• Define your mandatory level of experience. Knowing what level you absolutely must have is an excellent way of weeding out candidates who will not meet this need, and will also likely indicate something to potential candidates about the level and expectations of the position. However, be open-minded.  Keeping crucial jobs open too long could adversely impact performance of current staff.
• Know your position’s core competencies. These are the skills that are imperative for a candidate to possess in order to be capable of performing the tasks well. These should be listed in your advertisements and given to your recruiter.
• Work with a recruiting firm. These professionals are experts in your field, and can help you shorten the hiring process by finding qualified candidates quickly. And prevent you from wasting your valuable time reviewing and weeding out unqualified candidates.
• Create a hiring strategy. Use data from employee surveys, exit interviews and other sources to determine how to create a high level of job satisfaction among your team and put a plan in place to eliminate large increases in your hiring needs. Use this information to make hires that will excel in that environment.
• Implement competency and personality tests. Assessments such as these are proven to be highly effective at targeting desirable employees. In fact, many companies find that oftentimes, employees who do not work out are the ones who were not the ideal match based on assessments that were used, but who were hired anyways. These tests can be most easily administered via a computer system where the data is processed automatically and instantaneously, saving both money and time.
• Be familiar with your own process. Be aware of who must sign off on employee hiring so that you can do everything in your power to expedite the hiring process for candidates you are sure of. Regardless of how much you like someone, if it takes too long to close the deal on your end, you may end up starting from scratch.
• Limit the number of interview rounds to three. This will save your own company valuable time and money, and will also be respectful of your candidates’ time; this is especially important to candidates who are already employed.

Streamlining your hiring process can save you a bundle in time and money, and can also eliminate the loss of prime candidates during an excessively lengthy process. Contact CompliStaff today to begin implementing these strategies to streamline your hiring process. We can help you create a strategic hiring plan that can save you money and increase employee retention!

Ask the right questions. Figure out what you want know about your employee’s experience, and consider objective and appropriate ways to ask questions to gather that information.

Listen for the answers.  Ask clarifying questions; do not interpret for the employee so that the information gathered is accurate and therefore useful. For instance, if an employee states, “The hours were unmanageable,” there is a subtle, but important, difference in the amount of hours versus the scheduling of those hours.

Invite negative feedback. If employees feel comfortable speaking their minds, they will provide you with a much more candid insight into their work experience. Do not interrupt and try to avoid defending against negative feedback.  Instead, listen and take notes.  Ask probing questions, when possible.  Remember, you can always separate out the useful information later!

Keep current in the climate of your company culture. Exit interviews are an excellent way to keep your finger on the pulse of the company culture as your employees see it. If you received feedback that the culture is hostile or otherwise offensive, it may be in your best interest to follow up, and make changes, if necessary.

Update keywords in your candidate search. Using what your departing employees can tell you about fulfilling job duties can help you keep the wording in your job descriptions fresh. For instance, an employee might say she disliked working in groups; update your ideal candidate description to include “enjoys working in teams.”

Pick up on patterns. Consider involving a staffing firm or recruiter in your analysis. You may notice a pattern of employee departure in certain roles, times of the year, or after a specific amount of time with the company. These professionals can help come up with a strategic hiring plan that can increase employee retention–and decrease exit interviews!

Exit interviews do not have to be the uncomfortable chore they seem to be. If you can use them as a tool for continued growth and progress, exit interviews can be of great benefit. Contact CompliStaff today to begin a proactive hiring strategy that can help you grow your business!

Social Media as a Screening Tool

You may not even realize it, but companies are scoping out candidates on social media sites. 37 percent of companies polled by CareerBuilder use social media to search for additional information about job candidates, and 11 percent state that while this is not a current practice, it will be implemented in the near future. Only 15 percent of companies polled stated their company policy forbade this method of investigation. If you are seeking a job (and even if you aren’t!), it would greatly behoove you to do everything in your power to present yourself in a positive, professional manner on social media sites.

A candidate’s social media presence can offer an insight into personality and work ethic. For example, if a person complains about work or colleagues on social media outlets, this could indicate potential problems with teamwork and morale.  Or, if someone is consistently posting non-work related information on social media sites during the work day, that person’s commitment, focus and work ethic comes across as seriously lacking. The pieces of information you choose to share are being used to paint a portrait of who you are. If anything you’re posting has the potential to sully that portrait, get that in check as soon as possible.

Take Advantage of Privacy Settings

If you still desire to post details of your life you would not feel comfortable with strangers and your potential employers seeing, use privacy settings and filters to ensure that only close friends or family can access the most personal things on your social media profiles. Remember: public is public. It is the worldwide web–not the web that extends to people who know you well and like you no matter what. So familiarize yourself with the ever-changing privacy policies of various social media networks and customize your settings accordingly, even when you are not looking for a job.

LinkedIn – The Best Professional Social Network

LinkedIn is vital in the business world, even if you are not actively searching for a job. Create a profile, make connections and update it regularly. LinkedIn is one of the strongest websites for job seekers, and you never know when your situation might change or when an offer that is perfect for you can arise. Having an up-to-date LinkedIn profile is the online version of keeping meticulous updates on your resume. However, unlike simply updating your resume, LinkedIn offers a way to create communication with peers and employers.

Social media is important when it comes to how you present yourself to the world. Employers are looking at your online persona when making decisions about hiring you. How does your online presence represent your goals and capabilities? Contact us today to begin searching for companies that will help establish your career path!

You should start thinking about what you’ve done well over the course of the year and what you can do better.  Be prepared to discuss your successes and be open-minded to criticism.  Preparing ahead of your review can prevent you from becoming defensive during the meeting and better enable you to showcase your successes.  Here are the most important steps you can take to make the review go smoothly.

• Conduct a self-review. Be honest with yourself and identify potential negatives that may be brought up.
• Catalog your accomplishments. Summarize what you have accomplished in the last year and include hard data. It really is okay to brag. Create a written list of all you have accomplished. Did you save the company time or money? Did you complete a project ahead of schedule? Did you conceptualize a new idea for the firm?
• Be specific. Compile several stories that illustrate what you have achieved, as this will demonstrate your ability to grow in the company.
• Develop your own action plan. Create goals for the upcoming year. Use your weaknesses as a starting point and create a plan for self-improvement. As you target your own objectives, understand that you are likely to be harder on yourself than your manager.
• Keep your composure. It is difficult to predict exactly how a review will go. During the review, be professional and composed the entire time, even if the review doesn’t go the direction you think it should. There is nothing to gain by being confrontational.

Reviews are a part of the corporate process. Keeping yourself prepared and professional is key. Most of all, be proud of your accomplishments and be willing to take responsibility for any shortcomings.

The professional recruiters at CompliStaff are here to offer exemplary advice for job seekers and hiring managers alike. Contact us today to see how we can assist you!

Respect, courtesy, and trust. Everyone wants to know that their contribution is valued and that they are trusted to do their job.  Try to give your employees the same level of respect you would expect.

Appreciation. When someone does an exceptional job, tell them so. Oftentimes, employees feel as though only their failures are recognized, so begin to praise them about their successes.  Be sure to include compliments in the same conversation where you are pointing out shortcomings.

Provide perks and a pleasant work environment. Employees spend more time in the office than they do at home with their families or friends. Make the office environment a place that your employees want to work in. Offer them perks such as occasional meals, memberships to health clubs, a day to work from home or even just a $5 or $10 gift card to their favorite coffee shop.

Compatibility with co-workers. By the same token, employees spend more time with their co-workers than with their families as well. Foster a great team environment to allow for individuals to get along without petty drama.

Engaged Managers. These types of environmental factors can be made or broken by the engagement of the management team.  Be sure managers at every level of the enterprise are properly trained to foster job satisfaction and loyalty.

Provide training or assistance. A person who can contribute to your organization should have access to continuing education. Provide employees the opportunity to attend seminars or workshops.  Even consider mentors to help put individuals to the next level. Providing opportunities to grow individually will help make employees loyal to the organization.

Clearly defined goals. Most importantly, you must provide each contributor to the team clearly defined goals for their success. This will help them see how their contribution provides for the overall success of the company and enable them to understand what is expected of them.

Treating your employees well will not only keep them satisfied and loyal, but will foster the type of environment that will attract new talent. Always be on the lookout for creative ways to engage your team and foster success.

Contact the professional recruiters at CompliStaff for more information about how we can help you with your hiring process.

Failure is not the end, and sometimes it can be a new beginning.  Leaders are often apprehensive to change.  But because change is inevitable, it is better to embrace it. Many leaders tell you that failure and change are the most important ingredients for success. By understanding how to overcome failure, you will learn essential tools to keep your team competitive and successful.  Planning for change will keep you ahead of the curve.

Reach out to organizational leaders in your community. Other business leaders have wisdom and knowledge to share, so collaborate and learn from them. Organize leadership networking events to understand the ways other leaders have built their organizations and see how you might be able to apply those things to your business.

Innovation comes easier when you have many minds working together.  Collaborate with your team, and encourage them to make suggestions in exchange for recognition. Be truly open minded.  Listen to them and try to embrace their concepts to improvise and shape the future of the organization. This will keep your team excited, engaged and more eager to embrace change.

When you try something new, you must understand that it might not work exactly the way you pictured it. Be accountable for mistakes that happen on your watch. Determine what parts of the plan did not work the way they were intended to and fix those problems. Then try again. “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” – Henry Ford

Above anything else, be humble about your success. Know that no one creates empires on their own; they need to have a good team and good mentors. They need to have good infrastructure and good procedures. You are not the total of your success; you are the seed of it. Credit those who help you along the way and you will be seen as an excellent leader.

Looking to work with an executive recruiting firm that values great leadership skills? CompliStaff offers professional recruiting services and employment consultation to a wide variety of clients and job seekers.

Offering nontraditional benefits will not only help you retain top talent, but will also attract new candidates to your organization. These perks, many inexpensive, will improve employee morale throughout the workplace.

• Wellness or health club discounts or memberships. Perks like this will make it easier for employees to embrace a healthy life style, which can also potentially decrease expensive health insurance claims. Partner with a local gym to find out how you can offer these to your employees.
• Flex days or Work From Home days. Having a flexible work schedule can often lead to improved employee morale and productivity. You can offer flex days where perhaps they can earn time off by working four 10-hour days per week. Or you may be able to offer days where they can work from home. Develop a structure for these benefits that will allow for employees to feel successful and productive.
• Appreciation brunches or lunches. A little appreciation goes a long way. Bring a catered breakfast or lunch in from time to time to reward your employees for the work they have done. Make this a special event and allow people to step away from their desks for their lunch hour and interact with members of the office staff that perhaps they don’t deal with on a daily basis.
• Daycare. If you are able to offer in-house daycare, this can be a huge draw for working parents. When you provide an option for employees to place their children in daycare on premise, you create a culture of more productive employees. There will be fewer problems with absenteeism. Studies have shown that the investment in daycare programs saves a company money long term preventing problems with turnover.
• Gift cards.  A small and inexpensive token of appreciation, gifts cards help recognize employees’ successes and efforts.  For minimal cost, maybe $5, $10, $25 or $50, you can make a big difference in your employees’ work experience.
• Sponsor or subsidize continuing education. Continuing education can only enhance your workplace over time. Encourage your employees to attend seminars or classes that will assist them in their day-to-day work functions. Provide ways for your employees to select training and development courses that they find interesting, and encourage them to attend. There may even be options for webinars which will allow the employee to stay in the office while they participate.  Consider tuition reimbursement for college or graduate degrees.

There are many other ways you can improve your company’s traditional and nontraditional benefits.  Remember, it’s always important to have benefits that are competitive with those your competitors are offering.  Consider putting together a team to develop inexpensive perks that employees will appreciate.  By offering a work experience with perks that are structured around value, flexibility and appreciation, you will surely attract great employees and make your employees feel like they are part of a winning team.

Creative ways to improve your employee morale can be developed at any time. CompliStaff specializes in superb management and professional recruiting and can work with your company to develop strategies for hiring the best people.

• Personality assessments. These assessments help determine if you would work well with the existing team and what kind of office environment you excel in. Many companies will establish a corporate culture benchmark by assessing current (and past) employees to define what types of personalities work best within their organization. Keep in mind that companies are not looking for one right answer when it comes to personality assessments. They want to see if you are likely to blend well with the individuals who are already working there and possess the specific personality traits identified as crucial for job success. The only way to prepare for these assessments is to answer all of the questions honestly.
• Competency assessments. These evaluations dig a little deeper than the straightforward personality assessments. They are used to measure how a candidate would act in certain situations and what their behavior patterns might be. It may assess your motivation, leadership skills, honesty, and reliability. Most competency tests will ask very similar questions in different ways two or three times throughout. This is to determine how consistent you are in your behavior. Again, there is no way to beat the test, you must simply answer honestly.
• Cognitive abilities. This test will evaluate the IQ of the candidate such as verbal, numeric, logic and reasoning skills. Cognitive tests are frequently used early in the interview stages to pare down the candidate pool and select the very best of the potential new employees.
• Skills assessments. Based on the type of role you are interviewing for a staffing firm or prospective employer may conduct an evaluation  to see if you possess specific skills.  They may test your level of proficiency on computer hardware or software or other job related skills needed to be successful. Depending on the category of position you are interviewing for, you will be tested on the skills needed for the right candidate to be successful. If you are an office manager, you might be tested on the latest Microsoft Office Suite. If you are in accounting, you may be tested on specific software or something such as accounts payable or receivable.

While there are ideal test outcomes that recruiters and companies would like to see in each individual case, most companies are realistic in understanding that the testing process is not a perfect way to analyze each candidate. These tests help identify for the company where your potential weaknesses may be, and then allow them to work with you to build your skills. Again, there is really no way to prepare for these evaluations except for keeping your skills current, not exaggerating your skills in certain areas, and being honest with your answers.

Keep in mind that employers are required to use validated testing that does not violate any laws regarding discrimination against hiring. These tests are merely a gauge to better understand you as a candidate and determine if you might be a fit for their organization.

Are you looking for professional and reliable recruiters to help you navigate your job search? CompliStaff offers the best match and the best service to their clients and candidates.

You should read the alumni newsletter regularly to learn about successful graduates.  You can also volunteer in the alumni office. Every university organizes outreach programs for their graduates.  Becoming involved in this process gives you an advantage.  Volunteer or work at the alumni center and you will have direct access to individuals who may be willing to share their experiences and expertise.  The alumni newsletter often features former students and showcases their accomplishments.  Offer to put these sections together which will give you the opportunity to contact the successful alumni to speak with them.

You can become involved with geographically centered alumni associations.  Many graduates move back home or to various metropolitan areas throughout the country.  Alumni, especially from larger schools, will form associations in their towns to network.  Reach out to those groups and express your interest in their town.  Local alumni can offer advice, suggest other networking avenues, or even companionship.

Contact your university’s career resource center.  This office will usually maintain a database of the alumni willing to mentor students.  You may be able to source specific alumnus who work in your industry, shared a course of study, or live and work in an area of the country that most interests you.  The career center may also sponsor alumni events where former students come to the university to meet with and talk with current students.  Take advantage of every program available to you.

LinkedIn is the best professional internet networking site available.  It is easy to research and join informal groups which can connect you to alumni in your city or in your field.  People using LinkedIn are there to make connections so use that network as much as you can.  LinkedIn is free and well worth the time to set up a complete profile.

You should keep your connections even after you’ve started your first job.  Once you establish these relationships keep them fresh and up to date throughout your career.  Stay involved in the alumni associations and local events.  Reach out to new graduates to mentor as they begin their career.

Are you a recent graduate looking for professional job search advice? Contact the professional recruiters at CompliStaff today!

1. Have weekly meetings. Rather than tracking work streams on a daily bases, plan weekly meetings to check in with progress and assign new tasks. Between meetings, trust that the team will accomplish what is necessary. If they do not, this may be dealt with at the next meeting to help employees stay on schedule.
2. Utilize technology. There is a lot of available software that can help manage your office and projects. Rather than relying on yourself to track or complete every task, set up these systems to create reminders and updates on requirements.
3. Be specific. Explain what the deliverables and deadlines are, as this will clearly define what the project phases and end goals are. This is extremely helpful in managing your employees’ expectations, and your own. Then allow your employees to accomplish their tasks and present them at the established time.
4. Big Picture. Be as transparent as possible with your team. Share your business goals and exciting news or feedback with your employees. This will impart confidence in your team and motivate them to continue to further innovate and outshine their own performance marks.
5. Team goals. Establish your goals as a team so everyone is invested in the success of the project. Allow team members to utilize their specific talents to make the product flourish. The more you involve your team in the decision-making process, the more engaged they will be.
6. Be fun. Even if you’re under a tight deadline, keep the mood positive. If you want to be sure your employees meet deadlines or stay on task, offer fun rewards to help break up their day and encourage them to enjoy the work they are doing.
7. Create templates. By creating company-wide templates, you ensure that all work is presented in precisely the format that you prefer. You will not need to follow each employee and reformat their work to suit your preferences.
8. Results-Oriented Workplace. There is a movement among corporations to focus on results-oriented work rather than time-oriented work. It is a good idea to focus on quality, rather than time spent on the project. Allowing employees to manage their own time on the job has proven to be successful. Establish a time frame for presenting results, then allow the employees to work at their own pace.

Are you looking for a recruiting firm that can help streamline your business processes? Contact CompliStaff to see what we have to offer.