How to Hire for a Position You’re Unfamiliar with

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Many business owners find themselves in positions where they need to hire people for roles that they barely understand. If you’re an entrepreneur, you’ve probably experienced what it’s like to wear multiple hats. You’re the default salesperson, operations manager, and bookkeeper. But at some point, you’ll need to hire other people to do those tasks who, frankly, can do those jobs better than you.

But how do you do that when you don’t even know what the role involves? You need to hire your first IT professional, yet nobody on your team is an expert in technology. You’re trying to find a general counsel, but you don’t even know how to differentiate the good lawyers from the bad. As a young founder without a law or business degree–hell, I majored in Brazilian literature–I run into this problem a lot. But over time, I’ve learned a few strategies to vet candidates for roles I have never (and likely won’t ever) experience. Here are the steps I follow.

ASSIGN A PROJECT

If you’re unsure of whether your recruit has the chops to execute, ask them to do a small project where they can show off their skills. If I’m hiring someone to build web crawlers, for example, I will ask them to build a simple one as a take-home project. If I’m hiring an ads specialist, I’ll give them a budget and a couple of months to test messaging and audience, and see how they do.

When it comes to assessing their capabilities, the more chances you have to see a candidate perform, the better. At the very least, you should ask to see a portfolio or an example of their past work. It might make sense to pay candidates for a small consulting project that emulates the role.

RUN A LOT OF REFERENCES

When in doubt, pick up the phone. I run at least three references for every person we hire, and I double that when we don’t have an expert in their role in-house. Ideally, you would go further than the list that they send you–after all, smart candidates will likely give you a list of people who will say good things about them. Try to talk to their direct supervisors at each of their last few roles, and even colleagues or direct reports. Those 360 perspectives are critical to the big picture of the candidate.

Backdoor references can also be tremendously valuable. The honesty of a mutual connection can help verify a great hire or discount a terrible one. If you go down this path, be sure to inform the candidate that you’re planning to reach out to those contacts. Candidates may have good reasons to ask you to refrain from calling those connections, particularly if they are keeping their job search under wraps. Either way, make sure to get a candidate’s affirmative consent before conducting those reference calls.

ASK THEM TO BREAK IT DOWN FOR YOU

Remember, just because you’re not an expert doesn’t mean you can’t still run a valuable interview. It’s important to learn enough to ask the big-picture questions about the positions you’re hiring for. If intellectual property law is a critical component of an incoming in-house lawyer’s role, ask them what their strategy will be on that front. If you’re concerned about tax treatment, ask your controller candidate about how she’ll reduce your liability.

You might not understand their answers 100%, but you’ll likely get a sense of whether the person knows their stuff–especially when you’re assessing them against other candidates. You’ll also learn a ton through these conversations, and you’ll end up being a much better manager when you finally do make the hire.

BRING IN AN EXTERNAL INTERVIEWER

You might still be left scratching your head, trying to decide whether a candidate is as great as they say they are. This is where bringing in an external interviewer can help. A startup might ask their investors to help interview their early finance or legal hires or bring in some trusted software developers to review an engineering recruit’s code.

Like with any other part of the interview process, it’s critical to get several different perspectives. And make sure the interviewer is verifiably an expert in the specific role, as you wouldn’t want a newbie developer to interview a CTO with 20-plus years of experience.

DETERMINE WHETHER A FULL-TIME HIRE IS RIGHT FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Sometimes, you don’t even need to hire full-time staff. Is there a more affordable way to staff the role? Can a consultant meet the need? When we first started, we decided against hiring a CFO or an in-house accountant. We instead hired a firm that handles all our finances. It costs a bit less, and we know that there are multiple people at the firm checking one another’s work.

In certain circumstances, you don’t even need a single person. Our company Hatch Apps has built a platform that enables businesses to create apps without coding, thereby eschewing the need for a software developer. There are other companies, like 99designs for branding or Atrium for legal that can help you save money on an expensive hire, or wait until your business is at a point where hiring full-time staff makes financial sense. Don’t skimp on due diligence, though. Ask the tough questions, and make sure you understand their contract or terms.

No hire is ever 100% guaranteed to succeed, but if you employ these strategies, the odds will be in your favor. Lastly, don’t be afraid to take your time. Your business will be in much better shape if you take a few months to vet a stellar candidate than rapidly onboard someone that you’ll need to dismiss a few months later.

This article was sourced from www.fastcompany.com by Amelia Friedman

Cross-functional Teams in 339 Words

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Learning how to develop effective teams isn’t complex, does not cost your business an enormous sum of money and starts with team-oriented culture and obtainable goals. People believe cross-functional teams are only successful in large companies, which is far from the truth. Cross-functional teams aren’t new – they are similar to conventional work teams, but they differ in several important ways. One such manner is that a cross-functional team has the ability to be self-managing and generate a shared comprehension of their team’s knowledge. This intern allows the team as a whole to accomplish extraordinary objectives and goals.

“If people experience joy on the job and not compliance, they’re loyal, committed, happy, and energized to provide new ideas. If you want your team to learn from experiences beyond their own, you might also begin something as simple as a book club for co-workers from various backgrounds and departments.” – Derek Freese, Marketing Manager

The typical experience of work for lots of people is quite the opposite. Cross-functional teams create culture and camaraderie by inviting each other to learn the advantages and pitfalls together, not in isolated silos. This is the most significant benefits of a cross-functional team, its ability to foster innovation and organizational obstacles. Cross-functional teams have the capacity to unleash terrific results, but only if we ensure that they are installed in the right way and given the support, they need to work.

 

Cross-functional teams

 

The worst thing you can do to your cross-functional team is stifling it by narrow thinking. The directives supplied to the team have a propensity to become more general and not as prescribed. If this happens, the team must be in a position to update its initial goals in the event the first objectives changed during the process of the project. When your team fully understands the things that need to accomplish, they then will realize how they fit into the solution more clearly. It is this ability of a cross-functional team that will entice them to work together towards a common vision and object.

Through Award’s Cross-functional Recruiting model will be able to help you grow your business with the best talent through our Scalable Recruiting Approach while maintaining the personal touch you need. If you’re searching for more tips and trick on how to improve your company’s workforce, check out our hiring solutions blog.

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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So You’re Conducting a Job Interview. Good For You. Was That Last Question  Actually Legal To Ask?

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You can view this article in original form at www.smartrecruiters.com by Kaya Payseno

You need to hire someone to do a job. You ask questions to evaluate whether they can do the job. You offer them the job or you don’t. Everyone knows how this goes.

Trouble arises, however, when things get too personal or intrusive. Asking what you think might be a perfectly reasonable question can be illegal, and crossing that line isn’t always so clear. For example, one may assume the graveyard shift at a supermarket is best suited to a single person with no children, but instead of asking, presumptuously about the candidate’s family status, simply ask if they are available to work nights. See? It’s not so bad once you get used to it.

Sometimes it may seem silly to stop yourself from easing into an interview with “How old are you?” or “What sorority did you belong to?” but the most important thing to remember is that such interview questions are actually proven to encourage bias. Thus not asking them promotes a more fair, and generally accurate, matching of a candidate’s skills to a job.

Also, be aware that today’s candidate is a savvy specimen, and even if they don’t point out your error in asking an illegal interview question (they may even choose to answer it) the fact that you made an inappropriate inquiry may sour a candidate towards your company, or even motivate them to report your business to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Recruiters and HR are usually well versed in their state’s employment law, but hiring managers are more of a wild card as their expertise lies elsewhere. Though this shouldn’t be taken as legal advice, the following most common illegal interview questions are a good place to start when educating your team on what’s ok and what isn’t.

  1. How long would your commute be? Instead ask, “Can you be at work by 9?” – The definition of a reasonable commute time varies by candidate so let them be the judge.
  2. Do you belong to any clubs or organizations? Instead ask, “Do you belong to any professional organizations we should know about?” – that way you don’t unintentionally bias yourself towards/against a candidate based on irrelevant information.
  3. Are you married?  Instead ask, “Can you relocate? Are you able to travel? Can you be on call during nights? “Are you aware of the dangers of this job?” – Think about what you actually want to find out from this question and make the inquiry more specific.
  4. Do you have kids? As with the above question don’t make assumptions about a person’s availability or ability to perform job responsibilities based on family status, simply ask what you need to know
  5. Where are you from? Instead ask, “What is your current address?” or “do you have permission to work in the US?” – This is a natural question in informal settings, but for the purposes of assessing a person’s ability to do a job it isn’t so relevant and may lead to discrimination or favoritism.
  6. Who do you live with? Skip this one, you probably don’t need to know, unless you are vetting someone for government service and this question could force someone to reveal their family status and/or sexual orientation.
  7. How tall are you?  Instead ask, “You must stock shelves as high as six feet, are you able to do this?” – Again, it’s about naming duties rather than making assumptions of incompetence based on characteristics, in this case physical.
  8. How old are you? Instead, ask “are you at least the minimum age to do this job?” – on the other side of the coin if you are worried a person is too old to perform the duties required of the job ask about the duties specifically eg “can carry items weighing up to 50 lbs?”

Remember, it’s not just wordplay, it’s about asking a better question that evaluates the candidate fairly. (US Edition)

Here are some more common topics wherein illegal interview questions arise:

Financial history

Limited exceptions for certain financial positions. Ability to check credit varies by state and region. Even in regions permitting credit checks, a business can be reported if the credit checks seem to disproportionately disqualify a certain group such as women or people of color.

Illegal

  • Have you ever declared bankruptcy?
  • Do You have a bank account?
  • Are you in debt?

Legal

  • Credit checks in some states.

Medical Information

Medical examinations are permitted if it is necessary for the performance of job responsibilities and a drug test.

Illegal

  • Do you have any addictions?
  • Do you take prescription drugs?
  • Have you been to rehab?
  • Do you have any disabilities or medical conditions?

Legal

  • Are you currently taking illegal substances?
  • Would you be able to perform this job with (or without) reasonable accommodation?
  • Do you have any conditions that would bar you from doing these tasks?

Arrest record

Arrest records and conviction inquiries are covered by the state rather than federal law, so be sure to tailor your inquiries according to your location.

Illegal

  • Have you ever been arrested?
  • Do you have an arrest record?

Legal

  • Have you been convicted of a crime?

Religious Affiliation or Beliefs

Religious institutions may choose to favor a candidate with the same religious leanings if spirituality is relevant to the job, for example, a teacher at a Catholic school, but not a janitor.

Illegal

  • What religion do you practice?

Legal

  • When are you available to work?

Citizenship and Visa Status

Illegal

  • What’s your country of origin?
  • Are you a citizen?
  • Is English your first language?
  • Where are your parents from?
  • How do you know Spanish?

Legal

  • Do you have permission to work in the USA?
  • Can you read/write/speak English? (And then, only if integral to the performance of the job).

Marital/Family Status

After hiring you can ask the number and age of children for insurance purposes.

Illegal

  • Do you have children or plan on having children?
  • Who cares for your children
  • Are you pregnant or plan on becoming pregnant?
  • Are you married?

Legal

  • Are you able to travel or relocate?
  • Can you be on call?
  • Will these hours work for you?

Living Arrangements

Illegal

  • Do you own your home?
  • Who do you live with?
  • How are you related to the people you live with?
  • How far would you have to commute?

Legal

  • What is your current address?
  • How long have you resided at your current address?
  • What was your previous address?
  • How long did you reside at your previous address?
  • Can you be in the office by 9?

Past wages

Varies by state and even city so check codes for your area. Note that women are historically paid less for the same jobs as men so basing offers on former wages could encourage bias.

Gender/Sexual Orientation/Race

You can collect gender/sexual orientation/race info from candidates, but it can’t have an effect on the hiring process except through affirmative action processes. The information can be used for government reporting, affirmative action, or diversity analytics.

You can view this article in original form at www.smartrecruiters.com by Kaya Payseno

6 Ways to Grow Your Business with a Personal Touch

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Growing your business is an exciting task. After all, it speaks well of your connection with your customers. It is also a challenging task. And one of the most critical challenges is simultaneously growing the business while still holding on to that personal-touch dynamic that was instrumental in getting the business off the ground. It takes a dedicated commitment, but the benefits are indeed worth it. We’ve put together a list of best practices to help you grow while remaining connected to your customer base.

1. Define your mission, your values, your vision –

Reaffirm the basis that made your company successful and ready for growth.

• What defines your brand in the marketplace?
• What defines your employer brand?
• What type of experience do you offer those who come in the front door . . . and those who come in the back door?
• What impact do you want to have on both your employees and your clients?
• What three words sum up the essence of your business? Integrity? Reliability? Expertise?

When employees understand who/what the business is, and experience those attributes in your employer brand, they will create an environment that shares that brand in the marketplace. They will maintain that brand of a warm personal touch even as you grow.

2. Don’t limit decision-making –

When a company revolves around a few c-level staff, where every question, every strategy must be approved, it stifles the business.

• Create systems that anyone can follow for key tasks from hiring and onboarding employees to accounting and finance to research and development, production, and marketing.
• Communicate policies, procedures, goals, visions, and the reason behind them the whole company. Ensure that everyone understands their task and how it fits into the big picture.
• Empower your employees to make those decisions and follow those systems by giving them the authority to match their responsibilities.

Involve your staff.  Share your plans for growth. Ask for input from staff. If they’ve been in the company for a long time, their experience and insight will be invaluable. Creating a sense of respect, pride, and ownership among your employees will result in being surrounded by an army of people who protect and grow your mission, as well as your business. They will ensure a positive connection with customers.

3. Don’t build too fast –

Growth is terrific – a sure sign that you are successful at identifying a niche, meeting demands, and building a loyal customer basis, but slow growth has its advantages.

• Focusing on the fundamentals of building your business with a slow growth philosophy allows you to make wise strategic choices and keep employees loyal, which helps maintain the personal touch.
• Hiring additional employees is vital in the growth process. Slow growth allows room to put more thought into hiring; ensuring you hire employees who will uphold the company values and maintain that personal connection.
• Slow growth is sustainable growth and less likely to put cash flow and finances at risk. It helps you plan for the long-term, which is beneficial for your company, your employees, and your customers.

4. Bring in automation carefully –

Integrating automation into your business is critical to company growth, but don’t allow increased effectiveness and streamlining for you be a frustration to your clients/customers.

• Customer engagement is essential. Build trust, establish loyalty, and while integrating automation, keep your human connection open – including a menu option for speaking with a person.
• Allow Customers to choose how they will engage. If they want short and sweet automation – they have it. If they desire discussion, provide chatbots. If they want “real” people, deliver that too.

5. Connect Through Social Media –

Keep your social media up-to-date and informative. It’s a great way to stay connected and personal with your customers even as you grow.

• Involve your customers in the growing process, such as the company who chose three updated logos and then let their customers vote on which one to use.
• Keep your website in align with growth. Keep it fresh – revamp your fonts, colors, and layouts. Make it interactive.
• Email and/or post on Facebook interesting, relevant information. Don’t’ get spammy. Don’t sell your product/services. Simply share information that will be helpful, interesting, or fun. Offer the occasional contest with desirable prizes – no gimmicks.
• Send out a company newsletter. Include helpful articles, fun stuff, recipes, and a way for customers to interact. For example, if an employee or customer is involved in a local charity, spotlight them on a monthly newsletter. Spotlight a different employee or customer each month.

6. Hire wisely –

With growth comes the need for additional employees. Take the time to hire talent who not only have the skills you need but also fit into the culture and will uphold your business values.  This way, you will maintain a staff that cares about the personal connection. Hiring in a rush increases your chances of a bad hire, interferes with growth, and damages the brand you work so hard to build. It’s a loss/loss in many ways and certainly does not maintain your personal touch. Enough said.

Yes, you can grow your business without giving up the personal touch. Before you jump into the race, take time to prepare. Reiterate your mission, values, and vision; don’t run alone or too fast; bring in both automation and growth slowly; connect with both current and potential customers via social media, and hire carefully. Following these tips will be sure to land your company in the winner’s circle.

Through Award’s Cross-functional Recruiting model will be able to help you grow your business with the best talent through our Scalable Recruiting Approach while maintaining the personal touch you need. If you’re searching for more tips and trick on how to improve your company’s workforce, check out our hiring solutions blog.

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.

America Has a Record 7.1 million Job Openings

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View the original article in it’s entirety at the www.washingitsost.com By Heather Long

The United States has a record number of job openings, another sign workers have greater opportunity to find better jobs, according to new data the Labor Department. The United States had 7,136,000 job openings in August, which is even better than Trump said and the highest on record since the Labor Department began keeping track of this data in late 2000.

The nation now has more than one job opening for every unemployed person, a dramatic turnaround from the Great Recession, when there were more than six unemployed people for every job on offer, the Labor Department said. Unemployment was at 3.7 percent in September, the lowest level since 1969.

Economists and employment experts say now is an ideal time for workers to look for a new job or ask their current employer for a raise or promotion, as so many businesses complain they cannot find enough employees, especially ones with skills and industry knowledge.

The last time unemployment was about this low in the late 1990s, wages were routinely growing around 4 percent or more. In August, wage growth hit 2.9 percent — the highest in nine years, but still disappointing by historical standards.

Economists keep predicting wages will rise since it is getting more and more difficult for companies to find workers, but many employers have opted to give one-time bonuses or extra perks like working from home or free coffee in the office instead of upping hourly pay.

Some say the decline of unions and an erosion of workers rights is making it harder for employees to ask for more pay or a promotion. Business leaders often point out the cost of health care has risen sharply so the money that might have gone for a traditional raise has been going to pay for that. Still, there is growing consensus workers are likely to have more leverage in today’s labor market to get what they want.

Many employees also say they are “underemployed.” The number of Americans stuck in part-time jobs who want full-time work still is not back to a pre-recession low. While there are a record number of job openings, employers sometimes still hesitate to hire someone they have to train or who has gaps in their employment record.

Workers who stay and new entrants into the labor force are now getting about the same pay bumps as workers who job hop, according to the latest ADP Workforce Vitality Report. This is especially true for workers ages 25 to 34, who ADP says are receiving wage increases of over 8 percent, on average, whether they change jobs or remain in their current role.

View the original article in it’s entirety at the www.washingitsost.com By Heather Long

The Ultimate Guide to Building A Kick-Ass Recruitment Team

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View this article in its original form at www.socialtalent.com by Stephen Clarke

Many companies now face due to many developments worldwide such as aging populations, political instability, and social & technological changes. This has brought an eagle-eyed focus on recruiters everywhere who are under increasing pressure to make kick-ass hires. The cost of a bad hire can cost up to fives times the person’s annual salary which can be even higher depending on the person’s tenure and seniority.

But how do you go about making sure this doesn’t happen? Developing an effective recruitment team is more important than ever so here is our ultimate guide to building a kick-ass one!

Integrate Recruitment with the Rest of the Business

Make sure your function and job role is viewed as a critical aspect of the business. Start building relationships with other departments and work on growing your presence. Set up meetings between your team and other business units and get a better understanding of the overall business, while at the same time showcasing how your team can help the company achieve its overarching goals.

Be Smart When Hiring First Employees

Often neglected by recruiters but this is a critical step when building your recruitment team which you must get right! The first hires you make will create the DNA of your team and also the company you are working at.

Put some time into developing a great job description that offers a good amount of detail. The more detailed you are, the clearer you will be when it comes to deciding on the best candidates. You should also ensure that you do structured interviews because potential recruiters will get asked the same questions for the same job and there is a pre-developed system for evaluating results which allows you to better determine which candidates are the best fit.

Provide an Awesome Onboarding Program and Effective Training

A little over 40% of all American workers quit within the first six months of starting a new job. This number is even higher for the business services industry, which clocks over a crazy 50%. Think about that – that’s over half of the candidates you hire leaving within 6 months and you looking bad in front of senior management – yikes! There are 2 things you can do to avoid this.

Employee Turnover in the Business Services industry

Onboarding: The first thing is to provide a great onboarding process for your new recruiters. Onboarding does not just mean having their computer set up on the first day but goes much more beyond this! On their first day, show them around the offices again, update them on company policies and provide a list of achievable tasks that they can start working on. Have regular check-ins, ask for feedback and have them shadow all departments in the company so they get a good understanding of the different cogs in the business!

Training: The second thing is providing good and tailored training for each recruiter. A great training program will give new staff the confidence to perform their role to make sure your new recruits take it seriously. Training should be centered on developing cross-functional relationships, identifying new business opportunities and making sure they understand the core values of the business.

Engaged Recruiters Will Achieve Their Goals

The same can be said for all company-wide teams but the knack of a recruitment team to achieve their objective depends upon the effectiveness of employee engagement strategies. It’s in your best interests to develop top employee engagement strategies.

– Encourage involvement in company-wide initiatives: If there are currently no opportunities for promotion, encouraging your team to get involved in the bigger picture will keep the job interesting.
– Develop a culture of innovation and creativity: This will provide new insights and a sense of accomplishment.
– Encourage open communication: Have a team meeting at least once a week to get an insight into what is important to your team. Let them express their ideas and address their concerns as much as you can.
– Provide educational opportunities: Work with individuals on their personal development plans and give them avenues to achieve their goals by giving them specific projects, recommending certifications and suggesting workshops/seminars.
– Share information: Keep recruiters informed about what is going on within the company and how their job contributes to the big picture. Be truthful in your communication.

 All of these things will help increase recruiter retention, making your team better placed to achieve objectives.

View this article in its original form at www.socialtalent.com by Stephen Clarke

How to Onboard an Employee: 3 Crucial Steps

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See the original and full article at www.techrepublic.com By 

When most people think of onboarding, they think of paperwork, mandatory training sessions, and small talk. However, the onboarding process is much more than a formality for a new hire—it’s the first impression of the company.

If an employee isn’t shown the ropes, given information, or properly welcomed, then they won’t feel a reason to stay. Nobody wants to feel clueless or unintelligent in a job position, nor does anybody want to feel unwelcome. Instead, they’d rather leave.

Weak onboarding not only hurts the employee but also the company. Losing employees affects the longevity of the company, if an employee ends up leaving their position because of bad onboarding procedures, then the organization just wasted a lot of time going through the hiring process and bringing on someone new. Unless companies fix the way they onboard, then they will just keep unproductively cycling through employees.

Here are three steps for onboarding success:

1. Send a Welcome Message

You should want the new hire to feel welcome right off the bat. For the company as a whole, a quick email is a great option. However, the employee’s individual team or department should do something a little more personal. If you were involved in the employee’s interview process, maybe single out a trait they displayed that could serve them well in the position.

Current employees and managers should also show the employee around the office. Make sure they know where everything is, from bathrooms to vending machines. By establishing that the team is friendly and accessible, the employee will feel less nervous, and most importantly, cared about.

2. Provide Resources

Starting a new job can lead to information overload. While they are getting their feet wet, act as a guide. Point the new hire to formal and informal resources. If the employee is starting a position you are familiar with, consider offering advice based on your experiences, or establishing someone as a good reference point for the position.  Any sort of useful tool to help an employee feel more prepared is worth sharing. Employees should also share the company’s mission with the new hire, so they are exposed to the goals of the office.

3. Be Available

Transitioning to a new company is a process. Just because someone has filled out the paperwork and is sitting at a desk doesn’t mean they feel at ease. Make it clear that you care about them and their success. Check back in periodically to make sure they are doing alright.

You should treat the new employee as you would want to be treated yourself. So based upon your previous experience—what you liked and what you didn’t like—that’s how you need to treat a new employee who’s coming into the organization alongside you.

See the original and full article at www.techrepublic.com By 

Hiring In-House or Outsourcing? Which One Is Better?

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Organizations have always struggled with trying to find the best hiring practices to find employees that suit their needs. With the stunning growth of the “gig economy” more and more businesses are considering the use of contract or freelance employees to meet their needs. While there are many advantages to hiring freelancers, there can also be disadvantages. But the same can also be said for full-time employees. So how do you choose?

What are your Needs?

The primary factor in deciding whether to hire in-house or to contract a job out will be the needs of your company. Are you looking for a one-time software installation project or a long-term data analyst? Evaluate whether your project is something that will be completed in a short period of time or if there will be an ongoing need. Many freelancers and contractors are also willing to contract out retainer services so that you can keep working with them long-term. This is especially useful if you need a specialist, but only for 8-10 hours a month. If you’re having trouble finding quality talent, outsourcing can help you get the expert you need for a short-term project.

What can you Afford?

Is your company able to provide a full-time position with benefits and everything that goes along with it? If not, you may want to stick with a contractor. On the other hand, depending on what you need to be done, contractors can be extremely expensive. Part of the reason is that they need to build the overhead costs of looking for jobs and other administrative tasks into their hourly rate. They might only be “working” on projects for 30 hours a week, but they’re also spending 10 hours communicating with clients, handling their billing, and reaching out to find new work. Their prices may be higher, but then, if you’re only paying them for 10 or 20 hours’ worth of work, it may work out for your benefit also.

Are you Flexible?

Do you need an immediate response to issues? In that case, you might be better off hiring in-house, as employees are going to be available during their scheduled shifts. With contractors, they often look to freelancing to afford them flexibility for travel or personal reasons. They might be out of the office for weeks at a time if they have no current projects and can sometimes be hard to get in touch with if there is a problem. If you’re not likely to have any urgency and have clearly defined deadlines, say for writing an annual report for investors, you should have no issues using a contractor.

Can you be Patient?

When working with freelancers, you are generally not their only client. And they will often prioritize the work that they do based on how much they value the clients. Factors that determine this value are how much they’re being paid, are they likely to have future work, or are they, long-term clients. If you’re just starting with them or have negotiated their rate down a bit, you’re probably not going to be at the top of the list, so a project that should only take 4 or 5 hours might not get done for several days. If you want things done right away, you may want to stick with an in-house employee that will prioritize their work according to what you want, not their own needs.

The original article can be found at www.social-hire.com By Linda Binklage

9 Scalable Recruiting Tips and Tricks

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Recruiting success depends on keeping up with the latest trends and continually evolving strategies, which are driven by well-planned, targeted goals. In today’s market, building an extensive pipeline, while focusing on relationship requires identifying and mastering the appropriate technological tools. Talent acquisition leaders must develop best practices regarding data collection and analyzation, the agility of information, ability to track mobile date, incorporating web analytics, and receiving and utilizing key metrics provided by ATS. Finally, they must funnel all these practices and tools into a scalable recruiting system – a system that smoothly handles fluctuations in hiring demands.

Scalable recruiting – that ability to fluctuate with hiring demands is a complicated issue. It involves many building blocks, including:

1. Establish targeted goals –

Everything begins with goals. Successful strategies only work with well-defined, measurable, and achievable goals, and you need to keep adjusting the goalposts if you want to keep an edge. Review them regularly, think strategically, and always try to hit your targets.

2. Build an attractive employer brand –

Yes, that’s what we said – building an attractive employer brand – your reputation and popularity as an employer. Attracting and engaging talent in a fluctuating market starts with being a company that speaks to the heart of potential talent; that fosters a high employee value proposition. In fact, research by LinkedIn has proven that a whopping 75% of job seekers research a company’s reputation before applying. And if you want to tweak the interest of passive candidates (a constant in a talent-driven market), you need to be a company who will stand out in their minds. Furthermore, 30-40% of talent say reputation or brand of the company is “very important” to them when considering a job move.

3. Build a pipeline of talent –

An ongoing, active search for talent – even when the demand is low – to build up an extensive pool of talent. Develop and nurture your talent pipeline, and identifying current employees who have the potential to step up into roles. Create a compelling recruitment brand, engage with prospective candidates through targeted social media content, and institute an active referral program. These steps will ensure you have an extensive pool of talent when the need arises.

4. Generate accurate job descriptions –

Ensuring that your job descriptions accurately and portray a comprehensive overview of the prospective job and responsibilities are one of the best ways to reduce the number of unqualified or wrongly-qualified candidates. Eliminating unnecessary overload reduces the time and cost spent in building your short list.

5. Streamline your recruitment process via software –

Keeping track of applications, sending emails, scheduling interviews, etc. via on centralized software system will reduce both time and cost in the recruitment process. This allows you to transfer administration hours to time spent on more proactive hiring strategies.

6. Connect with talent where the talent is –

Going mobile – and doing it in an attractive, easy to use system – is an absolute for connecting with talent and building a pipeline that enables you to handle a sudden increase in hiring demands. Make sure that applicants and potential prospects can engage via their mobile devices, including texting and tweeting.

7. Create a memorable candidate experience –

A positive candidate experience not only increases the odds that they will accept a position but also leaves a note of optimism even when they turn it down. They will be much more likely to reapply in the future, and best of all will refer other talent to your company. Organizations that invest in a strong candidate experience improve their quality of hires by 70%.

8. Improve your strategy for hiring diversity –

Place diversity (be it gender, cultural background, age, disability, etc.), and cultural intelligence high on your agenda to integrate diverse workers and maintain productivity. Reinforce your diversity mission and remove any barriers that may be preventing you from achieving it. Examine your hiring process for unconscious bias and consider how your job postings and application forms could be preventing people from diverse backgrounds from applying.

9. Utilize Technology –

Making use of automated and machine-learning algorithms is essential in a scalable recruiting model.

• AI allows processes to be completed at a rate and scale beyond human ability. It transforms text into structured data and vice versa.
• There is also software available the integrates into existing ATS systems, scans the job descriptions of open roles, and then sources your existing resume database to discover candidates who fit the qualifications (This is one places where an extensive bank of passive candidates pays off).
• Virtual Reality (VR) allows companies to provide their shortlist with VR tours that reveal the company’s workplace and culture.
• Augmented Reality (AR) allows candidates to walk through the workplace, participate in a mock client meeting or another relevant activity, and sit with an employee who talks about their typical day.

Scalable recruiting is attainable, but it requires commitment. The ROI, however, is significant and ensures the destination is well worth the journey. Through Award’s own Cross-functional Recruiting model we will be able to scale our efforts to find the right employees that fit your unique business needs. If you’re searching for more tips and trick on how to improve your company’s workforce, check out our hiring solutions blog.

 

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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The Big Picture of Cross-Functional Management

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Cross-functional teams are the ultimate in diversity. Members come from diverse backgrounds and different levels and departments within a company. They have distinct skill sets, as well and varying personalities and perspectives.

When a team comes together in a healthy appreciation for each other’s contributions, they can be highly innovative and effective. With strong leadership paving the way, successful cross-functional teams:

• Bring new and better insight into
• Increase employee engagement.
• Stimulate creativity and innovation.
• Breakthrough stereotyping and build the positive aspects of diversity.
• Enhance employee morale, team spirit, and the company culture.
• Take an organization’s success to the next level.

So, what are the criteria for a cross-functional team leader?

Team management should be assigned to a senior executive. Even when a team member is appointed direct leadership over the other members per/a specific project, he/she should be reporting to a senior staff member, who clarifies quality standards, budget, and expected timeline, as well as ensuring clear communication within the group and between the group and C-level staff. Cross-functional management organizes business processes across traditional boundaries, coordinating and synergizing the responsibilities and work of each unit, confirming that goals are met, and policies are upheld. He/she chooses the team members, and then educates, delegates, and provide autonomy. Ultimately, the manager/leader is accountable for the team’s success.

It sounds daunting, and it certainly can be a challenge, but by recognizing the critical functions of a team and the principles of cross-functional management, the statistics of the past can be exchanged for success.

Best Practices for Cross-Functional Management –

 

Choose wisely your team:

First, establish the skill requirements and expertise needed for the project. Then evaluate the potential member’s accordingly, recognizing that no one person will have all the required skills. For example, your team may have an IT specialist, several engineers, an accountant, and a visionary. Some will envision the big pictures, while others see the details.

Don’t overlook interpersonal skills. Some will be introverts, and some will be extroverts, but every team member will need to be adept at communication, embrace diversity, handle conflict in a healthy manner, and generally get along with people.

Clearly Defined Goals and Objectives:

It is critical that every member of your cross-functional team understands the project goals and objectives, the principles, factors, and methods that will be used in accomplishing those objectives, and how progress will be measured. They must know what is expected from him/her and how his/her tasks fit into the big picture.

Establish a system of organization:

To manage a team of this diversity and complexity, you’ll need a system for organizing deadlines, files, notes, data, research, and whatever else you bring to the project. Create a method to ensure that the team’s output is transferred back into key functions and work streams, so the insights become standard operating procedures for the enterprise.

Clarify communication:

Good communication is a critical aspect of cross-functional team success. Establish your expectations and methods of communication from the beginning. Conduct in-person meetings. If most of the team are working from remote locations, establish regular conference calls, skype, or facetime meetings. Ensure that everyone is both giving input and listening to the rest of the team. Take steps to confirm the clarity of information passed.

Build trust:

Trust is essential. Provide opportunities for members to connect both within the project time and off work. Encourage team members to respect and appreciate each person’s role. Pay attention to each member’s credibility and reliability. Better to remove one person from the team than to disrupt interpersonal connections.

Resolve conflicts quickly:

There will always be some level of friction when you put together a team of diverse skills, personalities, work styles, opinions, etc. The key is not thinking you can avoid it, but instead accepting the reality and establishing procedures for responding quickly to incidents.

Recognize and express appreciation:

Acknowledge and reward hard work creative talent, dedication, skill strengths, and innovative thinking of the team, and toward each one individually. Measure performance, so the team knows how well they’re delivering, how much they have accomplished, and what is still to be finished. Both are important; both build morale; both increase productivity and team spirit.

Cross-functional teams can play a valuable role in company success. When they are managed well, the results can be astounding. Applying the above principles will ensure effectiveness and ultimately enhance your company’s bottom line. Through Award’s own Cross-functional Recruiting model we will be able to help you find the right employees for your unique business needs. If you’re searching for more tips and trick on how to improve your company’s workforce, check out our hiring solutions blog.

 

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.