iCIMS Hire Expectations™

More and more companies are turning to social media to drive their HR program. From job postings to passive recruitment the world of Social Talent Acquisition is changing and evolving.

On Thursday, March 29th at 1pm, Madeline Laurano, Aberdeen Group’s Research Director for Talent Acquisition Solutions will be presenting on research findings from Aberdeen’s  2012 talent acquisition study. Register for this FREE webinar here! Key findings include:

 

 

• Key pressures facing organizations in social talent acquisition 
• Top uses of social media in talent acquisition
• The role social media plays in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of talent acquisition efforts 
• The future impact of social media on talent acquisition efforts

 

Registration Link: Click Here

Date: Thursday, March 29th, 2012

Time: 1:00pm EST

Cost: Free

 

Look forward to having you there!

 

 

 

Many will say that there is nothing more important to an organization’s success than a unified mission and a strong corporate cuture. It is what drives an organization to reach for common goals, and helps individuals to understand how they fit and contribute in the grand scheme of things. While this is of course true, the same rule applies for companies that look to partner with one another. It is essential that partnering companies not only have complimentary products, but also a mission and culture that are in tune with one another. Knowing this, iCIMS and NetSuite recently identified the opportunity to team-up with one another to deliver increased value to their clients and prospects.

With this partnership, NetSuite will be able to refer their clients to iCIMS so NetSuite can drive further “stickiness” with its client base and have a more competitive offering to prospects.  As part of the partnership, iCIMS will integrate to NetSuite’s ERP so that NetSuite customers will be able to transition their candidate and new hire data from iCIMS directly.

Both are organizations driven by their dedication to customer service and ease of use. Coming from these similar roots, they know how to deliver results expected by experienced SaaS users. On top of that, they have been focused on the SMB market and view SaaS and IT architecture in similar vanes – both offer Java based software in a true cloud environment, leveraging configuration, rather than customization, to tailor solutions for customers.  They are also growing incredibly fast as the need for both ERP and Talent Acqustion Software is becoming an accepted fact among businesses today.

The recently released announcement of the partnership speaks to the commonalities between them, as well as the excitement on both sides about what this new partnership will mean for clients and prospects alike. Guido Haarmans, Vice President Developer Programs at NetSuite said; “I am excited to announce this new partnership with iCIMS. They have proved themselves to be a superior player in the talent acquisition field, recognized for having a robust, scalable, and easy to use platform that provides a candidate and user experience that is second to none. It was the combination of these features, and their reputation for renowned customer service and support that made iCIMS the obvious choice to be NetSuite’s first commercial partner in its space.” While Ron Kasner, Chief Corporate Development Officer at iCIMS said; “We are both aggressively growing SaaS solution providers, committed to providing leading edge technology that can easily and affordably scale to meet the needs of any sized organization. Given these synergies, along with a similar company culture built around customer orientation, the alliance between iCIMS and NetSuite is a natural fit.” With the two organizations already on the same page in terms of culture and vision, one can only imagine what lies ahead for the increased functionality for their users.

To read the full press release, go to new section on iCIMS website or click here.

A 2010 study of 1,500 CEOs indicated that leaders rank creativity as the No. 1 leadership attribute needed for prosperity. Companies must seek out individuals who challenge the status quo and contribute groundbreaking ideas in order to survive in today’s fast-paced and increasingly complex business environment. Just as importantly, the must establish a culture of innovation to foster those ideas and bring them to fruition. Companies with a culture of innovation adapt repeatedly to stay ahead of the competition. They develop creativity at all levels of their organizations, and develop new ideas to tackle problems large and small.

But how do you build a culture of innovation??

1)    Hire the right people
During the interview process, don’t limit yourself to asking questions about a candidate’s specific experiences or skills. In addition to determining if the candidate is a good fit for the job, it is important to make sure that the candidate will also fit in with the company. Be sure to ask questions about the company’s values. If you are fostering a culture of innovation, then innovation should be one of the company’s top values. Ask the candidate to give an example of a time he or she was innovative in solving a problem.

2)    Put them in the right jobs
In addition to hiring the right people, it is important to hire them for the right jobs.  The quickest way to stifle creativity is by putting people in jobs that don’t incite their passion.  Look for ways to give employees ways to follow their interests and express their talents. Provide opportunities for employees to take on additional responsibilities to accomplish organizational goals. Allow employees to gain exposure to other departments and learn how they function.

3)    Meet people’s needs
Managers should always meet with employees and ask them what they need to accomplish their best work. Some people may be motivated by challenge, while others by appreciation. Some people may like quiet working conditions, while others appreciate noise. The more people are worrying about their unmet needs, the less time they will have for developing creative ideas and attacking problems.

4)    Make work meaningful
To be truly motivated, we have to believe that our work really matters. Everyone needs to feel like they are working for some larger purpose. To create this sense of purpose, a leader should define a mission that transcends each individual’s self-interest.  For example, at iCIMS, it is our mission is to be the top provider of HR software for small and mid-sized businesses. Our client, Whole Foods, was founded with the goal of becoming the world's leading natural and organic foods supermarket retailer. By establishing an important purpose, you will incite passion within your team.

5)    Encourage autonomy
Autonomy means ” independence or freedom, as of the will or one's actions.” Give your employees challenges, but give them freedom in how they accomplish them. Define what success looks like and hold people accountable to metrics, but let people design their days as they see fit to achieve those outcomes. By micromanaging or hand holding, you will only stifle your employees’ creativity.  An employee who has to run every detail by his or her boss for approval will lack motivation to contribute in innovative ways.

6)    Encourage people to ask questions
People need to be aware of an organization’s processes to improve them, and aware of challenges in order to solve them. Encourage employees to ask questions about what your company has done in the past, as well as what your company is doing today. Encourage them to look for contrarian ideas and insights. 
You should also encourage your employees to provide feedback. By reaching out to your team and asking them what they think, or if they see any issues arising from the company’s current direction, it will demonstrate to your employees that your company doesn’t want to simply maintain the status quo, and it is open to new ideas to improve the business.

7)    Encourage people to explore and take risks
Provide employees with the freedom to take creative risks without a fear of judgment. Experimentation is an absolute essential part of  discovery. Of course, many experiments will fail, but it is important to see the value in failure.  One of my favorite quotes is by Thomas Edison: “ I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that don’t work.” Nearly every innovation in history has come after countless “failures.” Encourage your employees to not fear failure or let it extinguish curiosity, but to keep trying. Eventually, it will pay off.

The New Year is right around the corner and about half of the working population is either physically or mentally out of the office. You know what that means…it’s a great time to sit down and think about your HR New Year’s resolution without any distractions (well minimal distractions). As an HR professional, you have probably compiled a long list of challenges you face throughout the year.  This week before the end of the year is always a good time to evaluate those challenges and create a “Not-to-Do” wish list or resolution for next year.

Every year at iCIMS, the company awards one employee with a “Not-to-Do” award. What does this mean? Employees are charged with eliminating a current process that is inefficient. The employee that comes up with the best process elimination/improvement is awarded at the end of the year. Why not have this same competition in your HR department. What are the challenges you are facing? Try listing out the processes you are currently doing and decide which of those you shouldn’t be doing.

How about non-compliance issues? Be honest, how many applications, resumes, and paperwork do you get in a day?? A ton. Paper storage is costly and inefficient. Loose paper can get lost or filed incorrectly.

What about trying to eliminate paper collection in 2012. How? Go electronic. Find a way to have staff and applicants complete all of their paperwork online. Use an online career site that funnels information into an online database that is easily searchable.

How about high turnover? Do you have trouble retaining personnel? Perhaps, it’s time to look at what inefficiencies are in your training program and eliminate those.

Eliminate costly training programs that employees don’t participate in and try new programs that provide staff with the right tools to power their career. Offer more training programs online so all employees can attend on their own time. The possibilities are endless, but the bottom line is, eliminate what isn’t working and try out more beneficial programs.

So what does your “Not-to-Do” wish list and New Year’s resolution look like?

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!

It's that time of year.  In the dead of summer, we're busy barbecuing every weekend, eating copious amounts of water ice to stay cool, working on our tans (or hoarding SPF 70 sunscreen), wrapping presents, and putting up the tree, stockings, and tinsel.

Wait...what?!

Yes, it's finally here! We've waited six months, and at long last the time has come for...Christmas in July!

Okay, while I may be in the minority of people who are excited about this quasi-holiday fast approaching on July 25, I invite you to conjure up a holiday scene, sip some eggnog, spray your office or car windows with fake snow, and get started on your wish list for Santa. You can even make two lists to keep things organize: one for personal and one for professional use (that way you can ask for an iPod and an ergonomic desk chair at the same time).

Need help deciding on some work related requests?  How about asking for one of these?

More Friends: Social networking is a way to bolster the number of people who have access to your life, but by now many recruiters are leveraging it to expand their pipelines as well as their personal popularity. The joy of reeling in qualified candidates via social networks can be sweeter than a holiday sugar plum! You know they’re out there, and being able to leverage tools that enable branded microsites and mass job postings across the web can get you and your brand in front of the masses.

Fewer Delays: If the elves don’t make all the toys in time, then there will be some disappointed children (and bloggers) out there without any gifts under the tree. Likewise, if there are numerous delays throughout the pre-hire process, then there will be some disappointed hiring managers when the talent they need isn’t in place. Ask Santa (or your CEO) for an applicant tracking system equipped with scheduling and electronic workflow that will ensure the right people sign off on new hires at the right times.

Extra Insight: Think of all the frustration you could avoid if you didn’t have to spend all that time figuring out reports and looking up how to run formulas in the help menus for Excel. There are tools out there that can run all those real-time reports for you, giving you easy, quick insight into your metrics…and also freeing you up to look into other aspects of your work (or to look into ways to make sure your gingerbread house doesn’t collapse like it did last time).

So, maybe Santa won't be delivering goodies next week.  Everyone deserves a vacation, and from what I gather on TV, he’s most likely soaking in the sun in his Bermuda shorts and downing carbonated beverages. But look on the bright side, you're ahead of the game with decorating for December, and Ol' Saint Nick can get a jump start on your wish list once he gets off the beach!

 

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."

 

With the snow finally melted, the sun shining and my thermometer finally reading above 50 degrees (well, at least it was Sunday when I wrote thisJ), it seems that ol’ man winter is finally behind us – and, alas, that first day of Spring is finally here.  And living near a college town, the hint of nice weather reminds me that Spring Break is once again here. A time I have always loved – once as a student for all of the break’s glory, and now in my 30’s I have come to cherish the peace and tranquility that returns to the town for this short week.

But as I walk the quiet streets with Spring Break taking my mind back to sunny beach days, I am struck by the help wanted signs aligning several storefront windows. From coffee shops to inns to retail stores, part-time and full time help signs leave me wondering if some organizations have put their recruiting strategies on Spring Break?

 

At iCIMS, our team is always recruiting for the best talent in the industry. And in sourcing for this new talent, we want to ensure that prospective hires are the best fit for iCIMS and vice versa so we hire based upon (6) core competencies that have become the backbone of our culture, success and drivers for talent:

• Passion: An unrelenting external energy to achieve results.
• Drive: An internal will to take initiative to overcome obstacles and deliver results. 
• Innovation: An aptitude to present new ideas and execute upon them to achieve results.
• Communication: An ability to get points across, break down silos, and build alignment for results.
• Adaptability: A capacity to change ideas or behaviors with a positive, team-oriented attitude toward results.
• Customer Orientation: High integrity and consideration for results that balances what’s right for one’s “customers” with the productive use of resources

For large and small organizations alike, it’s worth the time to make sure your recruiting strategies are aligned with your companies values and drivers so you can recruit all year long. Don’t let your organization’s talent stay “pale” while others get a tan on Spring Break!

We are all guilty of it at some point. You hit that point in your day – the wall.  And the cure for the wall?  A snack!  (I know you are getting hungrier and hungrier as you read this.)  While you consider what you will have for your mid-morning, mid-day, or mid-afternoon snack (or what you’ll have for all three…), take a moment and compare your talent pipeline to soup.

Yes, I said SOUP.

If you take a moment (or two) to think about it, the talent management process does, at least loosely, resemble the culinary arts. Both great cooks and skilled HR professionals take a mixture of elements and use a variety of supplies and resources to create a five-star result. So exactly how is assembling a strong team of employees for your company or clients similar to making soup?

Choose durable tools:  Every top cook has a set of high-end cutlery as well as long-lasting cookware and storage containers to hold the leftovers. What’s in your HR cabinet? To create a top-notch talent soup, assemble tools to help you slice, dice, prepare, and store your talent pool data. By choosing tools that work well together or are part of a set, you can be sure that your data will be displayed consistently and accurately.

Cook up top ingredients: One of the many differences between a five-star restaurant hamburger and a Whopper Jr. is the ingredients. Don’t just make candidate chowder from leftovers...Create your sensational talent soup from the finest selection of candidates. A searchable talent management system can help you sort through talent to determine which candidates need to simmer longer and which are ready to be served.

Select ripe produce(rs):  Is the talent in your pipeline ready to be picked?  Keeping in contact with your candidates and building relationships will help ensure that prospective employees will turn to you when they are ready to start producing in the workforce.  By using a web-based system to track your dialogue, you will have a record of your communication with the candidate along with their qualifications so you can decide if they can be a top producer for you.

By choosing the right tools and ingredients, you can be well on your way to concocting the talent soup you need to make your HR practices successful. 

Now who’s hungry?

…But as recent events have shown, it may be "Tweeted", "Liked", or even "Shared". While Social Media sites such as Facebook did not cause the wave of upheavals happening across the Middle East where citizens have languished in poverty for decades under corrupt and repressive regimes, they certainly seemed to have accelerated the revolutionary process. There once was a time when revolutions were lengthy drawn out struggles, with the American and French Revolutions spanning 8 and 10 years respectively. More recent 20th Century revolutions were often shortened to a handful of years, or even a matter of several months as in the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia or the Fall of the Berlin Wall, perhaps owing to ever improving communications technology as an organizing tool. This time, fully armed with instantaneous access to thousands, or even millions of followers through Social Media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook, protesters in Tunisia and Egypt have carried out Revolutions that can be counted in days, 28 and 18 to be exact.

While current events have brought full focus on the influence that Social Media now exerts on daily life in a most dramatic manner, it is quickly becoming apparent that this avenue of communication and interaction is affecting all of us in many surprising ways, both big and small. In one interesting anecdote, a former classmate and friend who has a PR Firm in New York City was so intrigued by all the conversations he was having with his Social Media connections about an upcoming convention in Las Vegas that he had not planned to attend, that he decided to send a Flat Stanley version of himself (or “Flag Greg”) to the gathering instead, so as not to miss out on any networking and branding opportunities. And where did I learn about the escapades of Flat Greg? His journey is all being chronicled on Facebook, of course!

One might argue that PR professionals using Social Media to network may not seem like such a big surprise, as their business revolves around innovative messaging techniques and venues, but what about the road crews tasked with patching the epidemic of potholes left behind as this winter’s record breaking snows melt away?  Burly workmen in orange reflective vests and hardhats might not meet the image that most of us have of Social Media mavens, until you get your first look at the New York City DOT’s “Daily Pothole”. With this surprisingly entertaining site, you can report that teeth rattling crater you just ran over on your street, as well as see images of pothole repairs in action, and track statistics on citywide patching and repaving efforts.  So far over 2000 Facebook users “Like” this site, and I bet you will too!

Some emerging practices related to Social Media usage are starting to raise hard questions, however, as well as offer cautionary tales about what each of us chooses to post on our online profiles or tweet to our followers.  Reuters reports, for example, that trial lawyers are turning to Social Media as part of the process of vetting perspective jurors, piecing together far more complex profiles of their available jury pools than ever before. Closer to home, recruiters are increasingly visiting Facebook and LinkedIn profiles of candidates to gather a more complete profile of prospective employees, and in a recent survey of Canadian Human resources professionals, 43 percent responded that they thought it was somewhat or very likely that profiles on Social Media sites will eventually replace resumes entirely.

Granted, 43 percent is not a majority, but whatever the future of resumes might be, Social Media is undeniably becoming a force to be reckoned with for Human Resources departments, and recruiting in particular. In January 2011 alone, Facebook led the pack of the Top 10 US Web Brands in terms of the time spent on the site per person, beating the #2 site, Yahoo, by about 5 hours. And while the top ranked brand in terms of unique audience, Google, came in at 6th place for time spent per person, the capability to display the Social Media activities of your own network directly within Google search results has just recently debuted, weaving an even more complex web of information and social relationships. The statistics on the explosion of Social Media usage are everywhere. Did you know that Facebook users in China increased sevenfold in just the last month? If just the sheer numbers of potential candidates out there alone isn’t reason enough to include Social Media in your recruiting campaigns, then here are 10 more reasons, as related by HR.BLR.com. One of my favorites is #7, Low Cost, very appealing in a tough economy.

So, how can you spark your own Social Media recruiting revolution? It is much easier than you might think with the tools offered by the iCIMS’ Recruitment Marketing Solution. Through the iCIMS Talent Platform, you can post an unlimited number of jobs to over 300 Social Media sites, including Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, create a job openings tab on your Facebook page, and more.  But no tool would be complete without a strategy, and so I am happy to announce a free webinar that will help you in your efforts to craft your plan of attack: 

Need a Hiring Advantage? Try Social Media!

In this presentation, industry expert Elaine Orler of Talent Function will eliminate the hype and focus on the substantive value of social media as it relates to recruiting.

Date: Wed, Feb 23, 2011
Time: 02:00 PM EST
Presenter: Elaine Orler
Hosted by: ERE

Finally, there is no time like the present to practice your Social Media skills, so be sure to give the share button below a good workout and let all your friends know about this blog and the webinar, and make this blogger happy by clicking on 5 stars in the rating bar as well.