted the next dish to be the last dish, dessert. As I waited for the thousandth dish, my mind couldn’t help but wander off into HR space. I started thinking, “I would never survive an application process if it was as long as this dinner!” 

Many recruiters and HR professionals forget that the candidate experience is a crucial part of a hiring process. Long and tedious application processes can have a negative effect on a candidate’s experience.  If you want to ensure that your candidates have a positive experience, the application process should be no longer than a 3-course meal.

Appetizer
Prospective applicants come to your career site because they are interested in your company.  For an effective career site, it should be like a restaurant menu. Provide the right information to entice your reader to order something (apply for a job). Applicants should be able to easily find and read information about your company’s history, corporate culture, available jobs, and more. The more interactive and branded your career site is, the more traction your job opportunities will get. It is also great to add your company’s Twitter and Facebook to your site, to increase candidate engagement.

Entrée
The job application is the meat and potatoes, and it should be an easy and efficient process. This is the step where you can either win or lose a candidate. No one likes filling out the same information over and over again. It gets tiring and frankly, it gets boring. Many recruiters avoid this problem by implementing an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). With an ATS, an applicant can upload his/her resume and the information will pre-populate within the application form. This avoids redundant and time-consuming manual data entry. Another key factor in the application process is communication between the candidate and the recruiter. The number one frustration for a candidate is not receiving a response. This can be easily fixed by utilizing a Communications Center, like the one offered by iCIMS. Recruiters can send out emails to all applicants, while maintaining a personal and positive experience. Email communications will also allow candidates to know exactly where they stand at all times, in the application process.

Dessert
If your candidate toughs-out the entrée course, they’ve made it to dessert, and it’s time to bring them onboard! To ensure that your new-hire has a seamless transition into your company, utilize an onboarding portal. Post electronic forms to your onboarding portal so your new-hires don’t spend their first day filling out paperwork. Also, help save time for you and your hires by allowing them to work and manage their own training sessions. Give them flexibility and control over their own work schedule. With a positive outlook from the application process and onboarding process, your new-hire will be ready to jump right into work with increased productivity!  

Use these 3 key ingredients and your candidates won’t leave the application process with a bad taste in their mouths!

 

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!

Given the current state of the economy, jobs are hard to keep and even harder to get. This is a time when a company's training department can come to the rescue. Often times, when layoffs are prevalent, there are fewer employees to do the same amount of work. When these situations occur, the training department must step up and organize frequent training seminars. This is a great way to train a large group of people in a more effective way.

However, some organizations feel that training employees during working hours isn’t always the most efficient way, as it takes away productivity from an already taxed department. But wait, let’s think outside the box! Companies can organize training sessions held before employees must “technically” be at work. With some bagels, juice and coffee, these training sessions turn into breakfast seminars, which can be fun and rewarding for all involved. OR, a company can institute "Lunch-Bag Trainings", where everyone can enjoy a packed lunch while still learning about the company.

Training doesn't always have to be used in times of crisis, either. Frequent trainings should be an important initiative during good economic times as well. Why is this? In correlation with economic improvement, hiring efforts are likely to increase. So, now you have a lot of new recruits eager to get to work, but lacking the knowledge to be efficient. So, what to do? Combining general training sessions with a mentorship program can be a wonderfully effective way to train people, as it gives the new recruit the opportunity to learn about the company as a whole while still having time for specialized departmental training with a member from their own team.

Let's look at an example. In the morning, an HR manager can train a large class on the basics of the company and teach them general tools needed for job completion. Then, in the afternoon, those employees can train with a mentor to either reinforce what was already learned in the morning session or to learn new job-related skills. This seminar and mentorship training method allows your new hire to learn and perform all in the same day. This is an effective way to enable your new recruit to feel confident in their new role, by implementing immediate hands-on learning.

After three to six months, it is important to conduct a survey to analyze the training program's success. This will enable companies to track how successful the program was; what changes need to be made; and what can be improved upon. Although it may be difficult to encompass all suggestions, as different positions call for different training needs, gathering information from your employees is still vital in developing the basics of the company's training program.

However you decide to organize training at your company, a major part of the onboarding process, always remember that this is an employee's first glimpse into working with your organization. Therefore, you should try to make this process as pleasant and rewarding as possible in order to set up your new hire for a successful, productive, and satisfying tenure at your company.

Once upon a time, I found myself facing the inevitable.  I was leaving University to enter the workforce, but not the one you are thinking.  I was five months away from relocating to Tokyo, Japan to teach English at a private company.  As I got in my car, I waved goodbye to my Alma Mater and rode off into the sunset, and by sunset, I mean New Jersey.

Following my return home, I was often bombarded with two questions: "Why five months, Karen?” and “Is the Company not really that interested in you??"  Even after the 10th time, I would laugh off the questions with a smile, and would remind them of their own personal onboarding experiences.  There's a lot of paperwork!  Ok, so maybe five months is a bit longer than your average company, but we are talking international here.  Salary agreements, tax forms, compliance documents, visa requirements, and the list goes on. 

And so it began.  I received a large packet of HR documents in the mail that were to be filled-out, signed and mailed back to Japan.  Staring at the huge pile of papers, I sighed, and got to work. Referencing online sources to ensure accuracy, I completed the forms, made copies for my records, and got them in the mail after a few days. Feeling a sense of relief, I continued on with my life. That is until three weeks later when another package arrived from my company in Japan.  The letter read as follows, "Dear Ms. Bucks:  We kindly ask that you fill out the forms included in this package. Sincerely," the HR Department.  Some of the forms were exactly the same. But with zero reason to question their process, I spent another weekend filling out the enclosed forms, making copies, and sending them back. Little did I know, this was only the beginning of the organizational inefficiencies I would soon experience.

It was time!  I was about to move to Japan.  I stuffed my suitcase to the legal limit and boarded the plane.  And what a fantastic job it was.  I loved my coworkers.  I loved my students.  There was just one thing I disliked: their hr processes.  How unbelievably frustrating!  From an employee standpoint, the onboarding program and employee performance management system were not structured.  Employee appraisals were erratic in schedule and worker feedback often was irrelevant or too general.  Without examples and specific advice, how was I supposed to know what I was doing right?  I believe I did improve during my time there, but did I really do my best?  I suppose I will never know.  Anyway, I returned to the U.S. after a year and a half.  I often wonder, if I had received more feedback, would I have stayed longer?

According to Bruce Pfau and Ira Kay, authors of The Human Capital Edge, people need structured performance recognition and feedback.  Helping them overcome their weaknesses can improve their disposition towards their work and ultimately towards the company.  And, I 100% agree. Superior onboarding and performance managament systems are extremely important to employee retention.  If not given the right tools, such as organized trainings and detailed performance appraisals, positions become static and, for lack of a better word, boring.  If given the right tools, employees have the opportunity to learn how to grow, improve and succeed.

There are three questions I’d like you to ask yourself. One, have you and your coworkers improved since your hire dates? Two, if yes, how has your company helped you all do that? And, three, are you happy doing what you are doing?  If you are unable to answer these questions with confidence, take a look at your company's onboarding process and performance evaluation tools. The first step to answering positive to those questions is to improve the employee experience!

Having a clear direction is important in life.  Isn’t that such a vague statement?  You don’t know if I mean your personal future, career goals, or driving directions.  That is exactly why proper onboarding is so important.  When you first join a company things can seem a little chaotic.  There is always so much to learn and it can almost be too much to take in.  That’s why companies today need onboarding programs which provide their new hires with clear direction.

Companies frequently focus too much on getting an employee up and running with their responsibilities as soon as possible, especially in the wake of a lengthy time-to-fill.  While this might allow for pressing issues to be resolved and fires to be put out, it can have negative implications for the new hire.  Without proper training, new hires can often miss important details or make mistakes in the execution of their jobs, creating a problem for the company.  Inevitably the employee will have to repeat the work until the mistakes are sorted out, which can get extremely frustrating (for both the employee and the managers).  Frustrated employees have a more difficult time coping with their new environments and may not fit in as well with coworkers as they would have if they were assimilated properly. 

Fortunately, all of the negativity created by the above situation can be tactfully avoided with the implementation of a successful onboarding program.  The best programs include one-on-one meetings or events with each member of the team.  Ideally, new-hires should be personally trained in each aspect of their role and be able to demonstrate their skills to their manager before being placed in real situations.  They should feel comfortable and familiar with their function, their co-workers, their workplace, and be welcomed to the team.  By fostering a positive environment, even across band levels, companies can create a nurturing environment for their new hires which not only provides clear direction, but encourages and nourishes innovation.

According to about.com the purposes of orientation are:

• To reduce startup costs
• To reduce anxiety
• To reduce employee turnover
• To save time for the supervisor
• To develop realistic job expectations, positive attitudes, and job satisfaction

So are you onboarding your talent to their fullest potential?

The process of applying for internships can be overwhelming. I went through 20 other unpleasant online applications before I found a marketing internship position at iCIMS. Right from the get-go, this company stood out and gave me a positive impression because of the easy application process on their website. Immediately after I applied, I received an email alerting me that my application had been received and that I could check the status of my submission at any time. This was an enormous help and relief, because with many other companies I never knew if my submission had gone through online or where I stood in the review process. A few days later, a friendly HR representative contacted me by phone. We spoke for several minutes about myself, the company, the position and we scheduled to meet. Once we got off the phone she emailed me what to expect during the interview, the people I would be meeting with and most importantly a reminder not to be nervous about the interviews. This was such a nice personal touch to a potential hire. A few days after the interview I was notified that I got the job. Yayy!

I had some time in between finals and starting at my new company. Most people would be intimidated and nervous anticipating their first day, but fortunately I was not. Before my first day, iCIMS emailed me a welcome packet, orientation information, and a schedule for my first few days. Knowing what to expect during my first week truly put me at ease. The packets I received before my first day really made me feel welcome and gave me the impression of a positive team working and learning environment. I am so glad that I was not only able to experience the company, first as a candidate, but then to learn the inner workings of iCIMS and finally help market the software. As a recent applicant and new hire, this system has been a pleasure to use!