What is a Living Wage? How Much is it in Minneapolis?

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In our tight labor market, many companies are raising their wages to attract and retain employees. The issue of wages, however, goes much deeper. Regardless of a low or high unemployment rate, what are ethical wages? Is complying with state-mandated minimum wages enough? Should companies consider living rather than wages minimum wages?

For example: in Minneapolis, the minimum wage, as of 1/1/18 is as follows

• $9.65/hour – Large employers (annual gross revenue $500,000+).
• $7.87/hour – Small employers (annual gross revenues <$500,000).

On the other hand: Minneapolis’ living wage ($/hour necessary for a worker to support themselves – and dependents, if any – a basic, but a decent lifestyle) is calculated from for $11.96/hour for one a one-working adult household to $19.88/hour for each adult in a two-working adults/3-children household.

At first glance, raising entry-level wages from minimum to living suggests a considerable cost for employers, but don’t jump to conclusions. Employers in many industries have discovered that paying the minimum wage is counter-productive while the ROI for upping their entry-level positions to a living wage is quite positive. They consider the cost of higher wages an investment in the health and success of their company, rather than an expense. Why?

A Higher Labor Budget

  • A Higher Labor Budget Leads to a »
  • High Quality & Quantity Labor Creating »
  • Smoother Organizational Operations Resulting in »
  • Stable Growth, Sales, & Profits

Consider these 5 benefits of paying a living wage-

1. Increased employee motivation:

When employees are paid fairly for their work (and anything less than a living wage falls short of fair), they have a heightened sense of self-worth in aligning with the company mission. Good pay says their job matters, which increases their motivation to do it well.

2. Increased attraction of skilled workers:

Job seekers take note of companies who pay entry workers in line with real-life expenses rather than the minimum requirement. It not only builds their confidence in the potential to move upward if hired, but it also increases their respect for a company and their desire to work there. The result is higher quality workers.

3. Higher retention rate:

A vital pillar of job satisfaction is the ability to support themselves and their families on their wages. Another essential is the self-respect that comes from employee valuation. Living wages are a significant contribution to both components. Yes, it costs more to pay higher, but the savings in lower turnover more than makes up for it.

4. Decreased negative employee issues:

From absenteeism to disciplinary problems, the amount of issues, as well as the need to monitor your employees’ actions and attitudes goes down. Satisfied employees are happy employees. Happy employees show up – on time – and get along with each other better. Production increases and the company is healthier overall.

5. Boosts the Economy:

When workers earn more money, they spend more money. This stimulates the “big picture” of both regional and national economy, which increases opportunities for everyone.

How does a company implement a living wage policy?

In an excellent consciouscompanymedia.com post by Irit Tamir, Policy and Advocacy Manager at Oxfam America, she offers the following steps.

• Benchmark your current wages against the living wage in states and localities where you operate.
• Determine if you are now paying a living wage to your employees and contracted workers.
• Be sure to assess conditions for contingent workers. While many employers take advantage of the convenience and cost-effectiveness of using firms, these contractors may leave workers with little security, low pay, and few benefits.
• Calculate the gap between CEO pay and the average pay of employees – match this gap against the company’s values.
• Consult employees (and, if appropriate, unions) -this is an opportunity for employees to engage, collaborate, and improve the organization.
• Engage your board and create both short-term and long-term plans.
• Commit to both transparency and consistent reviews.
• Look at sourcing strategy – giving preferential treatment, including long-term contracts, to suppliers who are also committed to living wages, overtime policies, and reasonable benefits.

Offering living wages to your entry-level employees is a business opportunity. It is ethical, makes business sense, and helps to build a thriving economy and society.

Whether you have already joined the ranks, or are just starting the move toward living wages, consider a partnership with Award Staffing. We value our community economy, workforce, and job seekers, as well as the ultimate success of our clients. For this reason, Award only works with companies whose pay rate begins at $12/hour. Which is one of the reasons, were named Star Tribune’s 2018 Top Workplace in Minnesota! Contact us today.

 

FINDING YOUR TALENT

Want to learn more about how Award Staffing can help your organization with your staffing and employment needs? Start by providing our team with a few pieces of information about yourself, and we will take care of the rest.

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3 Tips and Tricks to Sell Your Jobs Better

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Talent acquisition professionals who understand how top talent thinks are in the best possible position to recruit them to their organization. Today’s job candidates have more opportunities than ever before, and while the majority of them are passive, 90 percent are open to discussing new work opportunities.

With the war for talent at a fever pitch, how can recruiters distinguish their company from competitors? Exceptional hiring teams are beginning to think like marketers, and treating candidates like their customers. To that end, TA professionals are packing job opportunities in a way that puts more focus on candidates’ wants and needs.

Once the money is off the table, candidates are mainly interested in the type of work they will do, the impact it will have, and how it fits into the company’s overall mission. Keeping these factors in mind, recruiters must then frame discussions about new work opportunities around them.

Here’s how to discuss three selling points recruiters often miss in a way that resonates with today’s high-quality talent.

1. The Position

Sure, outlining the role’s responsibilities and expectations feels like a given, but positioning the role in a larger context than the day-to-day grind will help make any position become more attractive to candidates. Explain how the job makes an impact on the company, or potentially the industry as a whole, choosing to focus on purpose rather than compensation or benefits during the first few conversations.

Salary is often the single most deciding factor for candidates to switch jobs, but research suggests greater income brings more happiness only up to about $75,000 per year before it runs out. We quickly acclimatize to greater income, causing it to lose value, which is why intrinsic motivators like company fit and career growth opportunities are crucial.

2. The Company

Candidates want to see culture in action. Think about all the ways your Employer Branding is showcased across different channels. Does your company career page still have stock photos? Over half of all candidates look at company websites for their first line of research before applying, so including photos and video of actual employees sharing their experiences are powerful content. Does your organization’s social media presence and email messaging align with the values that you want to promote? How is the work-life balance among employees? Do the candidate’s interests align with the company’s values?

Top talent often has more than one offer to consider, so recruiters need to demonstrate what makes their company unique from competitors. As brand ambassadors, recruiters are tasked with explaining the company’s mission and vision in a compelling way, so they need to not only have a thorough understanding of what makes the organization’s core product or service it’s strongest selling point, but also how the candidate can directly impact it.

3. Career Growth

Flat hierarchies, project-based work, and the constant demand for new skills have caused many to rethink the traditional career ladder concept, but career growth remains one of the top three reasons why candidates accept offers. What’s more, over 56 percent of candidates choose to stay with their current employers because of opportunities to challenge or improve their skills.

For candidates, a job offer might be a huge life decision, so it’s crucial that they understand the company structure, and know how to locate the services and resources available to them for advancement. Giving new hires the opportunity for growth demonstrates that you want them to succeed in your organization.

Recruiters are increasingly turning to technology solutions to automate certain steps of the hiring process, freeing them up to spend more time on “human” functions like understanding what motivates candidates. When approaching candidates with work opportunities, it’s important that recruiters frame their discussions about the role, its responsibilities, the company, and the candidate’s future around their wants and needs. Not only does this give candidates the best possible experience, but it is the best way to set them up for success.

Sourced from www.smartrecruiters.com by Scott Wardell

The 5 Generations in the Workforce

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Today’s workforce is one of the most unique in history: as retirement age keeps getting pushed further and further back, it’s not uncommon to see members of four or even five generations working together professionally. There are businesses that have employees with more than 50 years of experience working alongside young adults fresh out of college, with more employees from larger generations sandwiched in-between.

Modern recruiters are faced with the complicated task of understanding each generation to attract, engage and hire top talent that fits their business needs. Navigating current workplace demographics and finding out what makes each generation tick are crucial to business success.

Here’s some information recruiters should know about each age demographic in the workforce:

Silent Generation (Born 1928 – 1945), 2 percent of the US workforce

The Silent Generation make up the oldest – and smallest – age demographic in the workforce. While most members of this generation have already retired, there are still a few that continue to work professionally. Some may work part-time in second careers or side jobs to supplement their retirement income, so it’s not likely that too many members of the Silent Generation still work in their main careers. One common characteristic of this generation, however, is that they tend to be the most technology-challenged group, which could cause tensions between them and members of other generations.

Baby Boomers (Born 1946 – 1964), 25 percent of the US workforce

Baby boomers find themselves in a different position now than years past: they are no longer the largest element of the workforce and retire at a rapid rate, yet still make up a full quarter of all US workers. Boomers have the most experience in the workforce, enjoying senior leadership and executive-level positions in companies throughout the country. Most boomers have become accustomed to working with Gen Xers and millennials, but many of them will be out of the workforce by the time Generation Y – their grandchildren’s generation – start their professional careers.

Generation X (Born 1965 – 1976), 33 percent of the US workforce

Until recently, Gen Xers made up the majority of the workforce. It wasn’t 2016 when millennials finally took over the top spot. That being said, there are still almost as many members of Generation X in the workforce as millennials – 53 million compared to 56 million, respectively. Gen Xers occupy many senior management levels in their companies and have learned how to work closely with millennials and baby boomers, but will now have to add Gen Zers to the list of those they manage.

Millennials (Born 1977 – 1994), 35 percent of the US workforce

For years now we’ve been talking about millennials transforming the workforce with a focus on social responsibility and an ingrained knowledge of technology. Millennials also introduced the trend of job-hopping, as they only stay at companies for shorter periods of time than other age demographics. Now, as they move into middle- and senior-management positions and age into their 30s and 40s, millennials must contend with the fact that they’re not the new kids on the block anymore.

Generation Z (Born 1995 – 2010), 5 percent of the US workforce

Generation Z began entering the workforce this past year, leading a demographic that numbers around 61 million – larger than both Generation X and millennials. Gen Z brings with them new attitudes towards work and technology, and this is where recruiters need to take the most notice. This is a generation that was born into texting and social media, so employers need to adopt new communication and branding strategies to attract top talent from this group.

Write Emails That Job Seekers Want to Read

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“Attention is the business currency of our age.” Says Hung Lee, recruiting influencer and Co-Founder of Workshape.io. “So how do we get that attention and keep it?”

For Hung, the answer is email. As the creator of recruiting brainfood, the talent acquisition newsletter eagerly awaited by over 9,000 people weekly, he knows the power of a successful campaign, unfortunately so does everyone else. According to a recent study from salesforce for every dollar spent, companies can expect $38 in ROI. So needless to say the competition for attention in the inbox is steep, which has to lead to a communication overload…

We all have an unconscious relationship with our email inbox, one that goes beyond our rational mind, deep into the reptilian center of our most basic instinct: stress!  Every message is an interruption, an ask, or a demand on our time, and for many, even opening the email app on our phones initiates an involuntary grown.

Any professional today is constantly at battle with their overloaded inbox. There are books of strategy, software solutions, sorting features, and virtual assistants all to help workers manage the incessant flow of information. Though the idea that it’s the recipient’s job to tackle the communication overload, seems a bit backward, maybe it’s time for those implementing outbound campaigns to check themselves before they wreck email for us all.

That’s what Hung Lee wanted to do in October of 2016 with the first recruiting brainfood. He decided that rather than making a ‘demand’ on the recipient he was going to ‘give’, and maybe – just maybe – with this approach, he could access the slow thinking part of the mind, that makes rational decisions, instead of the stress-induced reactive mind, that lashes out at every perceived threat.

He realized one day, that he was another voice in the inbox cacophony, and wanted to go from asking to give, here’s what we learned from this marketing maven during his session “What I learned from sending 250,000 Emails” at Social Recruiting Days 2018.

Make it about the mission!

“What is my value-add to the person I am contacting?” Should be the first question you ask yourself before sending an email. Make it clear, so the recipient can understand, right away, that you are there to help, not to take.

Consistency equals credibility.

Consistency is key to building audience trust, especially when it comes to both cadence and style. Stick to your schedule and your format so that people become familiar with your messaging, and learn to look forward to it!

Give-give-give.

In the immortal words of the spice girls “taking is too easy, that’s the way it is.” Taking/asking/demanding/pushing are quick ways to destroy your social credibility. The favors will come back around if you focus on giving value and building trust.

Have an opinion.

An audience will want some commentary and context about why you are sending them certain articles or information. It may feel uncomfortable to share your take, but authentic thoughts are what gives your campaign personality and helps your audience connect to your content on a deeper level. It shows you read what you are sending and you have a clear idea of why it’s important for them.

Separate scared and profane.

When it comes time for business, think about using a different channel. Your email is where you’ve created familiarity so now you can connect on LinkedIn or Slack without muddying your email mission.

Bonus point: Be human!  Some of the best engagement comes from when you make a mistake and say “whoops, my bad!”

This article was sourced from www.smartrecruiters.com by Kaya Payseno

9 Reasons Why to Participate in Social Media Recruiting

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In 8 Items to Consider with Social Media Recruiting and How to Make the Most of 5 Social Media Platforms, we discussed what social media recruiting involves, and how to do it, including specific tips for six different platforms. Today is the exciting part – how does your commitment to social media recruiting pay off? What are the benefits? Here’s a list of nine winners.

1. Build Your Brand Awareness-

Active participation on social media sites increases your brand awareness and build trust with industry talent. It’s an opportunity for you to reveal who your company really is on a daily basis. It provides candidates with a clear picture of who your company is, what you do, your culture, and whether you are the solution to their career goals. Showing your company’s personality and values through your posts and participation will capture the interest of the talent you need. In fact, according to Talent Works, nearly 60% of candidates use social media to research companies. This is your opportunity to showcase your company culture and brand.

2. Increase Visibility-

When taking into account the number of social media users – see the Hootsuite chart below – it only makes sense that sharing your vacancies on your social media pages will increase visibility.

Platform – Active Monthly Users
· LinkedIn – 260,000,000
· Facebook – 2,190,000,000
· Pinterest – 200,000,000
· Snapchat 187,000,000
· YouTube – 2,500,000,000

Social Networks create a platform for identifying and targeting the specific group of talent that you need, enabling you to put your position in front of the caliber of talent you’re seeking.

3. Trigger Engagement-

The more that candidates check out your job postings, the more engagement you experience on your social media networks. The more activity, the more people will share your post among their connections. These conversations not only keep your page alive, but they also open the door for you to engage with talent. This includes talent that would never have heard of your job opening if you hadn’t posted it on your social media.

4. Engage Passive Candidates-

According to a 2017 Jobvite survey, 82% of satisfied employees are still open to new opportunities. Recruiting via social media presents an opportunity to engage with these passive candidates. If a professional’s social media profile stands out, find your connection and take that first step – especially when recruiting for niche roles. After all, isn’t recruitment the sourcing of specific talent for specific positions? Social media recruiting opens the door for connection with the right talent.  And having a social media presence allows candidates to look for your company and your jobs.

5. Engage Higher Quality Candidates-

Professionals who are actively involved in social media posts, forums, and discussions tend to be a step ahead in tech savviness, business trends, market knowledge, etc. They know the skills in demand and often pursue them. If they have niche skills, they tend to participate in niche groups. For example, Developers hang out at Stack Overflow or GitHub, while Marketers love Moz or Warrior. Posting your jobs within specific circles opens the door to a higher level, specialized talent.

6. Boost Your Referral Success-

It’s the “friend of a friend” avenue. Social media is where “sharing” happens. It’s a great place to maximize your referral program. People connect within their industry – which means your employees know who is out there with the right skills. When they share job posts, it will be in the right talent pool. This personal element makes social media a fantastic way to expand your recruiting pool.

7. Screen Candidates Effectively-

Social media platforms give you a more in-depth view of the whole candidate – more than the face they bring to an interview. It provides an inside picture of how well a prospective candidate will fit into the company’s culture. It also provides insight into personality, lifestyle, and values. Take caution, however, to stay within the legal realm. Most professional candidates willingly include links to their social media networks in their resume and cv, but don’t step over privacy boundaries.

8. Shorten the time of each recruiting journey-

Social networking sites not only make it easy and fast to communicate with candidates, it also allows them to respond faster. As a result, excellent work relationships often emerge. Furthermore, when talent shares with talent, ties based on shared values, interest and work styles are strengthened and often accelerates the speed with which you will find that best-fit professional for the position.

9. Reduce Hiring Costs-

Last, but certainly not least. We all understand the high cost of the search – recruit – hire process. Recruiting via social media reduces the cost and broadens the talent pool at the same time. Of course, there are costs for some social media features, such as FB ads, LinkedIn Job Posts, Recruiters license, etc. but, the totals are lower than most other methods. Better yet, sharing a job post on FB, LinkedIn, or via Twitter is absolutely free as well as increasing your visibility – which is the next benefit.

Today’s social media users have an average of 8 social media accounts. Social recruiting is no longer a new trend that recruiters need to try. It has become a mainstream strategy that offers positive results. It pays to tap into this incredible source for high-quality talent while gaining multiple benefits. Award Staffing taps into social media every day. We use this and many other avenues to bring the best talent to your doorstep. Contact us today.

 

FINDING YOUR TALENT

Want to learn more about how Award Staffing can help your organization with your staffing and employment needs? Start by providing our team with a few pieces of information about yourself, and we will take care of the rest.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

The Best Prospecting Strategies Require a Human Touch

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Award Staffing sourced this article from: www.nomorecoldcalling.com

Buyers know everything about our companies, products, and solutions before they ever speak to a salesperson. Believe that? Far too many sales reps do. They think that digital rules. So, they spend most of their time staring at screens—doing demos, sending emails, and interacting on social media.

None of that would be bad, if reps were hitting quota. But most likely 57 percent of reps won’t make quota this year.

Perhaps if what you’re doing isn’t working, new sales techniques are in order? Or better yet, some old ones.

Why People Skills Still Matter in the Digital Age

New research from McKinsey finds that the digital world requires a human touch for salespeople to excel. They need to be masters of digital communication and analog communication, and just as importantly, they need to know when to use which.

McKinsey summarizes this challenge in “The secret to making it in the digital sales world: The human touch.” The researchers write:

There’s no doubt that digital is rocket fuel for sales organizations. B2B sales leaders using digital effectively enjoy five times the growth of their peers who are not at the cutting edge of digital adoption. But a recent McKinsey survey of B2B customers highlighted a more nuanced reality. What customers most desire is great digital interactions and the human touch.

The implication is that B2B sales companies have to use technology to power and optimize both digital and human interactions. Companies that add the human touch to digital sales consistently outperform their peers. They achieve five times more revenue, eight times more operating profit, and, for public companies, twice the return to shareholders. That data holds true over a four- to five-year period.

Many sales organizations, however, have trouble putting this human-digital program into practice. The truth is that there are no tried-and-true methods. Companies need to create the human-digital blend that is most appropriate for their business and their customers.

(Read the rest of the article.)

McKinsey also created a template of what this human/digital communication preference looks like throughout the buying cycle, based on their surveys of business buyers. But be warned: It won’t work for all businesses, in all industries, and with all clients. You need to know what your customers want from you, which means you need to ask.

What Sales PEOPLE Bring to the Table

Salespeople still have a role to play, and an important one. In fact, buyers might just need us now more than ever. Our clients don’t need information. They need help uncovering the best solutions to strengthen their businesses. This is done by an experienced salesperson who knows how to ask the right questions, who knows how to use new sales techniques and when to have a good old-fashioned conversation.

We will never replace real human engagement with tweets, status updates, “click here” buttons, or automated lead generation tools. As John Naisbitt writes in High Tech/High Touch: Technology and Our Search for Meaning, “The more high tech, the more high touch we desire.”

Well my friend, things are getting pretty high tech, so buyers are needing a lot more high touch right about now.

How to Make the Most of 5 Social Media Platforms for Recruiting

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In 8 Items to Consider with Social Media Recruiting, we ended with tips on using LinkedIn as a recruiting tool. This blog continues with helpful user information on five more social media platforms.

Facebook

· Build a community via groups: Create groups around an industry. For example, IT jobs, or Healthcare position. Build a high-volume member list. Post relevant, helpful information, trends in the industry, events, etc., as well as open positions.
· Highlight outstanding employees: Congratulate them on accomplishments. Share photos of awards they have won. Hold a Q & A session with them. This is a great way to reveal company culture and employee plusses.
· Holds chats and webinars: Discuss industry issues. Offer teaching tips on relevant subjects. Hold a hypothetical interview to present the ideal candidate for an open position.
· Utilize Facebook helps: Take advantage of banner ads, social media promotions, and Facebook apps, such as Linkup and Work4. Narrow your search for a candidate via custom filters on Facebook’s Graph Search

Pinterest

Pinterest, the social network with more than 150,000,000 users – here’s the stats.
· 85% female
· 42% of U.S. online adult women
· 13% of U.S. online adult men
· 30% of all U.S. social media users
· 67% are millennials

As you can see, Pinterest is an ideal social media platform for connecting with women professionals – especially when you are looking for contract work for short or long-term projects requiring innovative creativity. On the other hand, you can also find engineers and accountants – even attorneys. So how do you snag talent via Pinterest?

· Create company boards: Think about your website pages and create boards. You need an ‘About Us’ board to share a company overview, including your mission, vision, management team, and what you do. Use another board to share your company culture – include lots of photos that pinpoint the essence and spirit behind the people. Create a board that shares company perks and benefits.
· Create Job opening boards: If you have a small number of openings, create one board for each opening. Include a web link to the specific job on your website. If you have mega-openings, then create one board for each department. Another option is creating one board for each location if you have more than one branch.
· Include a “Pin it” button on jobs posted on your website: website: This allows for easy sharing and increases the number of potential candidates who hear about the position.
· Engage with candidates: Respond to inquiries, provide feedback, etc. Create boards with career advice, quotes for the workplace, etc. It’s all about relationship.

Twitter

· Hashtags: This is the power of Twitter. Hashtags allow you to enter the conversations that matter to you and they allow talent to connect with the openings that interest them. Hashtags are your ticket to attracting the right candidates to your website.
· Scan twitter profiles: So, Sally Brown has the talent, experience, and personality to match your ideal candidate profile. Scan her twitter profile. Within a few tweets, you can quickly pick up on her interests and find a connecting point for contacting her.
· Scope out industry events: It only makes sense that candidates will connect other professionals in their field of interest. Scoping out a guest list for an industry event will give insight into attendees. If you peruse an attendee’s followers, you will discover more candidates.
· Standout in the crowd: Tweet more than job openings. Share industry articles, thought-provoking pieces, and humor. Engage with others, share your bio, and express your personality. Be aware of the social platform and become familiar with the types of content people tweet, as every social platform has its nuances.

YouTube

A video is one of recruiting’s newest power tools. Creating and posting videos attracts prospective candidates and increase their awareness of what your company represents, as well as what it has to offer. A short, snappy recruiting video can capture the authentic essence of your company. Here’s the scoop.

Use your YouTube video creativity more multiple purposes

· Sourcing: Using videos to draw the interests of potential candidates. Be sure to include links to your application process within the video.
· Employee Testimonials: A 2-minute video of an employee sharing why he/she loves working for your company can be the best advertisement for attracting talent.
· Company Culture: Just like the employee testimonial, a video of life on the job can be a compelling candidate attraction. Choose videos that show the real everyday culture of a thriving, happy company. And if that’s not you, maybe it’s time to work on company culture.
· Hiring Campaigns: Put it on video – it attracts more candidates than just text. In fact, according to MWP Digital Media, 59% of executives agree that if both text and video are available on the same topic, they are more likely to choose video.
 

Follow these tips when creating your video

· Share the right information: Cover the basics – including answers to the typical question that interested candidates ask.
· Use the real stars: This isn’t about the company CEO – unless he/she is involved in the interview process. Make your video around the people who do the hiring/interviewing and the people who the new talent will be working alongside.
· Keep it short, fun, and authentic: Use upbeat background music (be careful of copyrights) and appropriate color schemes. You want to attract people – not put them to sleep.
· Call to action: Have fun making your video, but don’t forget the call to action. Your video is a stepping stone to the next part of the process – a personal connection with a perfect-fit candidate.

Snapchat

The yes-they’ve-arrived Millennials and up-and-coming GenZ generations are avid mobile users. Snapchat is a standard mode of communication, and they’re on it – 20 times/day. Since they use their mobile devices to search for jobs, it’s a given that Snapchat has great potential for recruiting strategies. It’s the perfect opportunity to get their attention. Here’s how.

Snapchat is a lot of fun – so, use this to your company’s advantage.

· Tell your company story: Share exciting or entertaining company happenings via photos. Invite viewers to participate in contests that reflect your personality and award prizes.
· Give advice: From job-search or interview tips to softer subjects, such as making the most of your weekend, snapchat helps to prospective candidates.
· Make announcements: Whether it’s about a job fair, a sign-up bonus, your referral program, or a job posting – share the news where it matters.

Need some help to get started? Here’s 16 snapchat helps from Pocket-lint.

Ok, so you have an overview of social media recruiting, as well as tips on using the most popular platforms, but why should you use invest time in it? What are the benefits? That’s precisely what we will discuss in Part III of our Social Media Recruiting Trilogy. Don’t miss it. And while you wait, why not partner with Award Staffing?  We’re a Minnesota-based staffing agency serving the entire state with the highest concentration of job placements in the Minneapolis, Saint Paul and greater metro area. We partner with companies and organizations for all their staffing needs, so offices, factories, events, buildings, c-suites, restaurants, and businesses can flourish and succeed. Contact us today.

 

FINDING YOUR TALENT

Want to learn more about how Award Staffing can help your organization with your staffing and employment needs? Start by providing our team with a few pieces of information about yourself, and we will take care of the rest.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

If Your Employees Are Looking for New Jobs, the Reason Is Clear

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This article was sourced from www.entrepreneur.com by Heather R. Huhman

Leaders often forget the difference between a “job” and a “career.” A job is a means to a paycheck, whereas a career is a long-term path that provides meaning. So, offering employees “jobs” doesn’t usually inspire loyalty.

Research backs this up: A November 2017 Addison Group survey of 1,000 employees found that 84 percent of those respondents actively seeking a new opportunity viewed their job as just that — a job. They didn’t feel they had a career.

The message here is clear: If leaders want employees to stick around, they need to offer something more: a long-term way to align individuals with the organization. Otherwise, those employees will always be on the lookout for another, better opportunity.

Hire for “potential”-

Whitney Johnson is the Roanoke, Va.-based author of Build an A-Team. She points out that when hiring for a job, leaders tend to focus on proficiency. Yet proficiency only works initially. It doesn’t allow employees to fully realize or pursue their potential.

Prioritizing potential, on the other hand, creates an opportunity for employees to learn and set goals for themselves.

For example, four years ago, Emily Key, the vice president of operations at the Vancouver-based online bookkeeping company Bench, hired an intern for whom she developed a series of goals. By meeting those goals, the intern gained experience in the company’s service department — and now leads that team.

“When employees see a clear path of progression from their current role to a more senior position in the company, they are more likely to pursue that opportunity within the company,” Key told me via email.

So, take the time to learn about job candidates’ career goals. During the hiring process, talk about where they see themselves in a year and in five years. Then, discuss the various paths they can follow to reach those goals.

Also, be clear about expectations and milestones they’d need to meet to progress toward their goals. This will show job seekers that your organization values employees and wants them to stay long-term.

Provide meaning-

Great employees believe in a company’s values and mission. They want to play a meaningful role. Edward Fleischman, chairman and CEO of the New York-based recruiting firm, The Execu|Search Group, suggests that the best way to provide that meaning is to show employees the impact of their work.

“When an employee enjoys what they do, sees their impact and feels valued, they will want to build their career with the organization,” Fleischman suggested via email.

From Day 1, then, explain to employees how even the smallest tasks contribute to the big picture. Organizing a spreadsheet may seem like busy work until they understand what that spreadsheet is for and the role it plays in achieving larger company goals. Be transparent about where the company is going and the role individual employees play. Meaning will follow.

Groom for future roles-

Crystal Huang is the CEO of the Irvine, Calif,-based talent management platform ProSky. She told me that she once had an employee who would constantly ask when the next pay raise would come. At the same time, Huang noticed that this man was less interested in his work. After talking to him, she discovered that he didn’t see a future with the company.

That’s when Huang decided to create a career pathway for each and every employee. That “pathway” lays out what milestones an employee needs to hit before his or her next raise or promotion. The key, Huang told me, is to tie each of these steps to a company goal.

For example, say your company is looking to improve customer service, and a particular employee wants to move into a management role: Create a plan to make both things happen.

Start by addressing any customer service hurdles the employee’s faces. If necessary, provide training to help the employee overcome those hurdles. Then, encourage the employee to share his or her knowledge with others. Having this individual guide co-worker will simultaneously improve customer service while preparing the employee to manage.

Make it a team effort-

They say it takes a village to raise a child. It also takes a sense of community to develop an employee. Being surrounded by other skilled employees allows each individual to learn and grow.

Liz Corcoran is now the director of talent development at the Chicago-based social media management platform Sprout Social. In a previous role, she told me, she was the manager for an intern looking to gain experience in organizational development.

Corcoran took the concept of “intern” seriously: Instead of isolating him, with “intern responsibilities,” she said, she made him an integral part of the team. And she was rewarded for that effort: Over time, the intern developed into a successful full-time employee.

“A career can only go so far if just one person is pushing it along,” Corcoran pointed out via email. “It takes cooperation and initiative from both the employer and employee to drive a career.”

So, do what Corcoran and the others commenting here did: Create an environment where employees are encouraged to teach and mentor one another. Schedule team lunches where one employee talks about his or her personal career path. In that kind of culture, employees can share what’s helped them advance and answer questions from others who want to follow a similar path.

8 Items to Consider with Social Media Recruiting

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The latest statistics from GlobalWebIndex reveal that 98% of digital consumers are social media users with an average of 8 social media accounts. Which leads to the obvious – social media is a hotspot for connecting with prospective talent. In fact, social media accounts provide access to many candidates, particularly passive ones, who cannot be found via more traditional sources.

Successful social media recruiting, however, isn’t a “pin the tail on the donkey” with a blindfold covering your eyes (although sometimes it may feel that way). It’s a well- thought out and planned strategy. Read on for 8 how-to’s and best practices to get you well on your way.

1. Go beyond posting open positions-

Sure, they won’t know about your available jobs if you don’t post them, but they won’t be looking at your site if you haven’t first connected. Post relevant content on various networks. Share content that offers thought-provoking insight, helpful tips, and reveals your workplace culture. Build a positive social media presence.

2. Join the conversations that fit your company-

Participating in forums is an excellent way to get your company brand noticed and win the trust of potential talent. LinkedIn is the top choice (55% of recruiters use it), and Facebook isn’t far behind at 39%, but don’t neglect other options – such as Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Snapchat. There are also niche social media networks for specific industries, such as Warrior Forum and Moz for marketers or GitHub and Stack Overflow for developers. Taking the time to know which groups fit your ideal candidate is crucial. Ed Nathanson, founder of Red Pill Talent LLC, believes this is best done by talking to current employees – after all, they are probably spending time in the same digital space as prospective talent.

3. Build the relationship first-

When approaching talent via social media, never begin with a sales pitch. Be personable. Express your interest in them and why you believe your company is a great fit. Share articles of interest. When an opening comes up that fits them, you will already have a relationship of trust, and they will be much more receptive. It’s all about relationship.

4. Maintain a professional, yet personal candidate experience-

We’re talking from start to finish – from initial contact to onboarding. Treat prospective candidates like customers. Kurt Heikkinen, President, and CEO of Montage points out,

“You can’t just have a great initial impression and not continue it throughout the candidate experience. The modern candidate is making a direct connection from their consumer experience with a consumer brand and the employer brand. As consumers, they expect information at their fingertips, to have a high-tech experience and to engage through the media they consume every day. Their interactions on social media begin their impressions of the company as an employer.”

5. Hashtags are key-

Using the right hashtag is the best – and easiest – way to not only place your post in front of the right people but also place the right talent in front of you.

6. Encourage employee participation-

When employees, who each have their own social media networks, post job openings, your reach is magnified. Furthermore, if you have an incredible work culture, your employees will express that in the language that attracts talent.

7. Be careful not to introduce bias-

Heikkinen also reminds recruiters not to use the information they collect to form a bias, but rather to engage a prospective candidate.

8. Get educated on your choice of social media-

Don’t take a flying leap – learn the ropes of a platform before using it.

Now that you have an overview of social media recruiting, we’ll share some pointers on several platform options. Moving beyond the overview and into specific social media platforms. We’ll start with LinkedIn since it currently dominates.

LinkedIn-

• Keep your personal page update: Your photo and headline should reflect your brand. Write an attention-getting summary that genuinely shares your expertise and place in your industry. Include keywords and a showcase page for your company. Ensure your contact information, including a customized public profile URL, is correct and easy to find.
• Develop every aspect of your company’s page: This is where you showcase your mission, values, and culture. Make it easy for potential talent to find out everything they want to know about your company/organization in one spot.
• Use filters wisely: Filters, such as experience, location, current, and past companies, help you narrow a large playing field down to your ideal candidates but use caution. Don’t filter out a winner.
• Stay active: Post one good status update per/day. Share valuable, relevant information and events. Join a couple of groups and be an active participator in discussions.
• Personalize your job posts: When posting open positions, present them as unique opportunities – don’t just direct people to a job board. When you reach out to potential candidates, don’t resort to the copy and paste method. Send each likely candidate a personalized message. Share what attracted your attention and why you think they would be a great fit.
• Take care of the basics: Boost your SEO – get help if you need it. Take advantage of LinkedIn’s analytics page. Learn who’s engaging, as well as the demographics of your followers. This information will help you to target the right audience with your content.

 

This is an opportune time to update your LinkedIn profiles and brush-up your recruiting-via-LinkedIn skills. But don’t forget to come back for part II in our Social Media Recruiting Trilogy. We’ll give helpful recruiting tips using 5 additional platforms – Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, YouTube, and Snapchat. Why? Because we’re Award Staffing. We care about our clients. We partner with companies and organizations for all their staffing needs, so offices, factories, events, buildings, c-suites, restaurants, and businesses can flourish and succeed. Contact us today.

 

FINDING YOUR TALENT

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Recruiters Are Embracing a Multi-Solution Approach to Sourcing

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Sourced from www.monster.com

Unemployment is low. The economy is strong. And it’s harder than ever to attract high-quality job candidates, according to Monster’s 2018 State of Recruiting survey.

Sixty-two percent of recruiters say their job is more difficult today than it was a year ago, continuing an ongoing trend – as two-thirds (67 percent) say their job is more difficult than it was five years ago. Additionally, 59 percent of respondents say it is more difficult to get quality candidates than it was a year ago and 62 percent say it’s more difficult than it was five years ago. These were among the insights gleaned from the recent online survey** of more than 400 recruiters conducted by Monster, a leading solution for connecting people and jobs.

With the economy growing rapidly—and the number of job openings at the highest in 17 years—many recruiters (59 percent) say there is a shortage in the skilled labor they require. They also report competition from other recruiters (52 percent) as a pain point.

In light of these challenges, most (83 percent) are now taking a multi-solution approach to attract higher-quality candidates –top tactics include direct outreach to candidates (89 percent), traditional job ads (88 percent), posts on company/career websites (84 percent) and social media advertising (83 percent). However, despite these efforts, recruiters are still getting fewer quality candidates than they’d like. They’re only passing 44 percent on to hiring managers while wishing they were passing along at least 54 percent.

 “Today’s strong economy is increasing the overall demand for talent, so recruiters are under tremendous pressure,” said Bob Melk, Chief Commercial Officer, Monster. “That underscores the need for an integrated recruitment strategy spanning the entire candidate lifecycle—from employment branding that introduces candidates to the cultural differences that demonstrate how your company is a great place to work, to social recruiting that targets passive candidates and engagement tools that let you connect via text messaging and chat. We work with our customers to determine which products will solve the problems that keep them up at night.”

Monster believes that an integrated approach to recruitment that employs the right technology solutions for the right problems, while constantly optimizing for cost and productivity, can yield high quality candidates – and more of them. With a strong focus on making this connection for its customers, Monster has been improving its core products to provide better efficiency and productivity in delivering the highest quality candidates. Monster has a broad suite of tools to help recruiters do their jobs better, but the company doesn’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach. Rather, Monster’s experts work with customers to create customized solutions that fit their business needs. Here are a few ideas to help recruiters make better hires:

Bring marketing to the core of recruitment

Sixty-seven percent of recruiters said they felt that they needed to understand marketing to be successful—yet only 36 percent of recruiters surveyed were employing employer branding strategies. The savviest talent acquisition leaders have established an employer value proposition, are sharing that competitive advantage in a consistent way across channels and touchpoints, including job ads, career sites, and candidate emails, and are differentiating their messages based on what is most important to the candidates (whether that’s unique perks, benefits, or company mission, among others). You may need a partner to help you ensure that your message is coming through across channels.

Create balance between digital and humanity

Sixty-four percent of recruiters told us they felt they needed to be digital experts to succeed today. And while 70 percent of recruiters say their organization is keeping up digitally, 64 percent believe they don’t have the right digital tools to make the job easier. Another 51 percent say that technology makes it harder to connect with humans. The problem may be owed to tech overload and disconnected systems. Rather than buying tech for tech’s sake, start with the problem, and apply the right technology against the right challenge. Look at the candidate profile you need and match it to solutions that can specifically reach that audience. This can help ensure that you’re not spending more time managing systems than you are building relationships. You may need a digital partner to help you figure out where you have tech overlaps and where you have gaps.

Optimize your processes with data and analytics.

Recruiters told us that they’re anxious about using their time efficiently (50 percent), and 67 percent feel that they need to be analytics experts. With KPIs that include reduction of time to fill and sourcing costs, the pressure is on. But there’s got to be something you can use to help speed the hiring cycle and land better quality talent: data. There’s an opportunity to use historical data wisely—for example, identifying the requisition patterns that lead to applicant hires—and an external vendor can help you understand your next steps.

“For recruiting to be effective in 2018 and beyond, it must transform to go beyond traditional methods. A multi-solution approach – combining marketing, digital and analytics – is critical in moving talent acquisition from recruitment stress to recruitment success,” added Melk.