Why You Cant Waste Time During High Volume Recruiting

Why You Cant Waste Time During High Volume RecruitingIts that time of year again high volume recruiting is underway. Youve been tasked with undertaking the sourcing and placement of a large volume of candidates. Finding top talent for your clients is always something you strive to do as timely as possible. However, any delays in the hiring process are exponentially more detrimental during high volume recruiting. Altara Group, a professional recruitment, employment, and people management organization found themselves in a similar position.The company was often challenged with placing a large number of candidates and found themselves seeking a way to save time and resources. In fact, they receive 15,000 applications a year. They realized if they could eliminate phone sichtungs, they could simplify their recruiting process. As a matter of fact, according to a June 2015 Glassdoor report, phone einstellungsgesprchs add an average of 6.8 to 8.2 days to the hiring process. The Altara Group decided to try out a video interviewing platform. Switching to video interviews improved their submit-to-hire ratio by 80 percent. It also increased their placement speed by 50 percent, when placing 1,500 candidates.Placing candidates at record speeds led to overall profitability since they were able to allocate resources to other areas of their business. Recruiting can be a lengthy and expensive process. Here are three reasons why you shouldnt waste time exceeding your clients high volume recruiting needs The Best Talent Will Be Scooped UpMobile devices, recruiting software, social media, and video interview platform technologies now drive recruiting processes. Time to hire decreases when these technologies are effectively implemented. They virtually eliminate the need to manually source and screen applicants in the early stages of hiring. This helps to quickly filter candidates through the hiring funnel. According to a Wakefield Research September 2016 survey, between 50 and 70 pe rcent of applicants arent qualified for the jobs they apply for. While sorting these resumes to the no-pile, the most qualified talent is likely being courted by competitors.During high volume recruiting periods, the use of video interview technology is especially beneficial. You can send top talent a link to complete the one-way video interview, making a strong first impression. This creates an opportunity to address top candidates personally and faster than using traditional methods.By inviting them to respond through a one-way video interview, you can more accurately screen more candidates in a shorter amount of time. This also allows you to assess personality to determine cultural fit and other factors early in the process. Identifying the most qualified talent quickly drastically cuts down on expenses associated with a lengthy time to hire. It also improves productivity for your clients, overall, increasing your value to them for staffing needs.The best part? These videos can b e saved, building up a library of candidates for future high volume recruiting periods.Use video interviews to speed up the screening process.Click To TweetHiring Efficiency Impresses ClientsYour clients want results. Period. High volume recruiting requires your full attention so avoid wasting time on reactively communicating with clients. Use effective communication strategies to show you are proactive and focused on efficiency. Did you notice a client is nearing a deadline you set for reviewing candidates video interviews? Contact them to see if there is anything you can do to get them back on track. Follow up with candidates, as well, so they do not move on to offers from the competition.Answer client questions before they have reason to ask. This builds trusting relationships and increases loyalty. It proves your attention to their best interest. It also empowers you to frame conversations in a favorable way, when high volume recruiting stress is high. Be proactive with effectiv e communication strategies to meet clients needs.Click To TweetTimeliness Affects ReputationYour successful placement rate during high volume recruiting periods has a lasting impact on your staffing reputation. This is not the time to overextend your resources. Have an established talent pool for clients to choose from during high volume recruiting. Refer clients to your video interview library so they can easily access and choose from high quality candidates. Staying ahead of your clients hiring needs allows you to provide a faster turnaround, especially when handling high volume recruiting for multiple clients. Many roles can be filled while you work to source for additional talent. Be aya to identify a number of backup candidates in the event of last minute withdrawals. Your clients will appreciate the preparedness, and it will keep you from having to back-step during your high volume recruiting efforts. The faster and more cost effective your high volume recruiting results are, the better your staffing reputation will be.

Army Paternity Leave Program

Army Paternity Leave ProgramArmy Paternity Leave ProgramThe Army welches the last Department of Defense (DoD) service branch to implement a paternity leave program, which took effect in 2009. TheFY 2009 Defense Authorization Act established a program that allows up to 10 days of nonchargeable leave for new fathers. The act leaves it up to the individual services to develop plans to implement the new benefit. The Navy was the first branch to issue details about its program, followed by the Air Force, and then the seestreitmacht Corps. Details of the Armys Paternity Leave Program Under the Army program, paternity leave must be taken consecutively and must be taken within 45 days of a childs birth. Deployed soldiers have up to 60 days after returning to their home station to use their leave. If the leave is not taken within the above time frames, soldiers lose their right to the leave. The Armys policy only allows paternity leave to be authorized for a married soldier on active duty , including Title 10 and Title 32 Active Guard and Reserve duty, whose wife gives birth to a child. It cannot be applied to unmarried soldiers fathering a child, and does not currently apply to soldiers who adopt a child. Army Maternity Leave vs. Paternity Leave The Armys maternity leave program allows female soldiers who give birth to take up to 12 weeks of leave, a policy that was updated in 2016. However, new mothers on active duty cannot be deployed for up to six months after giving birth. Navy Paternity Leave Policy The Navy was the first branch of the U.S. military to implement the 2008 DoD paternity leave program. It dictates that commanding officers will grant 10 days of nonchargeable leave to a married Navy member whose wife gives birth. The Navy policy allows paternity leave to be used in conjunction with chargeable leave. Paternity leave is not required to be used immediately following the childs birth, but must be taken the first year. Its allowable to have the 1 2-month limit waived if there are extenuating circumstances. Paternity leave cannot be used consecutively with other normal time off such as weekends or military holidays, or special time-off leave such as three-day passes. And even if a sailors wife gives birth to multiples, the paternity leave is limited to 10 days only, not 10 days per child. Air Force and Marine Corps Paternity Policies The Air Force requires new fathers to use paternity leave within 60 days of their childs birth. In some circumstances, at a commanders discretion, leave may be used up to 90 days after the child is born. For Marines, paternity leave must be requested within 25 days of the childs birth. If a Marine is deployed at the time, he may be able to have his leave authorized outside that 25-day window, if approved by his commander. As with the Navy and Army policies, paternity leave is only granted to airmen and Marines who are married and whose wife gives birth to their child.

Cant Spare a Dime Volunteer Your Time

Cant Spare a Dime Volunteer Your TimeCant Spare a Dime? Volunteer Your TimeCant Spare a Dime Volunteer Your TimeMoney is obviously tight this holiday season, which means charities are likely to take a hit. If your holiday traditions usually include a monetary donation that you cant seem to make this year, try volunteering instead (and guess whatyou can add that volunteer experience to your resume).If you dont have a favorite charity, here are a few sites to get your volunteer wheels rollingVolunteerMatch.org and Serve.gov are search engines that work like online job boards, finding volunteer opportunities based on your search terms. Just enter your location and keywords and the system matches you up with organizations in your area.The Red Cross is always looking for volunteers to respond to disasters, support blood drives, and connect families displaced by disasters or conflict.Habitat for Humanity is one of my personal favorites and should be easy to find in your area. I dont know h ow much they do in the snowy winters, but its worth a lookIdealist.org is like a community of volunteers and a search engine all in one. Straight from their site Idealist is an interactive site where people and organizations can exchange resources and ideas, locate opportunities and supporters, and take steps toward building a world where all people can lead free and dignified lives. To start your search, click on Volunteer Opportunities under the Find reiter on the left.And of course, you cant forget your local soup kitchen, food bank, Salvation Army, Goodwill, and other service organizations.I hope this gives you a few new ideas on giving back this holiday season. If you participate in any opportunities found on these sites, tell us about your experience in the comments below

How to make spring Mondays feel more like summer Fridays

How to make spring Mondays feel more like summer Fridays How to make spring Mondays feel more like summer Fridays As we inch closer and closer to summer, it’s getting even more challenging to say focused and on you’re a-game at work. Wouldn’t we rather be outside walking or catching some rays on the beach? Summer Fridays are the rewards that get us through the blistering heat of summer workweeks. But, why not make spring Mondays enticing?Here are some expert seasons why spring Mondays can put more spring in your life.Follow Ladders on Flipboard!Follow Ladders’ magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and more!Start your week off focusedAccording to research, on Mondays people are most bored but also most focused. Mary Czerwinski, principal researcher and research manager at Microsoft in Redmond, Washington says that people are most bored at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., however, most people have two peak focus times: 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.“Knowing this, people should save work requiring higher engagement and challenge for later in the morning, at 11 a.m .,” she says. Following this late morning peak, make sure to step outside to get some fresh air to capitalize on your mental strength.Keep your schedule goingBy concentrating on this “focus time,” it’s more probable to get your work done on time, so you can leave on time to enjoy the lovely spring evenings. Research says it takes, on average, around 3 minutes before we are interrupted, and it takes, on average, around 20 minutes to get back on task.“I recommend using Focus Assist on Windows 10 to turn off things such as notifications, sounds, and alerts to allow you to focus on tasks and catches you up when you’re finished,” Czerwinski says.Take breaks to re-chargeWork days go faster and are more productive when you take breaks between meetings, calls or projects.Whether it’s a 20-minute walk or a coffee break outside with a colleague, a break in work sets you on a more productive path. If your days go quicker, the workdays don’t drag.Pace your workweekSince Monday s are generally packed with work, plan your day with a slow start. Czerwinski suggests keeping your first meeting of the day to 20 minutes and take the last 10 minutes to meditate in a conference room. “You’ll feel calmer and more focused,” she continues.Additionally, reviewing your day allows you to determine where you spent too much or too little time. MyAnalytics helps with that â€" it summarizes how you spent your time at work and suggests a way to work more efficiently.Then when summer arrives, you can dart out early on those casual Friday afternoons!You might also enjoy… New neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happy Strangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds 10 lessons from Benjamin Franklin’s daily schedule that will double your productivity The worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs 10 habits of mentally strong people

How to Look for a Job Abroad First Stop, Australia

How to Look for a Job Abroad First Stop, Australia How to Look for a Job Abroad First Stop, Australia Whether you’re seeking new experiences and cultures, want to add some unique skills to your portfolio or want to find a summer job  in a fun, new environment, working abroad can be a valuable experience. A good choice for Americans who want to work abroad in a professional capacity is to choose an English-speaking country. But even when a country’s native language is English, there are still cultural differences to navigate. Over the next few weeks we’ll share cultural tips from professionals who are either from or have worked extensively in English-speaking countries around the world. Working in Australia Richard Perkins is an American who worked in Australia as an engineer for an engineering consulting firm between 2006 and 2008. According to Perkins, one of the most pronounced differences between the Australian and American cultures is the concept of work-life balance. The standard workday in Australia is 7.5 hours, compared to 8 in the U.S., and employees in the tech industry don’t put in the long 60-70 hour workweeks that many of their American counterparts do. This value on quality of life over business can be a welcome change for Americans, but it does have implications. “There’s a living adjustment in Australia,” said Perkins. “Because Australians are so focused on quality of life and balance, necessities are inexpensiveâ€"rent, food, gasâ€"but luxuries that Americans tend to take for granted, such as media, electronics and books, are very expensive. In addition, a lot of service businesses are closed on the weekends. For example, grocery stores and pharmacies might only be open for a few hours on the weekend, if at all.” The working environment in Australia may be more noticeably different for women, said Perkins. “There seem to be assumptions about the role of women in the workplace that wouldn’t have flown in the U.S. but were supported by the women there,” he said. “For example, in my firm only about 2 percent of the scientists and engineers were women, and there were no male administrative assistants.” Perkins said that if you are a woman going to Australia in a technical role, “It might be hard at first, but Australians respect assertive women.” When You Interview As part of the value placed on work-life balance, Australian companies tend to aim for sustainable business growth rather than exponential growth. Perkins said that while large international companies might focus on impressive past achievements during an interview, most Australian companies  place a higher importance on cultural fit. “Australians value people who are easy to work with and get along with everyone,” Perkins said. “They want you to do good work when you’re working but to also know when to have a good time.” According to the Lewis Model of cultural types, Australian culture is similar to that of the U.S. in that we both tend to be data-driven planners, but Australians are a touch more emotional than Americans, as evidenced by their priority on cultural fit when interviewing job candidates. Other Cultural Details The main cultural difference that Perkins noticed between Australians and Americans is that, “We’re much more politically correct in the U.S. Australians are more coarse.” Perkins admitted to being taken aback occasionally by the Australian sense of humor. “They have a very dry sense of humor, and they tend to make fun of themselves first in order to beat others to the punch.” Perkins said, “Australians are very forgiving, but they will laugh at you.” Tips and Caveats: How to Get a Job Perkins offers the following tips for Americans who would like to find a job in Australia: 1. Be flexible: Australia is a smaller market than the U.S., and you can’t always specialize in one distinct area. At Perkins’ firm most engineers worked in two to three different business groups. Perkins recommends making sure you have the ability and willingness to work in multiple functions within your company. 2. Take a risk: It can be extremely hard to secure a job in Australia while still living in the U.S. Perkins tried this with no luck and ultimately restarted his engineer job search  when he arrived in Australia. Once in the country, Perkins found a job within four months even though he “was being picky.” Risks should be taken with caution however, which leads us to the next tip. 3. Make sure it’s a calculated risk: Check out the local economy before you go. In 2006, when Perkins decided to move to Australia, the economy was doing well, which allowed him to find a job in his field and be picky about which company he worked with.

How to Make Yourself More Valuable to Your Employer

How to Make Yourself More Valuable to Your Employer How to Make Yourself More Valuable to Your Employer It is a fact of professional life that someone must choose you to be successful. Usually, this someone is your immediate boss, and it pays to do everything in your power to make yourself valuable to this important individual. Success, Power, and Politics in the Workplace Before diving into a number of ideas on making yourself even more valuable to your boss, let’s explore the issue of someone needing to choose you to be successful. More than a few people have suggested that this thinking discounts the importance of individual determination and hard work. A polite pushback is that nothing replaces or minimizes the need for these behaviors- they are essential for success. However, for your efforts to pay off in an organizational setting, your hard work must be recognized and appreciated by some person or some group able to choose you to do more. Yes, power and politics play a role in your success, no matter how hard you work. Senior managers select individuals for promotion or advancement based on how much they trust him/her to make good decisions to lead initiatives or manage teams. This trust is cultivated through experience working together and ample evidence that the individual under consideration for advancement displays consistently good judgment when it comes working with others, solving problems, setting priorities and creating results that help the organization. Since many advancement opportunities are stretch assignments for us- larger in scale and broader in scope than our prior experiences- this factor of trust is critical. The individual extending the new opportunity to us is trusting that we will grow safely and quickly into the role. Given the importance of trust and the power your boss has to select you for “more,” it is essential for you to help make his/her decision an easy one when it comes to considering you for new opportunities. Strive to Understand and Support His Goals Nothing says “I care and I am committed” more than striving to understand and support your boss’s priorities and goals. Not every boss is forthcoming with their own professional goals and personal aspirations, so you may have to dig just a bit. Use the rationale that you want to ensure your goals align with her goals. Ask clarifying questions. Communicate at the Right Volume Every manager has slightly different communication preferences. Some appreciate detailed, regular updates. Others are more interested in noteworthy exceptions. Pay attention to the cues, including interest or boredom and adjust accordingly. And it never hurts to ask: “How often and what detail do you prefer that I communicate with you?” Be Careful With the Water Cooler Conversations The magnetic attraction of gossip is potentially toxic to your career. Steer clear of most of these group gatherings and their negative banter. Nonetheless, it pays to keep your ears and eyes open looking for the nuggets of truth often present in workplace gossip. If you learn that people are confused over the firm’s direction or latest strategy, this is important information for your boss. Filter out the he said/she said gossip, but don’t discount the talk that highlights organizational shortcomings and opportunities. Save Her From Unwelcome Surprises No one loves a negative surprise, least of all, your boss. If you see or sense something going wrong, run, don’t walk to share this information. Your advance warning will enable her to help mitigate the problem or at least plan how she will share it with her boss and others in the organization. Always Go in With a Plan The most destructive words to your credibility with the boss are, “What do you think I should do?” Purge that phrase from your lexicon and remember to always enter the boss’s office with a plan- preferably two options with one preferred. Be prepared to support your recommendation.   Build Bridges Across the Organization Whether you  recognize it or not, you are an ambassador for your boss, reflecting on his or her reputation and ability to select and develop good people. Act accordingly. Armed with context for your boss’s priorities, attempt to build allies and represent those interests in the spirit of strengthening the organization. Also, work hard to understand the priorities of other leaders and groups and ensure that your boss has this intelligence to apply to her own efforts. Show off Your Work Without Being Obnoxious Smart professionals master the fine art of showcasing their successful results without crossing the line to obnoxiousness. Modesty is not your ally when it comes to building credibility for advancement. Make certain to share the spotlight with those who helped bring about your good results. Develop a Reputation for Developing Others Nothing reflects better on a boss’s selection of you for a promotion than your proven ability to also develop great talent. The Bottom-Line for Now Ignoring the realities of power and politics in your organization is naïve. Recognize the power your boss has in choosing you to be successful and act accordingly.

What to Consider Before Working for a Friend

What to Consider Before Working for a Friend What to Consider Before Working for a Friend Working for a friend in any capacity can be tricky. Whether you’re a full-time employee, a remote worker, or a freelancer with your own business, there are some important considerations to think through before taking a job where your boss or manager would be someone you’re friends with. Even though collaborating in a work capacity with a friend you already like and have a history with may sound like the ideal scenario, there are reasons for the saying that “it’s best not to mix business with pleasure.” On the flip side, if you’re aware of and prepared for potential common challenges that may arise from this type of arrangement and feel like it’s worth it to take the risk, then there are potential benefits to reporting to a friend as well. Let’s explore some of the plusses and minuses of working for a friend: It can be awkward to change hats, but you have more insight. If you’re used to relating to someone on a personal level as a friend, it can catch you off guard to suddenly see that person in action as a professional, particularly if you now report to that person. While you may have great chemistry as buddies, changing the dynamic to one that involves an inherent power imbalance (such as supervisor and employee, or client and freelancer) can be disorienting and upsetting for some people, and can ultimately affect the quality of the friendship. When you work in a professional capacity with someone, the needs of the company or business generally will come before your personal relationship, which can bring up issues of loyalty. If friends have working styles that differ from one another, it can exacerbate these dynamics. On the up side, if you’re really tight with someone, you may be able to parlay your strong friendship into a dynamic working relationship. If you’re both good at leveraging your prior knowledge of each other’s strengths and weaknesses to help innovate and solve problems at work as a team, then you may become a powerful duo. You can’t expect favoritism, but you do have a head start. If you take a job from a friend who then becomes your boss, you may hope that you’ll get some perks that others don’t have based on your friendship. Unfortunately, playing favorites won’t serve either you or your friend (who’s now also your supervisor) well. You’ll both need to tone down your personal connection when in the office and not create a feeling of a special relationship that might be construed as favoritism. However, since you do already know certain things about your new boss such as his or her communication style, general preferences, and temperament, this knowledge may help you legitimately get ahead in your career. By smartly applying your storehouse of facts about your boss-friend’s leadership style and quirks, it can help you perform better as a team and create a more comfortable workplace environment than you might have had if you started from scratch with a boss you didn’t previously know. You may be on the same page, but you won’t have the last word. In your friendship outside the company, you and your pal may be perfectly matched and see eye to eye on most everything- perhaps that’s why you became friends in the first place. But in an office or business scenario, you can’t expect to be equal in the same way since a reporting structure is involved. Your boss-friend ultimately is entrusted with responsibility for making decisions and calling the shots- and sometimes, that may mean overriding your suggestions and advice, however good you may think they are. So if you’re offered the opportunity to work with a friend, whether as your boss or your client, you should think long and hard about the implications for your friendship and work life before taking the job. There is such a thing as too much togetherness- but if you’re both committed to addressing these challenges and trying to make it work, it could be a win-win for both of your careers.