Recruiting Metrics Businesses Should Consider

Recruiting metrics are used to gather and analyze information to improve a business’ hiring process. Recruiters and stakeholders must remain aware of evolving trends to successfully manage turnover.

Sourcing Quality Hires

Recruiting managers are deployed to proactively leverage the sourcing channels used to hire quality recruits. Some of the most common sourcing channels include referrals, recruitment agencies, resume search, social media shares, notifications, career sites, and other job boards. To ensure recruiter efficiency, metrics and activities reported in a timely manner can identify potential problems and opportunities for improvement.

 

Pipeline Development

A key business goal is to develop a pipeline of quality candidates, which hiring managers can call upon when positions have to be filled. This facilitates easy tracking and monitoring of leads, while also managing traditional metrics, such as the Interview-to-Offer Ratio (the number of interviews to the number of offers extended) and Offer-to-Acceptance Ratio (the number of actual hires versus the hiring goal).

 

New Growth Attrition Rates

In some cases, more time is spent on replacing employees instead of growing the team. Some businesses experience higher turnover rates in particular industries, which can result in high vacancy rates. Lower turnover is a main indicator of the effectiveness of the recruitment process. It demonstrates that real value is being contributed to the growth and success of the business.

 

Performance Dashboards

To benchmark performance success, dashboards create a snapshot of key performance indicators for further examination and analysis. For instance, the amount of revenue generated is a clear indication of whether a growing organization should hire. They also act as a tool to measure productivity.

 

Candidate Satisfaction

Satisfaction ratings can provide essential feedback from new hires and employees who are seeking opportunities for internal mobility. From the candidate’s perspective, feedback from the interview process through post-recruitment surveys can influence the company’s recruitment strategy. The surveys can identify gaps in the recruitment process and provide critical information for the improvement of recruitment campaigns.

In the information age, many businesses have implemented software tools, such as the Human Resource Information Systems, which aid in facilitating easy review of pertinent human resources functions. Most importantly, this system software encompasses metrics for monitoring and tracking recruiting data. Success factors can be achieved when a business efficiently and effectively understands the benefits derived from making investments in the Human Resource Information System.

 

L. Chadee | Contributing Writer

How to Handle an Employee Gone Rogue

You know that person at the office who seems to consider themselves above the rules? That’s a rogue employee. But sometimes, rogue behaviour isn’t as obvious. Someone may openly disobey policies or disrespect management, or a seemingly perfect worker may be committing serious offences in secret, such as stealing company data, pilfering money, spying on behalf of a competitor, or sabotaging their colleagues.

There are ways to detect a rogue employee early. It’s can be the person you demoted because they no longer seemed to be the ideal fit for the role they were hired for. Or the member of the management team that consistently ignores company policies or the opinions of others when making changes. If their rogue behaviour has already been identified, they’re likely already on the bubble – one more misstep and they’re out. But before firing them, it’s best to consider the value they bring. Discuss the employee’s overall performance with other managers and HR. If they haven’t caused a high level of offence, determine whether you want to give them a chance to change.

In the meantime, there are ways you can prevent rogue employees from inflicting damage on the organization by limiting and monitoring their access to information. Use identity and access management (IAM) software to increase security. With IAM software, you can regulate the amount of access employees have to pertinent data and files depending on their role. Look for software that records login information and activity for each user, allows them to update their own profiles, and can handle a large volume of users in the system without compromising performance.

If it’s a disrespectful employee you’re dealing with, evaluate how you position yourself as a manager: are you too lenient with the person in question? Do you allow them to break certain rules? Are they doing whatever they want? If you tolerate a workspace in which certain people can behave this way while others can’t, then you’re the problem. But whether you’ve been unwittingly encouraging such behaviour or not, reexamine the way you treat all employees. Reimplement the company values and the most important policies. Present these policies and guidelines clearly, as outlined in the employment agreement, to everyone.

Fellow coworkers can help handle a rogue colleague and spot other potential threats if they’re trained in detecting rogue behaviour. For example, if an employee notices their colleague taking frequent trips to the photocopier or printer when their job doesn’t really require, there’s a possibility the employee is stealing company info or using the machine for personal things. A properly-trained employee could ask their coworker about the issue (their frequent use of a machine); maybe their colleague is stealing proprietary company secrets, delivering that information to a competing business or using it for their own entrepreneurial project. Keeping employees aware of these sorts of issues will increase awareness and create a more stable and secure work environment. If anybody feels disrespected by a fellow colleague or is suspicious of their conduct, they should feel empowered to report them.

Speaking of corporate espionage, you may want to do some digging yourself. Take a look at the rogue employee’s social media channels. Ensure they’re abiding by the organization’s social media policy and aren’t bad-mouthing the company (and/or its affiliates or partners), especially after a significant incident like a demotion or another disciplinary issue. This would be detrimental to brand image and cause distrust among your customers, which is obviously bad for business.

– Joséphine Mwanvua
 

Business photo created by yanalya – www.freepik.com

More Than Just Resumes: How LinkedIn Can Benefit Your Business

A LinkedIn account may seem crucial for a job seeker, but less important for a small business. However, with more than 500 million members now on the professional platform, it’s worth it for all businesses, big and small, to create a profile.

LinkedIn is different from other social media platforms because it focuses on professional content while fostering connections between businesses as well as people. A company profile can draw in potential customers and attract new employees in addition to promoting itself and sharing various content.

A personal account is necessary to set up a company profile, but joining LinkedIn is free. Once the business account has been created, you can utilize ads to promote company news to specific audiences and get even more personal by dropping personalized ads into your customers’ inboxes. Posting videos on the platform is a new tool for reaching and expanding your audience. Videos are among the most popular forms of online content, and they allow you to convey your company’s message in seconds. Your subsequent marketing efforts can be improved by studying engagement analytics and website demographics, tools that allow you see what kind of LinkedIn users are visiting your page.

Customers aren’t the only people you’ll want to connect with on LinkedIn. Since the platform is designed for networking, tapping into the contacts of first-degree connections can grow your network and potentially even grow your business. Maybe the right partner for a joint venture you’ve been considering will be a second-degree connection, or you’ll find that new team member you’ve been looking for as a third-degree connection.

Or perhaps you want to meet like-minded entrepreneurs or managers for mentorship or advice. Joining a LinkedIn group can make you new friends, and there are groups for every niche. You might find the right person to bounce ideas off or simply build a new friendship. Be active in the groups, but don’t try to use them to promote your company’s services or products, as it’s considered bad form.

If you want to position your business as a leading brand in its industry, consider LinkedIn Publishing. You can write longform articles that connect people with your brand and help them understand what your company is all about. This not only builds your reputation as an expert in your field, but it also builds interest in your business as readers become potential customers. Make sure you post on a regular basis, share what matters to you, and provide glimpses of the company culture. You could even write about the causes your company stands behind. You can go as far as using original images featuring actual employees. LinkedIn Publishing provides the opportunity to show that there are real people behind your brand.

Your business may have a subcomponent or a specific initiative you want to highlight. LinkedIn’s Showcase Pages helps draw attention to those specific areas of the company and members can follow them.

There are more tools to personalize your company’s profile and build brand awareness. With a detailed page that fosters engagement from audiences and employees, LinkedIn remains a proven way to lure in potential clients.

– Josephine Mwanvua

Resolving Conflict in the Workplace

Conflict happens. Differences of opinion and different work styles can create problems, straining relationships between coworkers and reducing their efficiency and productivity. They may become unmotivated and dread coming into the office. But if properly handled, conflict can also be an opportunity to move toward a better organized work environment.

Below are some steps to help managers avoid and resolve conflict in the workplace:

Communication

Clear communication plays an important role in avoiding conflicts in the workplace. Be very clear and specific with your message and communicate in a way that everyone can understand. When talking with or emailing your colleagues, make sure they understand everything being discussed, as misunderstandings can lead to more problems in the future. Ensure that all necessary information is being properly conveyed to avoid this.

Clarify Misunderstandings

When conflicts arise, bring both parties together and let them have a professional and respectful conversation. Make sure each party understands the other’s point of view. At the end of the discussion, make sure an agreement of some sort has been reached and any misinterpretations are addressed.

Consider All Sides

Speak with each party individually to understand the issue behind the conflict. Ask them for suggestions on how to best avoid this situation in the future. After hearing everyone out, analyze the feedback and focus on the problem itself rather than the specifics of who did what. Any action taken should be with the goal of improving the overall work environment. Meet again with the parties involved and provide your solution. Be impartial and emphasize what’s best for the company in order to avoid future complications.

Eliminate Negative Feelings

Solve the problem in a manner that helps both parties feel like the issue has been resolved in an acceptable manner, ideally with no lingering bitter feelings. Everyone should be satisfied with the solution so that the work environment remains a respectful and friendly place.

Be Cooperative

Everyone has their own way of working and accomplishing tasks. Don’t impose your ideas on others and instead consider their views. Avoid bias, treat everyone equally, and be fair with all your employees and coworkers. Bring it to their attention when they make mistakes, but also applaud them for a job well done. If you make mistake, apologize, and accept your part in causing the problem. Never assume any conflict is insignificant; always try to solve it as soon as possible, rather than letting it fester. Try using written notes or emails to help your peers understand the solution to a problem. And always keep the bigger picture in mind.

Structure

Encourage collaboration. Create a structure that facilitates teamwork and requires staff to work together to complete tasks. This is one of the most effective conflict-resolution techniques and it will make employees realize the importance of working as a team to support each other.

Regardless of the specific workplace, everyone expects a friendly and healthy setting when they’re doing their job. It’s everyone’s responsibility to create a positive work environment. It eliminates stress and keeps employees cheerful. More importantly, it brings out the best in people on a daily basis and helps increase productivity.

U. Lakhia

How to Have a Difficult Conversation with an Employee

It’s never easy to have a difficult conversation in the office, especially if you’re deathly afraid of confrontation. However, it’s impossible to manage a company and not have to approach an employee at some point about their behaviour, insubordination, or work quality, and sometimes even terminate them. Brushing the issue under the rug or simply ignoring it can make the situation worse and negatively affect the workplace, productivity, and other employees. There are several different types of difficult conversations that you might need to have at some point, including policy breaches, coworker complaints, dress code violations, and even workstation cleanliness. As a manager or supervisor, it’s important to know the proper way to handle these conversations, or it could do more harm than good.

Prepare Yourself
Before deciding to have the conversation, get prepared by asking what the behaviour is that’s causing the problem, and what outcome from the behaviour is impacting you, the team, the environment, etc. You need to have an understanding yourself before providing clarity to someone else about the issue. This will also keep the focus on the issue and avoid derailing the conversation.

Choose an Appropriate Location
Before entering the conversation or even calling for a meeting with the individual, decide where it will be held. Finding the right location will set the tone of the meeting. Your office is usually the best place, but depending on your company culture, it might ease the tension if you talk over a cup of coffee or lunch at a food court in the building or nearby; this can lessen the chances of the employee feeling embarrassed. However, if it’s a more formal conversation, your office, a conference room, or a boardroom is probably the most appropriate place.

Leave Your Emotions at the Door
When starting the conversation, be straightforward and tell the individual what the purpose of the meeting is. Be sure to not get caught up in your emotions; keep your feelings in check and don’t let them drive the conversation. Focus on the facts and be careful not to say things like, “I feel disappointed,” which will only add biased emotional elements. It also helps to be aware of your preconceived notions about the situation and the person involved, so make sure to leave that at the door as well.

Be Open and Listen
Be calm and fair during the discussion. Don’t project anger or judgment because that may result in the employee getting defensive and things might get heated. Find a balance between polite and firm; be caring but remain professional. It’s important to be open to hearing what the other person has to say. Be mindful and treat them with respect, even if you completely disagree with them.

Brainstorm
It’s important that you brainstorm solutions during the meeting. Ask the employee in question what they think will work. Out of their ideas or suggestions, build on something you like. Asking for their point of view can create a safe atmosphere and encourage them to engage.

Always Follow Up
Following up after the conversation is a good way to smooth over the relationship between you and your employee. It’s also a good way to check up on their progress if there are any changes they need to make. Don’t micromanage, but keep track of how they’re doing, for as long as you think is necessary. If progress needs to be made, there is a possibility they might backslide.

Putting off a difficult conversation will only do more damage to your business. Holding off on speaking to an employee about their performance or attitude won’t help productivity and might even affect the rest of your team. Practice these tips and prepare your points so that you can mentally prepare and be more effective, confident, and comfortable with having difficult conversations. That way, you can get everyone on your team working together and at their highest potential.

 

Helen Jacob | Staff Writer

Benefits of a Recruitment Agency

Finding the right candidate for a job is a daunting process for many employers. Individuals with great work ethic and skill set are essential in maintaining a productive organization. Utilizing the services of a recruitment agency is an effective way to fill job openings. Today, recruitment agencies are not only physical, they have gone virtual as well. There are many benefits of a recruitment agency and using its services will significantly simplify the hiring process for you.

Time & Cost
In today’s fast-paced world, time is of the essence if companies want to remain competitive. Stopping or slowing production results in a loss of revenue. Job openings need to be filled with suitable candidates who learn fast and make notable contributions to the organization. Recruitment agencies can match and shortlist candidates for you, saving you countless hours of sorting through hundreds of applications. Open positions can be filled much faster.

Network
Recruitment agencies maintain an extensive pool of skilled candidates in their databases. Job-seekers look to them for employment opportunities, ensuring that agencies will always receive new applicants from a wide cross-section of experience and expertise.

Pre-Screening
Candidates go through extensive assessments and evaluations before being referred to a potential employer. The agency will take care of background and reference checks, ensuring that only the most qualified candidates will move to the next stage.

Employee Retention
Workplace turnover is significantly reduced when the employee is the right fit for the job. Knowing that the available candidates have passed a thorough screening process will put the manager’s minds at ease when selecting an employee, rendering the final decision easier to make.

Building Relationships
Over time, employers will find that the hiring process will become more efficient. The recruitment agency will have prior knowledge of specific needs and expectations and be able to provide valuable advice and expertise on future hires.

For your next job opening, consider using a recruitment agency. The benefits will be reflected in an efficient and skilled workforce capable of boosting company morale and helping you achieve your organizational goals.

 

N. Johnson | DBPC Blog

The Importance of an HR Department

To have a successful company, it is extremely important to understand the importance of an HR department. Human Resources is more than a department; it encompasses different facets and plays significant roles. Its existence is vital for any business, big or small.

An effective HR department plays many roles within a company. Here are some examples of the variety of roles filled by a good HR department, likened to various professions.

  • Engineers: HR is tasked with structuring, restructuring, planning, and analyzing systems and procedures to make sure they are aligned with business objectives. HR also develops succession plans by identifying promising employees with the requisite capabilities to eventually transition into leadership roles. This is significant as it can guarantee a business’ stability and future success.
  • Doctors: The HR department diagnoses the company culture, as well as structural and operational strengths and weaknesses that are fundamental to organizational competence and effectiveness.
  • Guidance Counsellors: HR prevents and resolves conflict in the workplace, which is inevitable given the diversity of personalities, work styles, backgrounds and levels of experience among employees. The HR department also sees to it that all issues concerning employment are addressed and guides the staff on performance, as well as helps them embrace the company’s philosophy and business principles.
  • Law Enforcement: Human resources ensures that everyone in the organization complies with rules and regulations, and reprimand those who breach them to avoid repeat offences.
  • Safety Officers: The HR department helps keep the work environment free of accidents and other things that would compromise occupational health and safety of the company and its workforce.
  • Marketing & Sales: HR advertises open positions in the company to attract candidates, and work to build the business into being a top employment destination.
  • Purchasers: The HR team negotiates the best price to procure the most comprehensive benefits package, and also works on salary offers.
  • Trainers & Facilitators: HR helps acclimate newly hired employees and helps train them on their assignments and duties. HR also keeps the entire staff updated on the latest policies and procedures that could affect their responsibilities.
  • Quality Assurance: The HR department ensures that employee performance meets standards. Some HR champions ISO certification to guarantee staff commits to the process, products, and services of the company.
  • Lawyers: Human resources mediates the relationship between workers, employers, trade unions and government, and monitor the company’s adherence to legal and labour laws.
  • Consultants: The HR team advises management on how to handle specific staff members’ issues in a professional manner.

Because HR is charged with a variety of challenging responsibilities, it’s difficult to give a simple explanation for why having a strong HR department is so important. It bridges management to employees and vice versa, helping divisional and unit groups to focus on their functional accountabilities.

HR’s depth and breadth is measured by how effectively and efficiently it manages the company’s most important asset and capital investment: human resources. The HR department must do all of these things in order to help the company achieve its ultimate goal of ensuring that employees and customers alike are enjoying the best experience possible.

 

M. Beltran | DBPC Blog

Motivating Employees

An unknown author once said, “If you expect your employees to go the extra mile for your customers, you must prove that you are willing to go the extra mile for them.” Remember, your employees are customers, too; if you don’t take care of them, they will find others who can. Losing a star staff member can mean lowered productivity and efficiency, issues that are bound to affect your company. They can even jeopardize your sustainability and survival.

Certainly, managing human resources is a continuing challenge for business owners. Employees are the backbone and most integral part of every organization. Keeping your staff engaged goes beyond financial compensation. It’s a matter of creating “win-win” strategies. That is, adjusting your management practices to boost employees’ motivation, resulting in improved productivity and profitability.

Having the “3 Rs” in place will help you motivate employees and tap into their potential, which will strengthen their connection with your business, eventually coming to regard it almost as their own.

Reach Out

Just like in marriage, constant communication leads to a lasting relationship. A simple smile and greeting cost you nothing but can mean a lot to your employees. Since they typically want job security and stability, try to be as transparent as possible, and update them on the company’s financial standing and any happenings that could impact their job.

Another way to reach out is to schedule a regular one-on-one session, asking your staff how they’re doing, asking about their needs or concerns, and even addressing any personal matters that they may want to share with you. Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, shared that he would always congratulate his staff on their life events, such as welcoming a new baby, celebrating a birthday, a child recently graduating, etc. When your workers feel that you’re aware of what’s going on with them and that you know what they value, they will surely stay with you. Maintaining an open-door policy can be a highly effective feedback mechanism as well, but obviously it needs to be within reasonable bounds. As the boss and leader, your words should have the power to motivate your people and inspire them to be at their best.

Recognize

Everyone likes to feel valued. Your team will appreciate being recognized for their abilities, beyond simply being paid for their work. Keep employees motivated by challenging them and strategically expanding their duties. You can cross-train them or increase their responsibilities (once again, within reason). The key is to head off the possibility of them growing complacent or bored without burning them out.

Another method of non-monetary recognition is to empower your employees the authority to self-manage and make decisions. Give them the opportunity to utilize their skills and expand their horizons. People are motivated when they work with less supervision. Manage your workforce but avoid micromanaging them. Provide room for them to share their thoughts and views on how they could improve their jobs, and the company as a whole. Recognize their suggestions and contributions, such as posting their names on an internal bulletin board or sending them commendation letters and congratulatory notes or emails. Whenever possible, broadcast their achievements to the rest of the team. They will be motivated to continue perform at a high level, and their recognition will inspire others to do the same.

Always acknowledge the value of teamwork. Develop steering committees to work on various organizational initiatives and projects. This can foster co-operation and help drive productivity, as well as create a more positive work environment.

Reward

Your employees will welcome your support and encouragement when it comes to developing and expanding their skills. You can  set them up in training programs that might otherwise be costly to them as individuals, but for you the ROI will prove to be positive for your business. You should also examine your compensation package and consider ramping it up. There are cost-effective ways to do so, such as:

  • Casual Friday or Jeans Day
  • Participation in sport activities such as a charity run (which can also double as an advertisement)
  • Allow telecommuting or working at home, which will help the company save on energy, supplies, and even office space
  • Involve your staff in relevant professional associations, depending on their expertise
  • Health insurance extended to family members

 

Motivated employees are a valuable asset in an organization. Motivation is a matter of coming up with innovative ways to spur your staff on and encourage them to work to their strengths. Designing attractive incentive programs without breaking the bank while still managing to solidify your workforce and potentially improve profits. Be sure to celebrate wins, and remember that the ability to develop a unique corporate culture is in your hands.

 

M. Beltran | DBPC Blog

How To Hire Right

Beyond having the right product and service, another vital aspect every organization should look into is “Finding the Right Fit”. Hiring someone whose character the business must have in order to succeed. Failure to do so will cost your company time, dollars, and effort. However, given proper tools, training and direction your new recruit will  become your premium capital investment. So, don’t take recruitment for granted, remember, your employees are your most valuable asset. Now, the challenge is how to hire right, the first time. Although the world has become extremely technologically-driven, it still needs Human Resources to be successful.

Let me share a three-part checklist that will surely yield better results in getting the perfect match…

Establish the need to hire.
A proactive and strategic human resources always refer to the plantilla to ensure that the company has the right quantity and quality of people  able  to keep the business running. In cases of manpower requisition, HR in collaboration with the Hiring Manager must be able to answer the two (2) key questions before initiating  recruitment:

  1. Is the vacancy created due to internal movement such as resignation,  maternity/paternity leave, demotion or de-hiring?
  2. If none of the foregoing was the reason, is it an additional headcount due to business expansion?

Remember, hiring is an overhead expense. Thus, ROI shall always be taken into consideration. Also, it is a must to review your existing workforce, you might have a potentially qualified internal candidate who has the eligibility or whose promotion is long overdue. Review employee profile/records or announce/advertise vacancies via intranet or bulletin boards. You can also check if there is an underutilized personnel that can occupy/fill up open position.  If and only if you have fully exhausted your internal resources that you should proceed on searching for external candidate.

The bottom line here is this: Hiring Manager with the assistance of HR may opt promote or distribute duties within the department/organization. It saves the company time and money at the same time increase motivation of employees.

 

Conduct Job Analysis.
Envisioning what you want or defining labour needs in clearer  terms. This tool is not only used in recruitment, it could also be a realistic basis for   training, wage and salary administration, job re-engineering, health and safety.

The output of job analysis is job description (JD). A well-crafted JD shall be the foundation in designing a competency-based recruitment strategy. It clearly defines major scope and responsibilities of the job as well as relationship with other jobs/departments. It also emphasizes working conditions and hazards, most especially for high-risk profession. A ideal JD is always up to date, with specific title and detailed duties. It has the reporting structure, challenges and opportunities, qualification, knowledge, education and personal characteristics.

From JD, HR can develop job specifications, this is statement of minimum acceptable qualities of a position. The success measure is always the value of the person hired to execute the tasks.

 

Map out your Recruitment Platform.
 The goal is to have a systematic hiring process that will aid HR and Hiring Managers in attracting the best candidates for the job. The bottom line is: the more qualified candidates you have, the more likely you are to locate the most suitable person to fill the job. Utilizing the details in the JD, HR together with Hiring Manager and approval of top management,  create job specifications, salary range and timeline. To increase employee morale, it is necessary to advertise the position internally prior to exploring other sources.  Internal placement is a great way of motivating employees to perform at their fullest potential. If no one will be selected from within the organization, reasons must be clearly explained and communicated or it might lead to grievance. If lack of skills is the cause, HR may recommend training so that person will be prepared should the same position arise again. One of the advantages of internal placement is culture fit, which is the number one consideration in hiring. A candidate can be fully qualified based on KSA but the risk is how the person can mesh well with the culture. When an internal candidate is offered the new position, transition timeline with the current supervisor should be planned.

HR can now proceed to external sourcing when no one qualifies. The commonly employed sources are social media (LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook), on-line jobsites, newspaper ads, job fairs, and campus recruitment (colleges/universities). Conducting career talks to top graduating students is another strategy to invite top graduates to join the company. For high-profile positions, HR are trained on how to court passive candidates or they can use manpower agencies or head hunters who are likewise equipped with tools and expertise in recruiting.

 

Effective and Efficient Screening and Selection.Due to scarcity of jobs, there is an influx of active candidates. To simplify HR’s job, setting of criteria/parameters and preparing structured interview questions, will help in separating the desirable to average. It is like designing a Hiring Scorecard.  In constructing interview questions, equal employment opportunity and conformance with legal and labour standards should be taken into consideration.

HR performs the following in screening and selecting candidates:

  1. Resume paper screening enables HR to easily identify which one to process by matching information to the job checklist.
  2. Phone interviews will be conducted for candidates who meets at least 3 out of the 5 items. Only those whose rating is 8 and above in the phone screening will be invited for face-to-face in-depth interview. Again, based on point system, HR should present the short-listed candidates to Hiring Manager who will make an initial impression.
  3. Don’t forget to verify sterling credentials of at least top 3 candidates through professional reference checking. Some industries even require credit history such as banks, insurance companies and the like. When the report is ready together with all the other documents used in screening, HR will present again to Hiring Manager for the final decision. The closing will happen at job offer. For some companies, a non-compete and confidentiality of information agreements are presented during the job offer. These documents are needed to protect the company’s products, clients and trade secrets.

On Boarding is Important.
Make sure candidates are well inducted about the company’s mission, vision and core values before endorsing him/her to his/her assigned department. Be sure to provide the initial tools he/she needs to become successful on the job. It is ideal if a company can invest in a “First 100 Days Development Plan”. Keeping in mind that workforce must embrace the company’s philosophy and business principles, because this is when employee engagement begins.

 

In conclusion, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to recruitment, it should always be tailored and catered to the type of business. As a tip, don’t embark on a search without answering 5W’s and 1 H. Why/Who/When/Where to get the best talents and what recruitment techniques are helpful and how effective is the hiring process. Stop hiring the wrong people, it is possible!

Explaining Employment Gaps on a Resume

Perfect employment histories are very rare. In most cases, there are gaps – a few weeks, months or years. When not properly presented in a resume, these “holes” can be red flags for employers causing the immediate elimination of the applicant from the pre-screening process. That’s why explaining employment gaps on a resume is a step that should not be avoided.

One may wonder why, but based on research, most recruiters or employers prefer to know the applicant’s full work history. Visible and unexplained gaps in one’s work history sometimes give a poor impression of the applicant as this can imply various things; for example, the applicant is not capable of landing a job; he/she doesn’t care about his/her career; he/she is hiding something or has other problems such as laziness, substance abuse, or even legal trouble.

There are several techniques that can be used in addressing this “lull” issue. For shorter periods like 3 or 8 months, one can reduce the visibility of the gap by only stating the years (no months) of employment. Observe the following:

Example 1: from to
Job 2
Job 1 December 2013 – present
January 2011 – March 2013 2013 – present
2011 – 2013

Example 2:
Job 3
Job 2
Job 1 August 2013 – present

March 2012 – October 2012
September 2010 – April 2011 2013 – present
2012
2010 – 2011

In example 1, there is a 9 month intermission between the 2 jobs; in example 2, there is an 11 month break between jobs 1 & 2, and a 10 month difference between jobs 2 & 3, but neither one is visible in the presentation. This way, the gap is masked and it is also easier for the employer to quickly estimate the duration of one’s stay in each job. Explanations for any perceived interruptions can be provided during the interview.

In the case of longer intervals, specifically those that span 2 years or more, a brief explanation, in parentheses, following the dates for each position should be provided. Examples would be “restructuring or downsizing,” “travel,” “consulting,” “volunteering,” “laid off due to economic circumstances,” etc. Hiatuses can also be explained briefly in the cover letter, but try not to direct focus on it. By doing this, the employer or resume screener will be provided with a valid explanation, and this will prevent them from assuming the worse.

At the end of the day, it is up to the applicants to decide what they should include or exclude in their resumes. Just bear in mind that employers or resume screeners will often read between the lines and notice small quirks and inconsistencies. If there are grey areas, they will not waste their time calling those applicants; instead, they will just toss any questionable resumes in the trash. Like it or not, this is the reality and one must better prepare for it!

 

M. Galvez-Ver | DBPC BLOG