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The Week That Was

2013 05 17 12:18 PM

The top five stories from the week of May 13. Also, why eat lunch at your desk when you can hit up the dance club instead?

Is Applicant Tracking Software Rejecting Your Next Superstar?

2013 05 17 10:01 AM

Companies say they can't find the right talent, while at the same time great candidates are getting rejected. Blogger Dan Bowling says software is to blame.

Five Ways to Engage Candidates During the Hiring Process

2013 05 17 00:05 AM

Today, sending out cookie-cutter messages to applicants is inadequate. Try these tips to build a relationship-oriented talent community and deep bench of candidates.

Nearly every job seeker has received cookie-cutter messages at some point in the job search, and while that sort of communication may have been acceptable in the days of purely transactional recruiting, today relationships matter. It would behoove employers to make every touch point with candidates worthwhile and engaging.

Here are five tips to revamp a company’s hiring process to help build a relationship-oriented talent community and deep bench of candidates.

Feature engaging media. A candidate’s first contact with the organization is the career site, so companies should try to make it "sticky." Research shows that average career sites have a bounce rate between 90 and 92 percent. Starting with content that resonates with candidates and minimizing text-heavy pages can help. Research at 3M concluded that people process visuals 60,000 times faster than text, so video and images can be used to speak to candidates about employment in a more powerful and engaging way.

Gamify. Gamification, the use of game mechanics and game design techniques in non-game contexts, can be an engaging technique to interact with the candidate base. Having an employment-related game can lead to longer periods of time that a candidate spends on a company’s career site, or it can provide educational information. For example, Kixeye, a video game manufacturer, has an employment quiz that is relevant to its target audience (gamers). A well-designed game can be the ultimate job interview and may even help candidates align skills to open positions.

Serve relevant content. Many employers use their applicant tracking system to process transactional hires, but it’s better served as a marketing database. The candidates can be segmented by department, job title, location and even their stage in the hiring process — then relevant content can be served to them.

Revamp the confirmation letter. Once a candidate has applied, the cookie-cutter confirmation stating the resume has been received adds no value, and doesn’t do much to sustain engagement. Instead, companies can think about revamping this email as a call to action by inviting candidates to follow the employer on Twitter or connect with managers in the department of the applied-for job via LinkedIn. They can continue to sell the company culture with additional content about the job location, benefits and recent news from the company.

Make the interview special. Providing a memorable interview experience can make the difference between an accepted or declined offer. That’s why trading out the traditional conference room for a lunch interview at a nice local restaurant might work better — or if a candidate is flying in, the company could consider having a driver pick him or her up at the airport.

An interview experience doesn't have to add to the talent acquisition budget in order to be special — for instance, the candidate could be given a private tour of the facility. If a candidate looks promising, the hiring manager can then follow up with calls or thank you emails, an activity traditionally occurring on the candidate’s end.

Every step along the candidate’s journey is an opportunity to sell a job to a potential hire, and in today’s hiring environment that requires employers to engage their audience and build relationships.

Erin Bazinet is a sourcing team manager at Seven Step Recruiting, a professional services corporation. She can be reached at editor@talentmgt.com.

Survey: Clothing Choices Affect Promotion Prospects

2013 05 16 08:24 AM

Clothing choice may have less effect than it did six years ago, when more than 90 percent of executives reported in a survey that it was a factor in promotions.

Menlo Park, Calif. — May 16

In a survey from OfficeTeam, 80 percent of executives said clothing choices affect an employee's chances of earning a promotion — and some respondents gave some pretty hilarious examples of outfits that missed the mark.

The good news for the wardrobe-challenged: proper attire may carry less weight than it did six years ago, as 93 percent of executives surveyed in 2007 tied professional wear to advancement prospects. Among those respondents, 33 percent said clothing significantly affects a person's chances of moving up the organizational ladder, versus just 8 percent who feel this way today.

The survey was developed by staffing firm OfficeTeam. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on telephone interviews with more than 1,000 senior managers at companies with 20 or more employees.

Managers also were asked to recount the strangest outfits they have heard of or seen someone wearing to work, not in observance of Halloween. The following are some examples:

• "A dinosaur costume"
• "Pajamas"
• "Parachute pants"
• "A chicken suit"
• "Coveralls"
• "A space suit"
• "Studs and motorcycle gear"
• "A wolf mask"

These professionals got creative with their clothing combinations:

• "A T-shirt, tie and flip-flops"
• "Short pants and a winter jacket"
• "One red sock and one white sock"
• "Tennis shoes and men's knicker pants"
• "Shorts and house slippers"
• "A red suit with sporty footwear"

Others donned apparel that left little to the imagination:

• "A see-through dress"
• "Fishnet stockings and stilettos"
• "A bathing suit"
• "A tube top"

This gear was more appropriate for the gym than the workplace:

• "A muscle shirt"
• "A sweat suit"
• "Yoga pants"
• "Very tight bike shorts"

These outfits just didn't make the cut:

• "Torn jeans"
• "A vest with a big hole in the back"
• "A T-shirt with cut-off sleeves"

And the following getups might be viewed as fashion faux pas both in and out of the office:

• "Saggy pants"
• "Sandals with socks"
• "Flood pants"

Source: OfficeTeam

Executives: U.S. Businesses Not Delivering Societal Impact

2013 05 16 08:16 AM

The majority of employees and executives believe that businesses are not doing enough to instill in their cultures a sense of purpose aimed at making a positive impact, a new survey suggests.

New York — May 16

A new online survey released Thursday by Deloitte finds that the majority of employees and executives believe that businesses are not doing enough to instill in their cultures a sense of purpose aimed at making a positive impact.

The annual Deloitte Core Beliefs & Culture survey also found that organizations that focus beyond profits and create "a culture of purpose" are more likely to find long-term success. An overwhelming majority of respondents who said their company has a strong sense of purpose also said their company has a history of strong financial performance.

Moreover, the survey, conducted online by Harris Interactive, identified many activities that contribute to creating a sense of purpose at work, including activities that make a positive impact on clients, employees, communities and society.

When asked what types of efforts they considered helpful in achieving a sense of purpose, employees and executives both recognized many activities as strong factors — such as products and services that make a positive impact on clients, employee development and mentorship and volunteerism.

The survey results also shine a light on the impact business can have on government and nonprofits. Both employees (46 percent) and executives (60 percent) strongly agreed that government cannot reach its full potential without the help of the business community. Furthermore, employees (45 percent) and executives (54 percent) also agreed that nonprofits cannot reach their full potential without the help of the business community.

Respondents who said their organization had a strong sense of purpose were more likely to say their company had performed well financially over the last year (90 percent) and historically (91 percent). They also were more likely to say their company had a distinct brand that stood out among competitors (91 percent), strong customer satisfaction (94 percent) and strong employee satisfaction (79 percent).

By comparison, of the respondents who said their organization did not have a strong purpose, far fewer said their company had performed well financially over the last year (65 percent) or historically (66 percent). They were also less likely to say their organization had a distinct brand that stood out among competitors (61 percent), had strong customer satisfaction (63 percent) and strong employee satisfaction (19 percent).

In addition, a large majority (85 percent) of executives were more likely to agree that their company's sense of purpose is part of the reason they chose to work there, compared with 61 percent of employees who agreed that a strong sense of purpose was one of the reasons they selected their employer.

Source: Deloitte

Little Improvement in Wage Gains Likely

2013 05 16 07:58 AM

Private sector workers are likely to see little or no improvement in the overall pace of annual wage increases in the coming months, according to a new index.

Arlington, Va. — May 15

Private sector workers are likely to see little or no improvement in the overall pace of annual wage increases in the coming months, according to the preliminary second quarter Wage Trend Indicator (WTI) released Wednesday by Bloomberg BNA, a publisher of financial news and information.

The index declined to 98.68 in the second quarter from 98.73 in the first quarter. During the past two years, the WTI has remained within a narrow range, fluctuating up and down from 98.47 to 98.75.

During its history, the WTI has predicted a turning point in wage trends six to nine months before the trends are apparent in other economic measures. A sustained increase in the WTI forecasts greater pressure to raise private sector wages, while a sustained decline is predictive of a deceleration in the rate of wage increases.

Reflecting mixed economic conditions, three of the WTI's seven components made positive contributions to the preliminary second quarter reading, while three factors were negative and one was neutral.

Among the WTI's seven components, the three positive contributors to the preliminary second quarter reading were job losers as a share of the labor force and the unemployment rate, both from U.S. Department of Labor; and industrial production, reported by the Federal Reserve Board.

The three negative factors were forecasters' expectations for the rate of inflation, compiled by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia; average hourly earnings of production and nonsupervisory workers, from the Department of Labor; and the share of employers planning to hire production and service workers in the coming months, measured by Bloomberg BNA's quarterly employment outlook survey.

The neutral component was the share of employers reporting difficulty in filling professional and technical jobs, also from Bloomberg BNA's employment survey.

Bloomberg BNA's Wage Trend Indicator is designed to serve as a yardstick for employers, analysts and policymakers to identify turning points in private sector wage patterns. It also aims to provide timely information for business and human resource analysts and executives as they plan for year-to-year changes in compensation costs.

Source: Bloomberg BNA

Five Strategies to Help Employers Navigate Health Care Reform

2013 05 16 00:05 AM

Jessica Saperstein, division vice president at ADP, offers practical advice for employers as they continue to grapple with the complexities of health care reform.

Initiative Aims to Help Employers With Depression

2013 05 15 08:40 AM

A partnership of mental health organizations has launched an effort to help employers combat employee depression, a condition known to hamper productivity and engagement.

Canton, Ohio — May 15

To help combat the significant impact of depression on individuals and businesses, the Partnership for Workplace Mental Health, a program of the American Psychiatric Foundation, and Employers Health, a national employer coalition based in Ohio, are introducing Right Direction, an initiative to raise awareness about depression in the workplace and its effect on productivity.

The initiative, officially launched Wednesday at the Employers Health Annual Employer Symposium in North Canton, Ohio, will be presented to the mental health community during the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting on May 18-22 in San Francisco.

Depression can have a profound impact in the workplace because of absenteeism but also due to presenteeism — being at work, but not engaged. This is exacerbated by cognitive symptoms that occur with depression, including difficulty concentrating, indecisiveness and forgetfulness, which can affect up to 94 percent of patients.

Researchers found that absence, disability and lost productivity from depression cost employers more than four times the cost of employee medical treatment, even when workers' compensation medical costs are considered.

Additionally, data show that mental illness short-term disability claims are growing by 10 percent annually and can account for 30 percent or more of the corporate disability experience for the typical employer.

In developing Right Direction, the Partnership for Workplace Mental Health and Employers Health engaged an employer workgroup composed of representatives from corporate, government and nonprofit organizations to ensure the resources developed meet the varying business needs of employers.

The end result is the Right Direction Field Guide, a toolkit including a step-by-step implementation plan, approach to sharing the business case with the C-suite, educational presentations as well as corresponding promotional resources such as posters, intranet copy and template materials, which can be developed into TV slides.

Source: Partnership for Workplace Mental Health

Survey: Most Executives Willing to Negotiate Starting Compensation

2013 05 14 08:06 AM

A new survey of advertising and marketing executives showed that most report being willing to negotiate new-hire compensation.

Menlo Park, Calif. — May 14

Talented professionals who accept an initial job offer may be leaving money on the table, a new survey by the Creative Group suggests.

More than six in 10 (63 percent) advertising and marketing executives interviewed said they are at least somewhat willing to negotiate compensation when extending a job offer to a top candidate, versus 28 percent of respondents who are not.

The national survey was developed by the Creative Group, a specialized staffing service for interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals, and conducted by an independent research firm.

Source: The Creative Group

A Blueprint for Success

2013 05 14 00:01 AM

Use personality assessments to identify the traits that set top performers apart.

In a world where unemployment is high, yet good talent is hard to find, companies must be more structured in their hiring and employee development approach. To stay competitive, companies have to find and develop individuals who share the qualities of their top performers. The first step is to determine what those qualities are, and the next is to seek out those qualities in applicants and within the organization. Using a validated personality assessment is one way to identify the traits that set top performers apart.

In working with our company, Caliper, during the past two decades, rental car company Avis Budget Group has developed a top-performer benchmark to clearly understand what potential exists in its sales force. This process has become an ongoing, integral part of the company’s hiring and development process.

“We had in-depth personality profiles conducted for everyone in our sales organization,” said Tom Gartland, North American president of Avis Budget Group. “That gave us a baseline view of each individual’s potential, strengths and limitations. When we match to their current performance, we are able to view them from where they are now, how we can help them meet their goals and where we see them moving next, with an eye even further down the road.”

Paul Orleman, director of global management development for business software company SAP, took a similar approach in 2008 with assessments for the company’s top performers and high-potential employees. He then had growth plans developed for each of those people, saying growth plans “start with understanding the individual goals of each of these highly talented people and letting them know that the leadership of the company is committed to their futures.”

In addition to looking at top performers, by studying marginal and bottom performers, leaders can compare results and see how they differ. The result of this comparison is usually quite telling, highlighting the key qualities that sharply distinguish one group from another.

This exercise allows management to do two things. First, if psychological testing or a similar assessment technique is used, management can compare a job applicant’s assessment with top performers’ profiles to determine how closely the applicant’s profile matches the ideal. This will provide a clear picture of whether an applicant who interviews well truly matches the job.

The second benefit is that it allows management to see where the deficiencies are in the marginal performers and to start to bridge those gaps with targeted training and coaching.

At smaller companies, there may not be a sample size large enough to study. It is only slightly useful for a company with six salespeople to attempt a benchmark using its top two people. In that situation, it is useful to assess the team both as a means of upgrading individual productivity and as a way to get a sense of overall strengths and limitations. When it comes to hiring — as opposed to development — for smaller companies, it is most appropriate for them to use industry norms as the benchmark to judge promising applicants.

In either case, the ideal profile can serve as a roadmap for future hiring. It will allow companies to make informed decisions about which tradeoffs in a particular candidate might be acceptable, and what kind of training or coaching would be appropriate to address any weakness from the beginning.

Thus, while some compromises inevitably will have to be made, the overall result of the personality assessment approach is often a substantial increase in a company’s hiring success. Further, with this new information in mind, leaders can look deeper within their organizations to identify employees who have the ability to move into other roles. And when outside hiring is the option, this approach allows companies to select only individuals who have the potential to flourish in the culture.

Herbert Greenberg is founder and CEO and Patrick Sweeney is president of Caliper Corp., a global human capital management assessment and development firm. They are co-authors of How to Hire and Develop Your Next Top Performer: Second Edition and can be reached at editor@talentmgt.com.