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New Perspective in TA: Recruiting News Network Highlights Fresh Voices, Breaking News

August 3, 2020 by recruitdc Leave a Comment


Newly launched Recruiting News Network (RNN) offers a fresh, unique perspective on the talent acquisition industry.  
Started in February 2020, RNN is the brainchild of Neil Costa and Martin Burns of HireClix, a recruitment marketing services firm based in Massachusetts   

“What makes us unique is we have a different set of voices,” Costa said. “We saw an opportunity to hear from talent acquisition professionals who are in the trenches and up on the latest trends.”  

While he and Burns have great respect for well-established thought leaders in the industry, they’ve seen that too often it’s the same people who secure speaking engagements, are quoted in the news, or are featured in content. RNN enables recruiters actively working in the field to add value to the conversation.  

“We’re trying to uncover those hidden gems in the industry and give them a voice,” Costa said. 

One way RNN highlights new voices is by featuring more in-depth Q&A’s with different TA leaders, such as directors and VPs. RNN also features a People on the Move section to highlight career moves of TA professionals. 
Another RNN goal is to become a news information hub for the industry, said Burns, who is RNN’s editor-in-chief. RNN not only writes about current news, technology and money, but it also shares articles from other sources, such as relevant articles from the New York Times and The Verge, as well as trainings, webinars and podcasts.   
RNN also has a global focus rather than reporting solely on TA news in the U.S. For example, RNN has written profiles of TA leaders in the UK and Australia. An upcoming interview highlights an executive from Denmark. 

Helping Recruiters Make Sense of Hot Topics

Whatever RNN is covering at the time, its goal is help readers make sense of the news and enable better decision making. Some of the hot topics RNN is covering include the following: 

Digital Recruiting

Given the impact of COVID-19, digital recruiting is a hot topic. How does the industry recruit and hire when so many people are working from home? It’s quite possible that this current environment will permanently change recruiting. For example, one TA leader that Burns interviewed said when things return to normal, he won’t go back to the way he used to do things, because he has learned new ways to become more effective.    

Campus Recruiting 

RNN is also looking at the pandemic’s impact on campus recruiting and career fairs. RNN recently published a piece from a former college intern and new graduate who reported on what students are experiencing and how best to reach them. RNN plans to run a companion piece on what tools employers can use to facilitate campus recruiting.  

Diversity and Inclusion 

Another topic RNN is focusing on is diversity and inclusion in the hiring process. 
“The industry has a focus on D&I, for good reason. We’re interested in providing factual, data-driven coverage on the issue, as well as covering new initiatives and technologies that play a part in D&I.”

Technology and Money 

With new technologies constantly hitting the market, it can be a challenge for TA professionals to separate fact from fiction and determine what technologies will work best for them and their teams. Consider, for example, the concern the industry has about artificial intelligence. RNN also delves into money hot topics, which often go hand-in-hand with technology, because technology requires a large investment.

No Advertising…Yet 

One thing you’ll notice when you visit the RNN site is the lack of advertising. While Costa and Burns are still working out the details of RNN’s business model, they want to make sure the site isn’t cluttered. When they do seek advertisers and sponsors, they want to keep the number low, so that visitors get to know the vendors and advertisers in the space. 

Want to Be a Contributor? 

RNN is looking for contributors to bring fresh ideas. Burns is open to pitches on all topics, but stressed that RNN is a news site, not a blog focused on emotional thought pieces. Content is more data driven. And if you have a hot topic but don’t want to contribute, RNN would still love to hear it.  
 
To pitch your idea, contact Martin Burns at martin@recruitingnewsnetwork.com. 
To visit RNN, go to recruitingnewsnetwork.com

Filed Under: Blog, News

recruitDC Member Spotlight

June 11, 2020 by recruitdc Leave a Comment


Christine Winchester is a cybersecurity talent acquisition manager for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. She has 18 years of recruiting experience and is a former U.S. Marine. Christine was recently recognized by Project S.A.V.E. with the annual Award for Recruiting Excellence and is an active volunteer for RecruitDC. 

Q: How did you land in your first recruiting role?

A: It was an employee referral, which is the best way to get hired. I was referred by a friend of a friend. I didn’t have a particular background in the area I was hired for, but I did have exposure to recruiting through my time in the Marine Corps.

Q: What aspect of the role led you to think that this was the career for you?

A: First, there was my recruiting experience with the Marine Corps, which intrigued me. I was also interested in the HR side of house, but not the typical policy/benefits side. Then, once I started working in recruiting, it opened my eyes to how many areas you can specialize in.
Recruiting is not just recruiting. There is so much variety. There’s everything from sourcing, research and the candidate experience. There’s also the technical side of it, with recruiting systems and tools. And each part of the process has different steps, and you can specialize in each of those.
One aspect to recruiting that particularly appealed to me is I love a challenge. Not just a team challenge, but a personal challenge. When you’re working with people, every single person is different. Every experience and every conversation you have is different.  You can’t expect an experience with an individual that you’re potentially trying to recruit will be the same as the one before. It never will be.
That creates other challenges that interest me. One, you’re trying to see if this person is the right fit for the role you’re trying to recruit for at the time. You’re also trying to build a relationship with them. Sometimes, you don’t know them at all. So you immediately have to find ways to learn who they are, from the way they say hello when they pick up the phone to what their body language tells you when you meet them in person.  It’s a constant challenge, but you can challenge yourself even more. You can ask yourself, Did I do that well? Is there a way I would handle it differently next time?

Q: What advice and/or training would you recommend to someone just starting out in this industry?

A: I have several pieces of advice.
Self-assessment: I suggest spending time, if you haven’t already, doing a self-assessment to understand what your strengths and weaknesses are. And then decide what aspects of recruiting will play to those strengths or if you need to improve in some areas.
Organization: The more organized you are and the faster you learn to be organized, the easier your job will be over time.  In recruiting, it’s rare to have someone standing over your shoulder all the time telling you what to do. There can be a lot of ambiguity in your day. Therefore, you have to organize yourself to succeed.  And being organized can make and break you later on in your career. Once you become a senior recruiter, for example, you’re expected to be able to track your numbers, track activity, and provide accurate information.
Curiosity: Another piece of advice is to be curious and seek out information. When I started out, YouTube and how-to videos didn’t exist. Now there’s so much fantastic information out there now, besides just books and classrooms.
Phone skills and grit: You’ll need to get comfortable with the phone and develop a thick skin. If you’re just starting out, you may be scared to get on the phone with a candidate. The truth is, you’re going to have phone calls that don’t go well, you’re going to have uncomfortable silences, you’re going to rub someone the wrong way. But the more you do it, the easier it becomes. Don’t be afraid to call people, especially the ones whose resumes intimidate you. Those are the people you want to talk to. You may fail, but you’ll learn from it. You either have the grit or you will form it over time. You have to be able stand up, dust yourself off, and try again.

Q: What tools you would say significantly changed how you recruit?

A: The first is my smart phone. I’m a visual person, so my phone makes it easy to look at an app, see a picture of a person, and review my call history to help me remember an individual. The second is not a specific ATS, but rather having a user-friendly tool that functions for the whole team and provides accurate reporting. Once I had the responsibility of managing the data coming through an ATS and how that data was being reported on and presented, I thoroughly understood how important that information was to an organization.

Q: Is there one activity that you believe sets you apart from other recruiters?

A: I have the confidence and a positive mindset; there is no problem we can’t solve through creative approaches. The “we” in problem solving is important, because it’s never just one person with the answer.
I also look at recruiting challenges with a strategic mindset.  I understand how important hiring the right people quickly can impact organizational outcomes and how our daily actions either lead to success or failure. I bring my teams together to identify the issues and solve them together, whether it’s sourcing, outreach or engagement, a systemic problem within an organization, or interpersonal conflicts. Together we make the decisions to move us forward towards a better future.

Q: Can you share your favorite recruiting-related story?

A: When I was a junior recruiter, I got really excited about a hard-to-find candidate. This was a person where you needed to think carefully about how to best approach them.
I used a parsing tool to put their information into the ATS and emailed them from what I got from the ATS. Unfortunately, I was so excited to contact them as fast as I could that I didn’t pay attention. Instead of addressing the person by their name, I addressed them by their street address.  They let me know very quickly that that wasn’t their name. I apologized immediately, but I never heard back from them.
As recruiters, we can make a big difference in how our organization’s branding – and our personal branding – is perceived. I learned that it’s not how fast you contact someone. It’s about paying attention to the details and getting it right.

Q: If you were not in Talent Acquisition, what would you be doing now?

A: I would be outdoors with a camera in hand. I love to look through a lens and capture the beauty of a moment that doesn’t happen again.

Q: What do you believe are current challenges facing the Talent Acquisition industry and do you  have any thoughts about how to address them?

A: We spend too much time focused on how to find people and not enough time learning how to interact and engage with them. We need to spend more time learning how to having meaningful and helpful conversations with people who are potential candidates or looking for a job. That will help us get to know them, make them feel good about the hiring process, and ensure their needs are met.

Q: What characteristics do you look for when hiring recruiters?

A: While there’s no college degree in recruiting, there are a few things I look for.

  1. Curiosity. Will they seek out answers and are they a naturally a curious person?
  2. Passion and a sense of humor. Recruiting is hard. We’re in the business of people. There will be hard days. You have to be able to last but also step away and have fun.
  3. Self-improvement. I look for someone who continuously looks to improve.
  4. Courage. You need courage to get on the phone with people, deal with a manager who’s upset about something, or when someone on your team isn’t doing something the right way. You need to be able to stand up for yourself.

Filed Under: Blog, recruitDC Member Spotlight Tagged With: Advanced Recruiting, Back to Basics, recruitDC, Recruiting Strategy and Management, sourcing

3 Great Online Sourcing Tips

June 1, 2020 by recruitdc Leave a Comment

By Jeremy Bonewitz, Talent Acquisition Manager – Stantec  

I recently attended Online Sourcing Learning Day 2020, and I‘d like to share three tips that I took away from this exceptional webinar for recruiters. The event featured six seminars that focused on employer branding and data, OSINT and sourcing on Facebook, and social sourcing.   

Tip No. 1: Facebook and HelloTalent 

I really enjoyed learning more about OSINT and how to recruit differently on Facebook.  One tool I was particularly interested in for OSINT was HelloTalent, which allows you to find candidates on different social media sites along with their contact information.  There’s even a Chrome extension that you can add to make things easier for your everyday sourcing!

Tip No. 2: Facebook search 

As we all know, Facebook isn’t as friendly to recruiters for sourcing as some other platforms, but this tip will surely come in handy.  
For example, adding the key word in the search box such as location and company name and then using the filters can effectively help your results when searching in Facebook.  
There is also the “Copy Link Address” trick that allows you to paste the URL from a hyperlink into a specific search box in the filters section to help target specific companies and/or locations that are not listed in Facebook’s search.   

Tip No. 3: LinkedIn SSI Report 

Another cool thing I learned about was LinkedIn’s SSI report.  According to LinkedIn, the SSI (Social Selling Index) is a score from LinkedIn based on how effectively you portray your professional brand, build relationships, find the right people, and engage with insights.  This is something I’m betting few people know about.  You can read more about it in this LinkedIn post: How to Find Your LInkedIn SSI Report. 
Overall, Online Sourcing Learning Day 2020 was a great recruiting conference that definitely provided some actionable takeaways that my team and I will be using as we source and recruit for top talent. I look forward to joining it again in 2021!  

Filed Under: Advanced Recruiting, Back to Basics, Blog, Professional Development, Recruiting Strategy & Management Tagged With: Advanced Recruiting, Back to Basics, continuous learning, employer branding, professional development, Recruiting Strategy and Management, sourcing

Celebrating Our 10th Anniversary!

May 22, 2019 by recruitdc Leave a Comment

Since 2009, recruitDC has been hosting annual conferences and networking events for regional recruiters.  In honor of that milestone, we have a new logo as well as a new website.  We hope that you will share information about our regional recruiting based organization with all levels of talent acquisition professionals in your organization.

We also invite you to help us celebrate by providing your favorite recruitDC moment, activity, and/or picture along with the hashtag #recruitDC10 via social media.  As an incentive, each unique entry shared will be entered into a contest — feel free to post multiple memories! One winner will be selected via random drawing among RecruitDC Spring 2019 attendees on May 23rd to receive an iPhone X.  Another winner will be selected from all who were unable to attend the March 23rd event to win free admission to all recruitDC events for 1 year. 

To get you started, we wanted to feature an interview with a member of the community who has attended several of our networking and conference events including our very first one in 2009.  Matt Duren, a recruitDC board member, interviewed Prerna Chauhan, a regionally-based talent acquisition professional, who shares her thoughts about recruitDC, events and getting involved with the community. 

Matt: You’ve been to several recruitDC’s over the years, including the very first in 2009 – tell us why you decided to attend and what it was like back then?
Prerna: The first one was very different in that a strong sense of community didn’t exist back then as it does today. It was much smaller in scale and attendance. However, the purpose of building a community for all of us in the DMV area was clear from Day 1. I attended because I had always wanted to have a network of peers that I could leverage and share ideas and issues that were common and unique to the DMV area.  

Matt: You’ve been a regular attendee over the years, what keeps you coming back to our events?
Prerna: The growing network of professionals who are both eager to learn and to share their knowledge with those who are willing to ask for ideas, help and suggestions. Also, it’s an opportunity to really take a day to focus on self-growth and learning.

Matt: What’s the most significant impact recruitDC has had on your recruiting career? 
Prerna: The network I’ve created. Some of my best professional opportunities have come from word-of-mouth referrals from people I’ve had the fortune of getting to know over the years and because I’ve been able to demonstrate my knowledge and passion and share ideas as well as ask for help when needed and they’ve seen it first-hand. (Special shout out to Mike Bruni who always has my back!!)



Matt: Tell us your favorite/lasting memory from recruitDC?
Prerna: Meeting Steve Levy (Uncle Steve as I fondly call him). I was in a presentation and someone had mentioned sourcing on Twitter, I happened to mutter to myself, a presentation on how would have helped, I didn’t know it then but Steve was right behind me, he heard me, tapped me on my shoulder and asked for my email. Next thing I knew, 30 seconds later I had a presentation that Steve had put together on how to source on Twitter in my inbox. His attitude of willing to help, being available to answer questions has stayed with me and I try to pay that forward to everyone that I can possibly help. 

Matt:  Lastly, If someone is reading this interview and they have yet to decide if they should attend the 10th anniversary of recruitDC, what would you tell them?
Prerna: Just come, if you are willing to put yourself out there and talk to people you’ve never met without hesitation, I promise you won’t regret it. And more than likely, you’ll be back every year and will be happy to volunteer willingly because you’ll see how much you’ll get out of your attendance. If for nothing else, just come for yourself, even one conference will help you grow much more than you realize. DO IT FOR YOURSELF!

Filed Under: Blog, recruitDC Conference

Time Management in Talent Acquisition

May 10, 2019 by recruitdc Leave a Comment

From the Roman poet Horace’s famous phrase, Carpe Diem, to the modern concepts of Work-Life balance time is our most precious resource. People have been looking for ways to better manage their time for as long as time has been measured. Despite the myriad of technological advances, the constant influx of information in our brave new digital world leaves us as pressed for time as ever. And as the lines between work and home have blurred, time stressors have become the most common and insidious of all job stress factors. In fact, significant correlation exists between time stress and job dissatisfaction, tension, perceived threat, and other factors. For Talent Acquisition professionals, with our need for rapid, consistent multi-channel communications, the problems are even worse.

So, what can we do about it?

If you were looking for a silver bullet, I’m sorry to disappoint you there isn’t one. Hiring Managers, Supervisors and Candidates are likely to demand more of your time than you have available to give. And your inbox is going to continue to fill up like a vampire at a blood bank. But that doesn’t mean that there is nothing you can do.  

You’ll have to begin with a little introspection. What’s really important to you? What are you prepared to sacrifice to get it? This will help you determine how you should be spending your time. Presumably, at least some portion of that will be allocated to work, either as a direct facilitator of joy, or a means to an end. Now look at your work and repeat the exercise. We often spend our time based on habit, or in avoidance of difficult or unpleasant tasks. If we don’t take the time to determine what really matters in our lives and our careers, any attempt to manage our time cannot be properly directed to the desired outcomes.

Once you have determined your priorities, you can begin to dig in to using your time effectively. Effective time management means being able to distinguish between what is important, and what is merely urgent. The US Forest Service created the Smokey Bear advertising campaign emphasizing the important issue of wildfire prevention, rather than simply allocating that funding to the urgent business of fighting fires. Next, consciously seek to apply your time and effort to important matters, not just urgent ones. Will revising your applicant flow in your ATS or responding to an email on a candidate’s status yield you greater long-term results? Effective time management means that you must know your desired outcomes and focus on achievement rather than methods. Best of all, effective time management, along with well thought out priorities empowers you to say “no” when others would place unnecessary demands on your time.

If you can manage your time effectively, you can begin to layer in efficiency. Efficient time management is more about eliminating inefficiency than anything else. For example, people tend to do things they like to do, before things they don’t like to do, even if accomplishing the unpleasant task first will make all subsequent tasks easier. Once you are managing time effectively, you can begin to optimize for efficiency.  

Filed Under: Blog, recruitDC Conference, recruitDC Events

Join Me at RecruitDC to Learn about Community Management

May 5, 2019 by recruitdc Leave a Comment

RecruitDC 2019 is right around the corner- have you bought your ticket yet?

 To quote Anne-Marie (which is really to say ‘To quote Nelly’,)

“If you want to go and take a ride with me…

studying the impacts of community

Hey, show me the productivity!”

 I may have paraphrased somewhere in there.  Don’t worry, I will not rap during my session (she repeats to herself over and over again in her head – You are welcome.)  What I will do is discuss the building blocks of community in the workplace. We’ll address the key elements that bring value to community building for your business (retention and productivity), how to strategize around community management initiatives at your company, identifying metrics to support community growth, and discuss external resources to get you started.  I’ll also run through community engagement opportunities that have been successful for me in the past and how to tailor opportunities to your communities.

 You’ve hired the top talent, but your job isn’t over.  Building a community and encouraging employee engagement is the responsibility of the entire community.  It doesn’t rest in the hands of HR or TA or Operations alone. By capitalizing on the relationships you’ve built through the recruiting process, you can build the foundation to a strong and lasting community.  

Join me on May 23rd at RecruitDC 2019 and find out more about Corralling Your Community.

Filed Under: Blog, recruitDC Conference, recruitDC Events

Thank You, recruitDC

May 5, 2017 by recruitdc Leave a Comment

By Pete Radloff

I’ve been very lucky in my career. Luck played a part in how I even got into recruiting. It played a part in my having some of the best mentors and teachers that you could ask for over the course of a career. Because of my appreciation for all of this luck, I’ve always wanted to pay it forward, to use a phrase. Turns out, I wouldn’t have to wait long.

In 2010, I attended the first ever recruitDC, at Wooly Mammoth Theatre in D.C.. I lucky enough be asked to be on a panel about sourcing tools and techniques with some people that I greatly admired. And while I knew a good number of the attendees, I met so many people there, that it was hard to keep track of everyone. I would later find out through various conversations with people, some years later, that they had also been in attendance. It was a whirlwind event, but one that I took away a great deal from.

I walked out of the first recruitDC conference feeling as though I had just been handed the keys to the kingdom. I had innumerable new tricks to apply to my sourcing and recruiting, and new (to me) tools to test out. I was in a bit of recruiting-geek heaven, and to borrow a phrase from my friend Stacy, “I knew I had found my people”. I knew that for as long as there were more of these, I’d be one of the first to buy tickets. After all, as much as I wanted to attend national conferences, there was never a budget for that. And up until now, I hadn’t seen anything with that depth of content at an event at a local level. Hooked.

I was invited to join the Board of Directors for recruitDC in 2011. I immediately jumped at the opportunity to help shape and grow an organization I was very fond of. Heck, I’d get to work with Bob Corlett again. That in and of itself was enough to make me say yes. It turns out, that I got so much more out of it than I had ever expected. To be honest, I’ve been on the Board for longer than I’ve been at any job. and in that time, we’ve accomplished a lot.  

Fast forward to now, my last event as a Board member of recruitDC. I’m not one for sappy good-byes, but I cannot stress enough how thankful I am for the opportunity to have been on this great ride. I’m proud to call each of the board members – past, present & newly elected – a good friend. I’m emboldened by the mix of new and familiar faces at each and every conference. I’ve always believed that a connected community is a strong community, and the recruiting & sourcing community in DC is one of the strongest that I know of. 

May 25th is just around the corner. And, in a bittersweet way, I’m really looking forward to this event. The sessions are filled with great information and we’ve pulled together a strong mix of talent from the D.C. area and the country.

To those who haven’t yet come to recruitDC, or are on the fence:

Find a reason to come to the conference. It is worth the investment of time to grow and expand your network – just ask anyone who has come to a recruitDC event before. Don’t expect one day to solve all your recruiting & problems, but rather let it add to the body of knowledge that goes with you wherever you go. And no matter what happens professionally, your community is still there. And the reqs on your desk? They will still be there tomorrow too, but maybe you’ll have some better tools and tactics to fill them with. 

I hope to see you there on May 25th, and hope that your experience with recruitDC is as meaningful to you as it is to me.  And that is due to the community. 

So…thanks recruitDC. 

P.S.  – Click to buy tickets

 

 

 

Filed Under: Blog, DC Area Conferences, recruitDC Conference, recruitDC Events Tagged With: Community, Conference, recruiting, sourcing

The 7 Fastest-Growing, Highest-Paying Jobs

February 10, 2017 by recruitdc Leave a Comment

By Gloria Martinez

If you have an English degree, you might remember the warnings of, “You’ll never make a living with that!” (Nicer commenters might have suggested you look into teaching.) Who would have guessed that the demand for content writers with search engine optimization savviness in the digital era would put writers in such high demand—and enable them to command such high salaries?

However, that’s just one option for a fast-growing, high-paying job. You’re no longer necessarily locked into career paths based on your degree, and there’s a lot of overlap. For example, “martech,” the blending of marketing and technology, is a relatively new job title that requires skill sets in very different realms.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) compiles data to showcase the fastest-growing jobs in the U.S. For women looking for a job change, it’s a great resource—and perhaps inspiration for not just a change in company, but role.

Fastest-Growing Jobs

●       Wind-turbine service technician: By far the fastest growing job through 2024 at a rate of 108% faster than average, it’s clear that the demand for alternative, clean energy is intense. The average salary is $51,050, and usual entry requirements are on-the-job training (no degree required). Some technicians attend technical/vocational training schools.

●       Occupational therapy assistants: Coming in at number two, these professionals earn an average of $57,870 per year, and the job growth is 43% faster than average. An associate’s degree is usually required as a starting point, followed by technical training programs averaging two years of additional study.  In addition to knowledge in health and sciences, the best assistants also have compassion, are physically fit, and are communicative.

●       Physical therapist assistants: Earning $55,170 per year, PT assistants often have a background in physical fitness and are perhaps personal trainers (though it’s certainly not a requirement). With a job growth 41% faster than average, and all states requiring at least an associate’s degree, it’s a popular yet fast-track career. You’ll also need an additional two years of training and physical strength to carry out job responsibilities.

●       Home health aides: This career is growing 38% faster than average, and offers an average salary of $21,920. However, no formal education is necessary, and on the job training is very fast-paced. Some home health aides are drawn to the career out of empathy as well as the option to customize hours and work in a person’s home rather than a facility.

Other fast-growing job roles include commercial truck drivers, nurse practitioners, physical therapists, statisticians and ambulance drivers. Healthcare has always been an industry steeped in high demand and job security.

High-Paying Jobs

Prefer to focus on a job change for higher pay? U.S. News reported in early 2017 on the current highest-paying jobs that don’t require a degree. (The highest-paying jobs that do require a degree usually entail advanced degrees leading to a career as an anesthesiologist, surgeon, or other tract that requires extensive time and funding to achieve). For those looking for a fast change in 2017, here are the highlights from the report:

●       Radiation therapist: With an average salary of nearly $85,000 and no college degree required, this is by far one of the most lucrative of careers that allows for a fast transition.

●       Nuclear medicine technologist: Such a lofty title might sound like you need an M.D., and the average salary of $74,990 is nothing to scoff at, but no degree at all is needed. What does the job entail? Injecting minute amounts of radioactive chemicals into patients to help doctors diagnose conditions.

●       Dental hygienist: You can earn an average of $72,720 per year while helping patients improve oral hygiene. A certification is often required.

Again, the majority of jobs are in the healthcare field. If you really want to go for the gold, 2017 could also be the year you apply to medical school—anesthesiologists are the highest-paid professionals according to Business Insider, with an average annual salary of $246,320.

 

Gloria runs WomenLed.org, which aims to celebrate women’s achievements in the workplace. She believes that while women have made many advancements toward “shattering the glass ceiling,” there is still much to be done. It is her aim to help increase the number of women-led businesses by educating others about the topic.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: healthcare, Job Seeker, jobs

Old School Sourcing Still Works!

February 7, 2017 by recruitdc Leave a Comment

By Tony Palm

During his presentation at the recruitDC 2016 Fall Event, Steve Levy said (I’m paraphrasing here), “. . . to be effective, sourcing HAS to connect with candidates where they are”. He even suggested to reach college students, consider posting ‘tearaway’ flyers in campus buildings where computer courses are being taught, or outside campus hang outs. My initial thought was, no way would that work with today’s young professionals. But I just couldn’t get the flyer idea out of my head; kinda like an ear-bug, it just kept coming back. 

Currently I’m working on a staffing contract for Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Washington to place government employees into positions at 7 different installations across the National Capital Region (NCR). These positions require skilled labor experience, and for obvious reasons, prior Navy service would be a BIG plus. The challenge is getting the information out to those veteran and transitioning sailors in a way that is informative AND capture their attention. Even with my extensive network of active duty career counselors and veteran employment assistance groups, getting the word out to the individual warfighter is a daunting task.

Enter Levy’s tear-away ad ~ Using WWII recruiting posters which I modified for my purposes, I created these two flyers; the results have been AMAZING! I’ve been delivering them to ships and SEABEE commands all over the NCR as well as down in Norfolk and Virginia Beach. Now I recognize not everyone has access like this old retired sea-dog, but anyone can find the “Standard Distribution Mailing List” for every military branch with a quick G-search and mail flyers to each command. But the biggest response so far has been from posting them on different Navy-centric group pages on Facebook.

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the numbers I’d generate from the social media effort using these flyers. Although I did remove the contact info tabs at the bottom. Since launching this (advertising) campaign in late December, I’ve received 26 resumes, screened 18, and have submitted 13! Only 1 candidate has been interviewed thus far, but the federal government isn’t known for short “time to hires” . . . just sayin!

For me, the take-away from Steve’s presentation is to make sourcing personal and FUN. But who would have believed it could also be so effective?

Make it a GREAT day!

Tony Palm, President, TP&A LLC

 

Tony Palm is a long time recruitDC volunteer, veteran staffing leader in the DC area, and President of the Veteran-Owned Tony Palm & Associates.  He is a former US Navy officer, and well-entrenched in the Military community here in DC. Connect with Tony on LinkedIn or Twitter. 

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Military, Old School, sourcing

3 Critical Elements in a Successful Employee Onboarding Program

September 16, 2016 by recruitdc Leave a Comment

By James Mitchell

Employee onboarding is a crucial component of effective business operations, providing your new hires with the background knowledge they need to perform their job duties to expectations. New employees may have industry experience or expertise, but they’re reliant on you to equip them with the knowledge they need to perform well within their role. To build a solid foundation with every new employee, your onboarding program should contain several critical elements.

Demonstrate Values, Procedures, and Policies Through Employee Stories

Your organization may have regulatory oversight, or you may have your own policies and procedures that create the framework for the way you deliver products or services. While you could simply provide new hires with a manual and expect them to spend the next three weekends poring over every detail, it’s more engaging and effective to demonstrate these values and company policies with real-world stories and examples from existing employees.

Not only does the sharing of stories cultivate information retention by putting concepts in context, but it also helps to communicate unspoken standards that exist within the company’s culture. Finally, stories can help to make new hires feel like they know something about their new co-workers and can provide fodder for ice-breaking conversations.

Clearly Convey Roles and Responsibilities with Organizational Charts

If you think organizational charts are outdated and obsolete, you’re in for a surprise. These traditional staples remain valuable tools in modern organizations (think ‘meet the team’ pages on company websites complete with roles, titles, bios, and headshots), particularly in the onboarding process. Giving new hires an organizational chart helps them understand the chain of command, learn what roles exist within other departments and who they might be interacting with, who to approach with questions about specific functions, and more.

What’s more, today’s organizational charts are living, functional tools that can be as unique as your organization. If you’re not a fan of formal titles, have fun with it by assigning roles such as “Chief Coffee Brewer” that lighten the mood while still conveying responsibilities.

Integrate Interactive Activities to Facilitate Two-Way Discussion

Onboarding was once a boring proposition for employees who just landed a new job, often consisting of a full week or more spent idly watching toiling through slide deck after slide deck with little information retention taking place. Onboarding doesn’t have to be boring by nature. Integrate opportunities within your onboarding program for new employees to interact with and ask questions of various representatives from the organization.

Not only does one-on-one or small group interaction lead to better engagement, but it enables employees to meet new co-workers with more than a mere, “Hi. Nice to meet you,” in passing. Spending time to learn how employees do their jobs on a day-to-day basis – even in departments not directly impacting a new hire’s responsibilities – cultivates appreciation for the many tasks that go into your overall business operations.

Ultimately, giving an interactive glimpse at the company as a whole leads to more-invested employees from the start, which can reduce turnover rates and thus lower your training costs. Think about how you can introduce your next new hire to the various facets within your organization through powerful stories demonstrating abstract concepts in real-world contexts, fun, living organizational charts that exude the personality of every individual employee, and other tactics that turn the old and stale into the new and engaging.

 

James Mitchell recently left a stressful career in finance because he wanted to find a more fulfilling career. Today, he is working as a freelance consultant. In addition to his new career, he enjoys volunteering for InternSolutions.net and finds it very rewarding to connect young people with lucrative career opportunities.

Image via Pixabay by Unsplash

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: New Hires, Onboarding

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