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!

Just two weeks ago, I attended a conference in Philadelphia regarding social media’s influence on the business world as we know it. It’s amazing to see how different departments are leveraging social media in their day-to-day tasks. In fact it’s great. However, for those of you who haven’t jumped on board the social media train, you are missing out. Let’s take HR for example. Recruiters know that they should get involved, so what’s stopping them? Simple. Those professionals have forgotten why they should get involved and thus, have delayed setting up their company profiles. Perhaps if we can remember the end goals of using social media in HR, recruiters won’t delay any longer.

Reason # 1 – It’s where your candidates are. In this day and age, top talent is moving around and in order to stay in touch with this talent you need to know where they are and where they are going. Social media sites also allow recruiters to engage and spread their talent net. Bottom line: recruiters have access to a much larger talent pool than they had before.

Reason # 2 – Everyone else is doing it. Your competitors are perusing their talent pool freely on LinkedIn and Facebook looking for their next game changer. What if you could find them first? Beats the heck out of passive recruiting via cold calling.

Reason # 3 – To improve your company image/brand. Top talent is pickier than ever. They want to know more about the company they are applying for. Make it easy for your candidates by providing this information on the social media sites they are already on. Give them a sneak peek into your company and what a great place it is. You can reel top talent in without even lifting a finger (well except for when you had to set up your profile).

Reason # 4 – Cutting down time-to-fill and cost-per-hire. Social media is free. Yes, I know what you are thinking. Social media is not free - it takes time and personnel resources. Which is very true. But, I promise that making the case for allocating time to social recruiting will be much easier (especially with finance) than using a sourcing firm that costs $x/month. Not that I have anything against sourcing firms. Social media is immediate and updated instantly, which allows you to find the appropriate candidates faster and cheaper. Further, if you are already using an applicant tracking system, even better. Some ATS allow you to post jobs out instantly to all of your social media sites – connecting the job seeker and open requisition faster.

Reason # 5 – And, so on. There are a ton of reasons why you should be on social media. Research a bit more if you don’t believe me.

So you know the reasons why you should do it…now on to the how. The conference provided some great tips on driving your social recruitment campaigns. Here are three starter tips to implement (I, of course, take zero credit for these tips).

1. Leverage only what you can handle. As a newbie to social media, optimize one platform at a time. Start with LinkedIn. Make sure your company’s profile is up to date. Have employees share their experiences in the group. Write up a quick snapshot of your benefits. Once you feel comfortable with your LinkedIn efforts, move on to another platform making sure to keep up with your LinkedIn as well.
2. Get your employees involved. Employee referral is one of the best ways to win new top talent. Why not have your employees participate and share news about your company via social media? Not only will their network see the news but your credibility as a good company to work for will increase. If you are shaking your head at this idea because you are concerned with what your employees will say, then maybe you have a bigger problem surrounding the culture and positive work environment of your company.
3. Create a social media policy. While getting your employees involved does open a lot of doors (if you are a good company you shouldn’t be afraid of that), you should take the necessary precautions. Lindsay Lebresco from Lilly Pulitzer made a great point in saying, make a simple social media policy and make it part of your new hire packet. By having employees see your social media policy from day one, you are encouraging them to think that employee involvement in social media is the norm.

Social recruiting is here to stay, so stop pushing it off and get started today. Hey, that rhymed. Good luck!!

It’s Fall, which means pumpkin spice lattes and TV show premieres.

Many of you probably tuned in to see the premiere of Two and a Half Men. Now I love you, Ashton Kutcher. I believe you were a Calvin Klein underwear model, but you are not believable as a 20-something year old entrepreneur.

This season also includes two new period dramas that feature women in the workplace. Pan Am focuses on pilots and stewardesses working for Pan American World Airways during the 1960s. The Playboy Club is another period drama that centers around the employees (known as Bunnies) of the first Playboy Club in Chicago in 1963.
 
Things have certainly changed. Women today have plenty of options available, and today run some of the world’s best companies, such as PepsiCo, Archer Daniels Midland and W.L. Gore. Women are also entering the workforce in record numbers, and today make up more than half of US professionals. What does this mean for HR? It means that they need to focus on recruiting and retaining female talent.

This year, the Wall Street Journal’s Women in the Economy Conference split off into six career-stage sessions, and came up with four priorities each for dealing with each phase of the career life cycle.

I would like to highlight the four priorities for recruiting:

1. 360 MENTORING: Establish 360-degree mentoring, from the most senior-level executives to entry-level employees. Equip middle management to mentor and coach. Use data to measure mentoring.
2. 21ST-CENTURY WORKPLACE PRACTICES: Highlight the 21st-century workplace to potential hires - meaningful work opportunities, flex time, telecommuting, technology, and work environment. Establish formal policies and responsibilities for innovative practices.
3. FULLY ENGAGE NEW EMPLOYEES: Institute robust, long-term onboarding and engagement. Establish metrics on employee engagement. Recognize new employees as experts of their generation and build business opportunities for their ideas.
4. ACTIVELY RECRUIT WOMEN: Recruit women via social media, on campuses and traditional arenas. Highlight a company's women in its recruiting efforts. Partner with influential stakeholder and educational institutions (as early as elementary school). Communicate with young people about opportunities and options. Offer internships and scholarships.

When I was applying to jobs, I considered whether or not the job was at a workplace that developed female leadership. I looked for an employment brand that showed an appreciation for diversity and a spirit of collaboration.

Women, what drew you to your current place of employment? How much do you let work/life balance influence your career decisions? Should companies offer flex time, telecommuting, or childcare options?

Women bring a complementary skill set to the workplace, and can thus contribute to goal achievement. Recruiters should leverage technology to build a welcoming employment brand, engage female candidates, and connect them with professional mentors. The result will be a pipeline of talented females that can improve ROI.

A couple of weeks ago, I got this notice in the mail that brightened my day, well week, well actually a good month. It was a jury summons! Wait what? Yes, you’ve heard me correctly…jury summons. I was so thoroughly excited to receive my jury summons notice that I told nearly everyone I knew. I would receive phone calls from vendors looking to schedule upcoming campaigns, and before we would get off the phone I would have to mention, “Oh, and just so you know, I’ve been selected for jury duty. So I would like to make sure the plan is up and running before I leave.” I would hang up the phone and find myself looking for the next new person I could tell. This kept up for the entire month before jury duty. Without even realizing it, I was making it a part of every conversation I had. Yes, I know there are probably very few people who are genuinely excited at the prospect of sitting in a courthouse for an unknown amount of time, waiting to find out if they would be selected for a trial. Okay fine. I may be the only person on earth who is excited at the prospect of reporting for jury duty.

(They make it sound like a bad thing...)

The day before I was scheduled to report, I said farewell to my coworkers reminding them once again, that I was off to jury duty. When I got home that night, I called the NJ courts telephone number and to my terrible disappointment, my juror number was not called. I had to wait another day to see if I had been selected to report. I was sure I would be. So the next day, after a long day at work, I wished my coworkers farewell again, and told them I would see them as soon as I completed my duty to the state! Again when I got home, I was not needed for the following day, but was required to call back. Then, the third day I was officially dismissed. I looked up to the sky and shook my fists, “why has the state forsaken me!” Okay, not really, but I was quite saddened that I would not be able to experience jury duty. You must be thinking, “Okay, she’s crazy, why would she want to go to jury duty and what is the point of this post?!?!” Well the truth is, while I was looking forward to hearing the case, I was more interested in listening in on the selection process.

Selecting the perfect juror is a difficult decision. You have to find someone that will be unbiased and fair, among many other things. But, how do you find that perfect juror? Well, the only way is to have day-long interviews of every candidate that has been called. This forces lawyers, judges, and court officials to hang around all day to interview every prospective juror available (well except me of course….okay fine, I’ll let it go) causing the jury selection process to be time-consuming and draining to all parties involved. What if the recruitment process was the same? Interviewing each resume you receive, and spending countless hours trying to decipher interview answers. Unfortunately, recruiters often face a challenge very similar: sorting through hundreds or in some cases, thousands of resumes and applicants in search of the perfect person for the job. How horribly inefficient is this!?! But recruiters have an advantage that courthouses do not. The people who are qualifying for the position actually want to get chosen, whereas most potential jurors try to think of excuses to get out of the selection process. Having applicants that will openly speak about their qualifications can help you filter faster and select the best candidate possible. But you may still get a lot of candidates. There are a few things that recruiters can do that the courthouses cannot do (at least at this point in time).

Review the job description.
As companies grow, positions change and job responsibilities move around. I know you know this but make sure you have the most accurate and up-to-date account of the position.  Schedule time semi-annually to review and update job descriptions - or, more often if necessary.

Filter by skills.
Once you have posted the job and after you’ve received a hundred resumes for one position, filter by exact skills. While this is not a sure-fire way to find the perfect candidate, it is a good place to start. Nine times out of ten there will only be a percentage of applicants who meet the criteria. This cuts down on the number of non-qualified candidates going through the interviewing process. This is a luxury that lawyers and judges do not have.

Have tiered interviews.
After the applicants get a chance to meet with the hiring manager, have them meet with high-performing employees around the company to measure how the person would fit culturally within the organization. This will help ensure that the candidate not only has the right technical skills, but also the right values that will align directly with the company’s.

Leverage technology.
Let's face it; recruitment technology is a part of the recruitment process now. Of course you can stick with a manual process, but if you do, you are not using your time efficiently. You are wasting too much time on administrative duties and interviewing too many candidates. Certain technologies, like applicant tracking systems, can track and manage candidate information online, allowing you to easily search for the candidate that has the skill sets you need. You can filter the unqualified applicants in a matter of seconds. 

You may be nervous about implementing technology, but there are plenty of resources that can help simplify this for you. If you are a mid-size company looking for recruitment software, here is a webinar to check out, “Choosing a Recruitment Technology for Mid-Sized Organizations.” And, if you aren’t a mid-size company, still feel free to listen in as a lot of the principles are universal to all sizes.

Recruiters have many more options when it comes to facilitating a hiring program. If there is anything we can learn from the jury selection process, it would be: don’t do it the courthouse way – it’s an inefficient use of your time. Okay, I’ve talked enough. What are you doing to find the perfect candidate?

P.S. Wish me luck on the next jury summons!

While the UK still struggles to get out of this recession (just as the rest of the world), there does seem to be a hint of economic improvement. In a recent report, low-carbon or green businesses are receiving funding from the Regional Growth Fund. The main purpose of this funding is to spur vacancy creation. "The government said it expects the investment to create over 27,000 direct jobs, with a further 100,000 jobs supported in associated supply chains and local economies."

While this may still seem relatively small, it is a large step towards decreased unemployment and overall recovery. This initial funding will be followed by a second round of funding that will more than double in amount.

"This money will now help create and safeguard jobs in some of the communities worst hit by the economic downturn," said Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. "Today is a step towards rebalancing our economy away from an unhealthy over reliance on a small number of industries and a few areas. We need to spread opportunity across the whole country, drawing on our many talents."

And, this will happen. Opportunities will arise and the economy will improve. That’s just how it works. Now the real question is: WHEN?

I think we can comfortably say we are getting there! And, companies across the country are trying to figure out how to prepare for these potential positive trends head on. Some HR executives are investing in automation tools now to lower overall HR expenses when recruitment starts back up, while other companies are waiting it out a little longer and trying to plan what they will do. What are you doing and why? I would love to hear your responses.

Or better yet, come join us on 11 May 2011 at 10:00 am for iCIMS’ HR Leader Networking event in London, UK. This event is open to both iCIMS customers and all other HR Leaders in the London area looking to contribute their thoughts on relevant issues, ideas, best practises, and trends. It’s free too! Register here. This will be a great opportunity for HR professionals to exchange thoughts and ideas in order to prepare better for economic and recruitment improvement.

Just as Henry Ford said, "Before everything else; getting ready is the secret of success."

What is Recruitment Marketing?

According to good old ERE:

Recruitment marketing used to mean writing job ads and placing them in newspapers. Today, it covers a wide range of disciplines that includes creative, copywriting, SEO, web analytics, pay per click, video, blogging, and social media marketing.

For now, let’s skip to the last part…Social Media, or in HR terms: Social Recruiting. Do you currently have a social recruiting program? If you don’t, maybe you should… In a recent CNN video, these social media sites are said to be “taking the teeth out of job search websites”. Essentially, more money is being pumped into these social media sites, while many of these job search websites are suffering losses. If this is any indication of the way the recruitment industry is going, I’d say social recruiting is here to stay (at least for the next decade).

However, the major problem with social recruiting is the comprehensive nature of these sites. Navigating through Linkedin or Facebook for recruiting purposes can quickly consume a recruiter’s time. So while this recruitment marketing piece is very desirable, it is not easily attainable (manually speaking).

So, the big question is how do you make social recruiting not only desirable but also attainable. Take a step back and ask yourself:

1. What tasks do you need to complete in order to get top talent to submit an application via social recruiting efforts?
   • Choose social media sites to leverage.
   • Post jobs to all social media sites, career sites, etc. 
   • Build branded email campaigns to connect with your social media contacts.
   • Reach out to candidates proactively via email/phone.
   • Analyze source effectiveness of each social media site.
   • What else?
2. Which of those do you feasibly have time for without working outside of the 8-6 work day? – Keep in mind social recruiting is only one aspect of recruitment marketing.
3. Which tasks can you automate?
   • Send mass emails using a communication tool – don’t waste time emailing one person at a time.
   • Post jobs to all social media and career sites at the same time – don’t waste time going to each site to post jobs. 
   • Copy job templates – don’t waste time reinventing the wheel.
   • Store data electronically with an ATS – don’t waste time manually accumulating data to report on. Leverage an applicant tracking system so you can visualize source effectiveness in a matter of seconds.
   • What else?

Choosing Automation

While automation through technology solutions is not meant to replace HR professionals it will facilitate the process and automate essential tasks that recruiters just don’t have time for. For example, recruitment marketing solutions would probably be your best bet as they can help you automate your social recruiting so you don’t have to spend hours navigating your Linkedin account. Now, social recruiting is much more attainable.

P.S. Did you know that Linkedin recently announced their 100 million member mark? Crazy right? And that’s only one piece of social recruiting and recruitment marketing…

What about you? Do you have any other tips to share on improving a social recruiting program?

I know we are only a month into the year, but I must say there seems to be a common theme: optimization.  Whether it’s improving your career site or reducing your time-to-fill, it is all for the same reason…to optimize your HR performance.

Well anyway, I spoke about HR strategy a few weeks ago and I want to revisit it as there are two sides to optimization and strategic success that I didn’t cover in that previous blog. Along with being flexible enough to adjust your current tasks to mirror modern trends, it is also important to fix your old  tasks (re-optimization). Some people assume that if they take advantage of the latest trends they will be able to improve and optimize their HR program. And, of course, this can be true. HOWEVER, as countless others have said…if the foundation you are adding new sources to is not solid and capable of holding the new plan, it will be impossible to effectively optimize and your foundation will eventually collapse right under your feet.

While, I still believe it is rather important to be receptive to the latest trends, it is also important to review your current ones. It is important to make sure those supporting tasks (e.g. application management, candidate relationship management, etc.) are the very best they can be.

At my company, we have a really great award (and quite applicable to this blog) that our company executives give out at the end of each year. The award is called the “Not to Do Award”. It calls upon employees to identify current processes that are just plain broken. These processes may cost money, waste time, and usually cause frustration. Each employee is tasked with finding one of those processes and eliminating it, finding an alternative route to the same end, or optimizing it. The winner also gets a pretty nice check - hey, that's motivation enough for me to re-optimize!

If HR professionals incorporated this idea into re-optimizing their supporting tasks, less money would be wasted and potentially more time would be freed up to spend on new trends. Now, don’t be intimidated, optimizing your standard practices is usually just as simple as implementing a talent management system or some sort of automation system to tighten that foundation you stand on.

Further, when I try to look at everything I have to improve, it's often pretty overwhelming. I usually try to start with the major “support beams”. I  fix one major process before I add new ones to the mix. Let's take an HR example...

Are you struggling to keep your talent pool filled? Leveraging new sources (social media) to attract new talent may be great, but if your procedure to keep that talent engaged is ineffective then it is pointless. You will just lose that talent sooner rather than later. Therefore, one suggestion would be to focus on how you keep candidates once you have them. Try increasing the frequency in which you contact candidates. Or, try altering you’re messaging - offer them coupons to your company’s products or services. Start by re-optimizing the way you keep talent in your talent pool rather than finding new sources to obtain talent.

I think you get the point. So, for February and March, try picking one task that you could re-optimize.

Now if only I could find a way to re-optimize my brain to think faster…any advice for that???

Recently, I have read a number of articles regarding top talent workers who are stuck in jobs that they are over qualified. One article in the Wall Street Journal highlighted how difficult it will be to keep those workers on board once the economy turns around. After I read that article I had a thought…If these highly qualified workers came to my career site looking for a job that was better suited for them, would I be able to pull them in to apply? What a perfect chance to pull in some “A” talent and make my company even stronger. So, ask yourself: is your career site up for the challenge of attracting top talent?

When a candidate arrives at your career site, it is crucial to hook them in immediately by explaining why that candidate should come to you. The career site should give candidates a clear window into the company: what it would be like to work for you and why they should apply. Here are a few tips:

1. It is essential for recruiters to CLEARLY convey your company’s benefits. And, maybe you should even consider offering more:

• 401K Contribution Matching
• Stock Options
• Competitive Pay
• Medical Benefits
• Paid Time Off
• Tuition Reimbursement

2. Corporate social responsibility is also an important ideal you should promote to your candidates. How much does your company give back to the community? This could be what sells a candidate on your company over a competitor.
3. It’s always good to give candidates a quick insight into what it would be like to work for your company. And employee testimonials are the easiest way to do that. Are there any stories about your top producers or best employees that you could upload? A few stories or public recognition about these employees will show the candidate what makes a great employee at your company. It also shows that you value your top people as well as gives candidates the measurements they need to know to become a top producer at the company.
4. Take a look at what your top competitors are doing. Why you ask? Most candidates who are applying for a job at your company are probably also applying for a position with your competitor. Relating to that, your competitor’s employees may also be looking to make a move, which means they will also be looking at your career site!
5. Submitting employee referrals should be simple. Referrals are vital to some companies so ask yourself this: Is it easy for employees to refer top talent??
6. How easy is it to apply to an open position? Try applying to one of your own jobs and see how long it takes to complete. Remember that most traffic on job boards comes between 10 am and 3 pm, which is lunch time across the States. This means that most people are looking for new jobs while at their current jobs. If you are going to make a candidate jump through hoops while applying, they will most likely abandon the application for fear of being caught. Your application process should:

• NOT make the candidate fill in the same information repeatedly.
• Be relevant to the type of job (hourly vs. salaried).
• Be written accurately with qualifications and requirements clearly stated.
• Have applicable screener questions.

7. Try displaying links to your social media pages on the career site. It’s unfortunate but the lack of social media on your career site could signal that you are not keeping up with the industry.

Your company is investing thousands of dollars to drive candidates to your site. And, as we wait for those highly qualified candidates to make their career move, are you doing everything you can to impress them? This year could be a huge year for top talent recruitment and a quality career site could be the edge you need to get those “A” players!

Amusement parks, whether on the grand scale of the Disney resorts or a smaller scale local boardwalk or country fair, hold a special place in our hearts. At an amusement park, everyone can set aside the worries and cares of daily living, and adults and kids alike can enjoy spending time fun and fancy free. That is, until a vertically-challenged (either too tall or too short) thrill seeker spends three hours in line for the latest and greatest park attraction only to find out that they do not qualify to participate. And depending on the individual’s personality, an array of anger, disappointment, sadness, and belligerence can ensue.

The prospective rider’s reaction spreads beyond the spurned park guest. The others in the group who can board the attraction spend time debating whether to stand by their rejected friend or to go on and experience the ride anyway. Often the rest of the line is held up as the disgruntled guest debates his or her qualifications, standing on tip-toe or struggling to force the safety bar in place. Park staff members are faced with the challenge of diffusing the situation with the upset guest to set things right for the throng of waiting guests.

All of this can be avoided by setting clearly visible, clearly understandable directions and notices at the entrance of the ride. Of course, many amusement parks do have these notifications posted, but there are frequent cases where guests do not notice the warnings or do not take them seriously, thinking they will be a convincing exception to the rule. And unless the park employs someone as an official gate keeper, theme park goers will continue to press their luck with ride requirements with the hope of being a good fit.

The HR rollercoaster can bear similarities to extreme thrill rides as well as some more supposedly tame ones. There is almost always a long stream of applicants waiting for access to an interview with an organization. The process of applicant crowd control can become overwhelming as the talent pool begins to fill up, and dealing with persistent applicants who are not the best fit can be very unpleasant.

While it is impossible to completely avoid dealing with individuals who are not a good fit during the recruiting process, there are a few ways that you can help ensure that those who do line up for the position have a better chance of fitting in and producing a positive outcome for all involved.

1. Make the requirements clear. Determine what criteria are non-negotiable and include them right up front at the top of the listing. Choose concise language and easy-to-read formatting so that prospective candidates notice and understand the position’s scope up front. The idea is for them to realize they won’t fit before they get in line for the ride.
2. Stick to the requirements. Don’t make exceptions for applicants who are not a great fit. There is reasoning behind the chosen standards, and deviating will only cause problems later on and keep you from finding the best candidate for the job. An applicant can try to seem like a close fit, but if they don’t measure up from the start there could be repercussions to deal with later.
3. Screen based on requirements. Don’t put yourself in a position to even consider exceptions to the non-negotiable requirements. A candidate that is a 95% match to what you are looking for can be alluring, but they could be a poor choice if the other 5% fails in the critical requirements. You can use different processes and applicant tracking tools to automatically filter candidates based on the job criteria. This way, you can spend time and resources on more qualified prospects and keep your HR processes moving along seamlessly.

Every November, aspiring writers throughout the creative community participate in a mind-boggling writing frenzy known as NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). The goal of NaNoWriMo is to inspire both new and veteran writers to each write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days or less. While NaNoWriMo’s leadership and support groups provide feedback, pep talks, news updates, and fun tools to motivate the writers, the real work is completely up to the author. In the end, the writer is responsible for concepting, creating, writing, editing, finishing, and submitting the novel.

As a NaNoWriMo participant, I can attest to the chaos of the entire creative writing process that becomes my November. While I find it invigorating to join in on the writing spree, I am nearly burned out by the end of the month. On top of my quest to complete a novel, I have a full-time job and several side projects that are writing focused. Keeping up with my usual responsibilities in addition to NaNoWriMo can become extremely overwhelming. I typically make it to the end with most goals achieved, but not without losing a ton of sleep in the process.

So what does NaNoWriMo have to do with human resource management? A lot, if you compare the hectic pace and influx of creative writing that is NaNoWriMo with the high demand for new hires that many HR professionals face each November. As the end of the year approaches, companies begin preparing for seasonal hiring to accommodate business surges or for talent sourcing to align with strategic plans for the new year.

What are the lessons you can take away from the NaNoWriMo experience?

Plan in Advance – For NaNoWriMo, creating detailed outlines can help a writer stay on track. I try to sketch out the key elements that I need to include and where I want them to appear in the story. In the HR space, planning ahead can save time down the line when your workload increases. Automated checklists can help you outline and prepare in advance for talent requests. Knowing when hiring surges will occur and scheduling job posts in advance can help you stay ahead of deadlines and remain on track.

Equip Yourself – With creating writing, there are a few tools that can help the process run smoothly – a distraction-free word processor, ambient music, and a searchable thesaurus, to name a few. HR professionals can reach for a variety of tools as well, and an applicant tracking system can consolidate the tools you need to move forward efficiently. Streamlining sourcing, CRM, and onboarding materials with one system brings together the information you need more efficiently. With the proper tools, you can focus on results rather than process.

Avoid Burn Out – Since the point of NaNoWriMo is to write 50,000 words in 30 days (averaging more than 1600 words a day), creative burn out is almost inevitable. But human resource experts can avoid burn out by building a candidate pipeline to call upon when the need arises. Don’t wear yourself out managing your talent management needs in short-term sprints. Collect quality talent information along the way that you can store and come back to later when faced with a hiring surge.

Now that NaNoWriMo is over, I can recuperate and enjoy the upcoming holiday season…and give thoughtful consideration to whether I am up for the challenge of Script Frenzy next April.