Month: May 2016

Top Trends in Hiring for 2016

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Hiring is a central focus in many companies’ human capital management (HCM) strategies. In 2016, hiring trends point to a stronger job market, an increased demand for talent, and a need for more strategic approaches to talent management. Here are a few of the most important trends as companies look to their hiring processes to help them achieve greater productivity, innovation, and long-term growth.

Leadership is Being Promoted From Within

Companies are coming to realize the value of promoting leaders from within. Cultivating internal talent for managers, vice presidents, and C-level executives can have several significant advantages. Leaders who come up with a company may better understand its culture and have a deeper commitment to its success. Senior hires can be expensive and leaders brought in from the outside may not have the same level of commitment to the company. Promoting from within may help reduce costs while improving corporate stability and results.

Companies Are Becoming Strategic About the Hiring Process

As the economy improves, there are more jobs available. For recruiters and hiring managers, this translates to increased competition for candidates and a need to focus on employee retention. Compensation, flexible scheduling and benefits are all ways companies are attempting to create an edge in the job market. Successful businesses are also investing in technology to help promote openings more effectively and to quickly screen candidates so top applicants can move more easily through the hiring process.

Employee Retention is Becoming a Major Focus

As the saying goes, “Your employees are your company’s most important asset.” Workers have more opportunities in the market today than during the recession, and as a result companies in 2016 are looking holistically at employee retention. From hiring the right people to fostering a great work environment, taking the strategic steps necessary to retain employees will be one of the year’s top hiring trends. Retaining employees can save money over replacing them, help raise levels of employee morale, and allow companies to cultivate their next generation of talent. Some ways companies are improving retention include new technology, more strategic compensation, and enhancements to the employee experience.

Compliance Remains Top of Mind

Hiring trends are also driving behind the scenes actions and decisions about process and HR infrastructure. Companies are facing ever higher demands around reporting and compliance with applicable laws at the local, state, and federal levels. As a result, companies are looking for ways to streamline their data management. HR technology remains an important part of the recruiter’s toolkit, from collecting necessary data during the hiring process to helping manage employee separations. Mobility and cloud-based tools will likely play a bigger role in the technology mix in the year ahead.

Hiring great people remains a top strategic priority for businesses in 2016. From improving retention to using HR software to streamline data flow, this year’s hiring trends are all about making staffing a competitive advantage for growing companies. Recruiters who understand and implement these trends may give themselves an important advantage in attracting and retaining top talent.

Top 20 Best Summer Jobs

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jobs

Top 20 Best Summer Jobs

Ideally, the best thing you can do is try to find an internship that’s related to your degree or passion. This is the best way to gain real life experience as well as having something terrific to put on your resume. In reality, however, you have left finding an internship to the last moment, and now you find yourself searching for a job that pays well without consuming your entire summer.

No matter what job you’re doing over the summer, never forget to network. Speak to people, ask questions, learn new skills, and most importantly, have fun. And if you think you’re too good for a summer job, think again.

Some of the biggest stars in the world spent their summer mopping floors at a local Dairy Queen (Gwen Stefani) or saved up some extra cash as a paper boy (Tom Cruise). Matthew McConaughey found himself short of cash when traveling around Australia (before he was famous) and took a job on a farm moving chicken manure.

Here are a few great summer jobs to consider:

Top 20 Best Summer Jobs

  • Sales (The skills you learn in a sales job will help you for the rest of your life.)
  • Post office worker (Great pay!)
  • National Park services
  • Camp counselors (Not great pay but accommodation and food is free.)
  • Resort or country club (Get paid to live by the pool.)
  • Tour guide
  • Restaurant staff
  • Web design
  • Tutoring (Be your own boss – great pay!)
  • Telemarketing (Can you sell? Are you a talented speaker? Telemarketers may annoy you but the good ones can make a lot of money.)
  • Campus jobs/Working in the labs (Check out jobs area in your university.)
  • Construction worker
  • Valet
  • Pet and house sitting
  • Writing articles for sites that will pay you
  • Convention worker (Is the boat show in town?)
  • Landscaping
  • Lifeguards
  • Dog walker
  • Barista

How to Make the Job Search Process More Enjoyable Than a Trip to the Dentist

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1) Break it down

Not as in MC Hammer moves, but if that helps, go for it!

The process is large and daunting. Where to begin? Well, at the beginning. Start with a self-evaluation or online assessment to keep things as objective (vs. emotionally driven or reactive) as possible.

You want to set yourself up for success, so make an effort to ensure that jobs to which you apply are relevant, of interest, mesh with your personality, fit within your requirements and meet most of your “desirable” components of a job.

2) Call in the troops

Ask for help.

I’ll say it again: ASK FOR HELP.

Why not? Your cousin could know a neighbor that has the best job that hasn’t even been posted yet. How do you know if you don’t ask? Why in the world do you want to make the process even more challenging?

Feel awkward asking for help? That’s okay. It’s really not “Hi. I’m unemployed. Whatcha got for me?” It’s more along the lines of perhaps having coffee with a previous colleague, neighbor or friend, sharing your story and stating you’d love to hear their suggestions regarding type of position, suggested companies and/or if they’d mind taking a look at your resume.

3) Stay organized

If you launch into a fierce job search, you need to make sure you keep up with the status of each position to which you’ve applied.

If you state you’re going to follow up with a recruiter (and you should) be sure to do so. If you’ve created a schedule outlining 3 information sessions/coffee talks with colleagues each week, why, that requires both planning and follow up. It can be overwhelming. Take it one step at a time.

To stay organized, use what works best for you. Perhaps it’s an app, an online calendar or you prefer to rock the old school folder option (in my opinion, this is the most effective).

4) Do something fun

Bribing is so underrated.

Looking for a job will feel like a job.

Set yourself up for small rewards. Granted, probably your cash flow is a bit more limited, so I’m not saying take yourself out for a lobster dinner nightly. Perhaps it’s just giving yourself “me” time, a relaxing bath, a run at the park, taking your daughter to lunch, meeting up with a friend, reading a book, etc.

Still, if you look forward to it, it helps get you through the tedious parts (say, oh, completing yet another job application!).

5) Learn something new

If the job search process is occurring while you’re unemployed, perhaps you find yourself with a little extra time on your hands.

Now’s a great time to learn a new skill. Coursera.org and other sites have amazing free courses that are from our nation’s (and other countries, in fact) top schools. It’s an instant ego boost and conversation starter “So, yeah, I’m also taking this Leading Strategic Innovation in Organizations course and thinking about enrolling in Penn State’s Creativity, Innovation and Change.

If courses aren’t of interest, what about a new sport or outside activity? If neither is of interest, perhaps consider volunteering.

Stay positive, proactive and professional. Easier said than done, absolutely.