|
Hope is not a recruitment strategy
07/09/2007
 E-Mail This Article
By Roberta Chinsky Matuson
Are you one of the countless companies sitting around hoping applicants will walk in the door? Employers in many industries are reporting difficulties finding qualified candidates. The shrinking labor market will not be expanding anytime soon. So if you are sitting there hoping to wait this one out, you may very well wait until it's too late.
Here are four ideas to help move your recruitment strategy from hoping to happening:
1. Cool culture
Are you just a place to work or are you the place to work? It's no accident that companies like Google and Microsoft have a pool of applicants that stretch the length of the United States and beyond. These organizations know that it's not enough to offer candidates a place to work and a paycheck. Today's workers, particularly those filling entry-level positions, are looking for the total package. They want to work at a "cool" place, where there are opportunities for growth and sushi in the company-sponsored dining room.
Take a look at your work environment and look at ways to be creative. You may not be able to afford a sushi chef for your employee kitchen, but you can certainly find a Japanese restaurant that can deliver a few platters of sushi to your office every now and again.
2. Reducing the dues
Many job candidates and employees are no longer interested in paying their dues. Yet companies still have policies in place that require employees to do so. An example of this is job postings. Often employees must be in their jobs for a minimum period of time before they can post for another position. This approach worked fine in the 1980s when there was an abundance of candidates for every job, but it doesn't work today. If you don't allow your employees to move rapidly through the organization to advance their careers they will think nothing of moving out of the organization.
Consider reducing or eliminating the time employees must spend in their jobs before posting for a new position. Make it a point to hire smart people, train them well and applaud their advancement as they move up in your organization.
3. The hiring experience counts
If you were to interview with your company today, would you accept a position based on your experience with the interviewing process? How long does it take for a candidate to move through the process? How many candidates have you lost due to your inability to make decisions? Are your hiring managers more focused on their Blackberries than the candidates they are interviewing?
Not sure? Ask candidates whom you might have lost in the recruitment process for feedback. Ask a friend to interview with your company and provide you with their honest opinion of their experience. Then make changes before you lose another candidate.
4. Pay matters
We hear today how candidates are less concerned about pay and more interested in factors like work/life balance and interesting work. Don't be disillusioned. Pay still matters. If your compensation plan is focused on putting more pay at-risk, reducing benefits and offering minimal pay increases, potential employees are likely to take a better deal elsewhere.
Rather than focusing on cost cutting, find ways to enhance revenues so you can afford to offer potential employees and your workforce a competitive wage and a stellar benefits package.
Hope is not a bad thing but you'll find that it's simply not enough to hope for things to change. You have to make things happen.
 Roberta Chinsky Matuson is the principal of Human Resource Solutions and is an expert on intergenerational workforce issues. She is also a NEHRA member. She can be reached at roberta@yourhrexperts.com or (617) 566-8978.
E-Mail This Article
|
More from NEHRA
Ethics
09/08/2008
Our HR experts answer your employer-related questions, including advice on dealing with romantic, inter-office relationships.
NEHRA - The Voice of HR
08/25/2008
Issues to consider with non-competition agreements
NCAs cut both ways for human resource professionals. They can help us maintain our own workforce. But they also can impede our efforts to expand our workforce.
Employment Law and Immigration Law
08/11/2008
Our expert explores where the blame for high employee turnover rates is being placed — and what can be done to fix the problem.
The blame game: Passing the buck on employee turnover
07/28/2008
Our expert explores where the blame for high employee turnover rates is being placed — and what can be done to fix the problem.
Creating a culture of employee engagement
06/23/2008
Check out our experts' tips on how to best engage employees and tackle one of today's most important business issues.
Benefits and Compensation
06/02/2008
Our HR experts answer your employer-related questions, including ways to ease employees' financial stresses and how to deal with attendance problems.
Many organizations optimistic despite state of the economy
05/27/2008
A new survey conducted by NEHRA reveals a majority of area firms are expecting little change in budgets, staffing and financial results in 2008.
Workforce development
05/05/2008
Our HR experts answer your employer-related questions, including advice on implementing peer review systems and effective training programs.
Getting on board with onboarding
04/28/2008
Does every employee have to go through this rite of passage or can companies do something to smoothly assimilate new employees into the organization?
Leveraging 360-degree assessments... pre-hire
03/24/2008
Given the finite time that work visas are valid and the very lengthy green card process, it is important that an employer timely assess the need for this process.
Finding the best talent single greatest recruiting challenge, survey says
02/25/2008
Finding the best talent is the single biggest challenge facing the region's human resource professionals in today's market.
Leveraging 360-degree assessments... pre-hire
01/24/2008
To truly understand a candidate's potential to succeed, employers must understand the candidate's past job performance.
Five ways to keep your employees focused through the holidays
11/26/2007
Here is a secret that many of your employees don't want you to know about. On the fourth Thursday of every November, your employees unofficially begin their holiday hiatus.
Employee retention programs lacking at most New England firms
10/29/2007
A new survey by the Northeast Human Resources Association shows that nearly three out of four area firms still lack a specific program.
Leading leaders
9/24/2007
Why HR professionals need to help leaders motivate employees, communicate vision, and move the company in one direction.
'I don't want to get anyone in trouble, but...'
8/27/2007
Why do people keep workplace issues to themselves? Why do HR professionals hear unvoiced complaints for the first time when it's too late to work toward a solution, particularly as employees depart?
Aging workforce a challenge for most firms in the region
7/23/2007
Firms in New England will soon be facing a critical workplace shortage as the baby boomer generation retirement looms. So say the results of a new survey by the NEHRA.
Managing millennials
6/11/2007
My experiences are not those of colleagues even 5-7 years younger than I. To help other managers avoid cross-generational gaffes, here are my tips for managing this generation.
HR's role in managing
office diversity, more
5/14/2007
Our HR experts answer your work-related questions, including how to deal with issues affecting diversity in the workplace.
From diversity to inclusion
4/30/2007
In the last few years, the focus of efforts in companies across the land has shifted from diversity to a focus on inclusion. This sea change has happened without fanfare and almost without notice.
Crisis management a priority for most local firms, NEHRA survey says
4/16/2007
Managing a crisis is serious business for firms in New England and the northeast. So say the results of a new survey by the Northeast Human Resources Association (NEHRA).
It's the year 2010...do you know where your workers are?
2/12/2007
Try to visualize what your workplace will look like in the year 2010. If you envision a sea of cubicles filled with motivated employees, you are in for a huge awakening.
Recruitment value proposition: what is it and how do I get me one?
12/18/2006
If you're reading this you probably already know that your recruitment strategy is failing. Yet you continue to use the same approach despite disappointing results.
Job training and development remain a priority for area businesses, NEHRA survey says
11/13/2006
According to a recent sampling of the Northeast Human Resources Association's (NEHRA) 4,000 members, job training and development remain an organizational priority for a majority of the region's employers.
Becoming a Great Place to Work: the story of Wegmans
10/23/2006
An exclusive preview of the keynote speech at this year's annual NEHRA HR convention.
More from NEHRA archives
| 
