3 Lies that Could be Sabotaging Your Job Search Efforts
It goes without saying that we're living in tough times when the economy is in bad shape and job opportunities are scarce. It can be difficult to keep one's chin up and keep trucking in the face of adversity. However, it's important that we understand the importance of doing just that. The thing is job scarcity is only part of what could be holding you back from landing your next dream...
Read MoreA Humbling Interpretation of Screening and Selection
If you want to find some subtle, unflattering reasons why anyone chooses anyone over others, ask a cynic or someone with a well-developed capacity for humility. In this connection, they will argue that there is no reason to be smug or cocky about having been selected as an employee, a president, vice president, a spouse, an NBA draft pick, a CEO, an American Idol finalist, a boyfriend or...
Read More5 Steps to Transform a Job you Loathe into One you Love
Most people experience periods at work when they feel bored, frustrated, restless, or otherwise turned off by their chosen occupation. If such a period should arise, a perfectly valid option may be to consider quitting the job. Maybe you've always wanted to go into business for yourself, or feel drawn to another career path. But given the uncertain nature of the current job market and the ups...
Read MoreThe Health and Safety Guide to Golden Hellos
In a tight market, you need to pull out all the stops to both and attract and close on talent. And of course, most right-minded employers do just that, by creating and executing on great employer brand propositions during the hiring process. But, this does not mean that the top talent that you have carefully pampered will accept your job offer. Why? Because, they may be seduced by counter...
Read More4 Reasons to Reconsider Leaving your Job
My sister is a teacher's aide for first grade students. She works long hours for barely livable pay and scarce benefits (as an hourly worker). You may be thinking, "Well shouldn't she have holidays and breaks off?" Sadly, this aide isn't getting the chance to relax and enjoy her summer like so many others in the education field. As luck would have it, the school she works for offers a summer...
Read MoreNon-partisan Group Reports Move to Part-time Workers not Due to PPACA
Research out of the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) has indicated the shift from full-time employees to part-time employees, occurring concurrently with the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), actually began years before the new legislation was proposed. The gradual rollout of health insurance reform is blamed for many employers transitioning...
Read MoreHire Better! 4 Qualities your Next Sales Candidate Must Have
As a hiring manager, you're probably faced with an array of challenges when recruiting sales candidates. It makes sense—they are a particularly hard group to acquire. First, you have to ensure the candidate is actually suited for your organization, which includes company culture and alignment of values. Additionally, you want to be sure your new hire will stick around long enough to produce...
Read MoreManpowerGroup Reports on Improved Sustainable Workforces in Latest Talent Survey
The results of ManpowerGroup's eighth annual Talent Shortage Survey show that 39 percent of employers continue to have difficulty in filling certain skilled positions, but the statistic fell by 10 points from 2012. U.S. employers have also reported a more noticeable short of talent compared to the rest of the world, with 35 percent experiencing problems with acquiring talent for key jobs. Just...
Read MorePutting the Cadillac out Front
Have you ever dated someone based on their looks? Have you ever bought something from someone just because they were good looking? Have you ever hired the better-looking, less qualified candidate? Yeah, me neither. But it turns out the rest of the world has. Shocking, I know. Well the perks of being good looking just went a little farther. Aside from a higher likelihood of obtaining lower...
Read MoreGlassdoor Releases Top 25 Companies for Work-Life Balance 2013 List
Job and career site Glassdoor recently released its third annual list of "Top 25 Companies for Work-Life Balance" (2013), which recognizes the highest rated companies for work-life balance over the past year. The list is entirely based on employee feedback. The top five companies included: SAS Institute National Instruments Slalom Consulting MITRE Orbitz...
Read MoreUnemployment Benefits Apps Rise but Remain Consistent with Moderate Job Growth
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that individuals applying for unemployment benefits rose by 18,000 during the week ending June 15, reaching an adjusted 354,000. However, the level remains consistent with moderate job growth. The four-week average increased by 2,500 to 348,250. As a proxy for layoffs, applications have fallen by 6 percent since January, suggesting a decline in job...
Read More3 Things to Consider When Hiring your First Employee in 2013
In several recent articles I have been charting the rise of the contingent worker, so I know there are plenty of you out there (contingent workers, that is) and that the numbers of you working in this manner are increasing. Research from Randstad revealed that a 8.3 percent of you are now working in a contingent capacity, which means working as either temps, part-timers, interns, consultants,...
Read MoreManaging Cultural and Emotional 'Contradictions' at Work
Our emotional lives are full of what appear to be contradictions: Love the job or pizza in some respects, hate it in others. But ambivalent feelings, unlike colliding cultural beliefs held by the same person, do not create contradictions. That's because it can be true that a job or a pizza is great in one respect, such as the great pay or the sauce, but also true that it is not so great...
Read MoreOneAmerica Finds Generational "Confidence Doughnut" on Retirement
According to a survey by OneAmerica Financial Partners Inc., the workers found to be most confident in their ability to retire with their current lifestyle were both the oldest and youngest groups of workers. In the survey of 6,360 visitors to its participant website, 44 percent of workers aged 20 to 30 years and 45 percent of those over 50 years are either "confident" or "very confident"...
Read More4 Ways to Let your Body do the Talking
You've hunted, posted, sent resumes and now you've gotten the call for an interview. Being prepared means more than a new suit and shoe shine. Body language is one of the most overlooked tools in our arsenal. You can say a lot with your actions, eyes and body. Fifty-five percent of messages processed by the brain are based on a person's body language. We are definitely on the upswing of this...
Read MoreSurvey: 1 in 5 Workers Would Steal Company Information
According to a survey from Courion, the leading defender against enterprise information access threats, nearly 1 in 5 (19%) of people who work in an office setting age 18-34 would steal company information like customer data, price lists or product plans with if the workers knew they were about to be terminated. Another 16 percent of those who work in an office setting and have ever changed jobs...
Read More3 "Must Haves" for your Facebook Business Page
In today's highly competitive job and business market, it's crucial to have a strong social media presence in your corner. Arguably one of the top (if not the top) social networks currently online is Facebook. Let's look at some of the facts: Facebook has 1.11 billion users (as of March 2013) Facebook offers 70 languages and 75 percent of its users are outside of the U.S. Every 20...
Read MoreWork-Life Rigidity Partially due to Individuals, not Strictly Organizations
Up to now, most criticism and calls for enhanced flexibility regarding the work-life balance of employees were aimed at organizations and management, but a volley of new findings from workplace and academic experts is revealing that risk-averse employees frequently contribute to the lack of flexibility in their lives. Cali Williams Yost, a leading thinker on workplace issues and founder of the...
Read MoreSecond Wind Associations Offers Full-Service "Right Fit" Recruitment Program
A newly available full-service recruitment program designed for the advertising and marketing industries has been released by Second Wind, a national association of advertising, marketing, graphic design, PR, and interactive firms. Called Right Fit Recruiting, the program uses interviewing and testing to evaluate each candidate before presenting him or her to an agency. Right Fit provides...
Read More4 Ways to Help Boomers Break Through the Retirement Barrier
You don't need to me to tell you how hard it is to replace an excellent long serving employee who is about to retire; one who has accumulated vast amounts of sector specific knowledge, has a great industry reputation, possesses an intimate understanding of your firm and is an integral member of your leadership team. Of course, the main way that organizations tend to deal with this issue of...
Read MoreIntroductory "Lite" Version of TargetRecruit Software Released to Market
Web-based recruitment software provider TargetRecruit.net has announced that it is offering up an introductory version of its recruitment software, TargetRecruit, to the staffing and recruitment industries. TargetRecruit Lite gives users a low-cost way to benefit from the management features contained within the software, particularly those regarding candidate and job order management. Also...
Read MoreRecruit Like Willy Wonka
There are only so many "How Recruiting is Like Dating" posts one HR professional can stand, so here's a new take. Willy Wonka was the best recruiter of all time! He scouted around the world to find the child best suited for the position of CEO of the Wonka Chocolate Factory. And find him he did! Mr. Wonka leads us through the toughest recruiting escapade of his life. A lot of hard work,...
Read MoreIs Your Talent Strategy Ready for 2013?
As we move closer to 2013, employers face an unusual situation with respect to recruitment and retention, that is, according to Deloitte and Forbes Insights' Talent 2020: Surveying the talent paradox from the employee perspective, 80 percent of workers surveyed expect to stay at their current business over the next year. This is not earth shattering news in its own right. The newsworthy part...
Read MoreGroupTalent to Launch Intelligent Search Function
GroupTalent, a hiring platform for technical talent, plans to launch an intelligent search function to help employers and job seekers discover one another based on specific search criteria. According to GroupTalent, the new tool "levels the recruiting playing field by giving all companies the same firepower regardless of the size of their recruiting budget." "It is hard to believe that...
Read More6 Steps to Achieve your Definition of Success
Your career is something that you are going to be involved in for a large portion of your life. The better part of your waking hours for most of your week will be spent engrossed in your work, so it is important that you try to make the most out of your job. This starts with understanding your concept of success and working to achieve that definition. You see, success means different things to...
Read MoreTheLadders' Free Mobile App Eliminates Keyword Searches from Job-Matching Service
Online job-matching service TheLadders has announced a free iOS mobile app for the job search industry with a lean feature set and a new, "industry-changing" approach to identifying job matches and competition research. "The job-search evolution from the web to mobile devices -- a $6 billion opportunity that is ripe for the taking -- could be as significant as the transition of print...
Read MoreAmerican Workplace Study Finds Most Workers Lack Engagement with Their Jobs
As revealed by Gallup's recent State of the American Workplace study, 70 percent of U.S. workers are either "not engaged" or "actively disengaged" with their work. Gallup further estimates that actively disengaged workers cost the economy between $450 and $550 billion per year in productivity loss. Such employees are also more likely to steal, be a negative influence on coworkers, be...
Read More5 Online Alternatives to a Boring Resume
When applying for a job, your resume is your first chance to make a good impression and your best chance to get an in-person interview. Considering that an average of 118 applications are submitted for every job opening, it is easy to become lost in the pile on a recruiter's or future employer's desk if your resume is just a white piece of paper or PDF similar to the rest of the stack. Here...
Read More6 Reasons to Conduct new Hire Surveys
As most of you will no doubt be aware, hiring and onboarding can be a time consuming and expensive hobby. It is also the crucial gateway to your organization and it is one of the channels through which your employer brand is communicated to both candidates and the wider market place. A high-quality hiring process will support your employer brand and make your business more attractive to...
Read MoreThe "Mac" Daddy of Integrated Tools for HR
Remember how glorious it was when Twitter integrated with Mountain Lion? If that sentence meant nothing to you, you're on the wrong blog. Well, Apple dropped some great news on us all at their Worldwide Developers Conference. Craig Federighi, the senior VP of software engineering at Apple, announced that LinkedIn will be integrated into the newest version of OS X, called OS X Mavericks. Yes, HR...
Read MoreeQuest Releases Advantage Network as First Tool from New Recruitment Suite
As the inaugural tool for eQuest's Big Data recruitment suite, Advantage Network provides unlimited job postings through high-traffic career sites, such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo. These free career sites are also monitored by eQuest's Big Data performance software directly posted jobs to reach only those employment sites with the best monthly performance for the specific job details and...
Read More5 Steps for a Charming Interview Follow-Up Technique
So you've done the impossible in this incredibly competitive modern job market and aced an interview for a plum position you really hope you're hired for. What next? You most likely already know that you need to follow up with the company in some way, shape, or form. However, you may be unsure of exactly how to go about it in order to achieve best results. You're right to be worrying...
Read MoreGrooming without Mirrors: The Primate Roots of Social Media and Recruiting Success
When our remotest ancestors were still gorillas in the mist, they neither had nor needed mirrors, Facebook, LinkedIn or any other social media. Any troop member that needed or wanted to connect with another enjoyed the circumstance that others were usually and literally within reach. Moreover, much of that communication comprised information about and confirmation of one's social rank...
Read MoreAdam Smith and the Anatomy of the Division of Labor
The two things that immediately spring to mind when Adam Smith is ever mentioned are "invisible hand" and "division of labor". But is the concept of "the division of labor", like labor itself, divisible? JPT DIAGRAMS OF DIVISION OF LABOR/Concept and image: Michael Moffa Without raising the question about whether it is useful to conceptually divide invisible hands into left or...
Read MoreUsing New Knowledge on Potential to Reach Your Career Goals
What are the first things to pop into your head when you are considering those things that best set you apart from the competition? Academic accomplishments? Job experience? Professional awards and recognition? At first glance, it does seem reasonable and apparently obvious that showcasing achievements is the best way to go about differentiating yourself and demonstrating your advantages as a...
Read MoreBe More Productive in 4 Easy Steps
The problem with earning extra money while you start or change your career, or even while working a full-time day job, is that free time is not easy to come by. Whether it's starting a side business (with ambitions of becoming a full-time gig), or moonlighting as a freelancer to support your family or start up your new career, it can be an unending juggling act to balance multiple income-bearing...
Read MoreSurvey Shows 3 of 5 Employees Would Leave Jobs for Competitive Offer
According to a recent report from Aerotk Inc, leading provider of recruiting and staffing services, three out of five employees would leave their current position for a competitive offer. The company says this is concerning news for employers who need to make hiring decisions for 3.8 million open jobs. Although the survey results showed a positive correlation between employee development and...
Read MoreHealthcare Reform Could Substantially Slow Small-Business Hiring
A small-business survey from Gallup has found that over 40 percent of U.S. small businesses may put off hiring new employees until the full implications of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) are understood. For the survey, a small business is one with less than $20 million in annual sales or revenue or fewer than 200 full-time employees. The PPACA stipulates that smaller...
Read MoreAndroid, iOS App to Provide Unique Workforce Solutions for Mobile Productivity
A new suite of mobile apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices from Jive Software, Inc. are offering workforce solutions for employees using Jive but requiring it on their smartphones and tablets. The new mobile technology allows users to create content, search for information, find experts, and take action for their devices. Users can also use the platform to create work documents on the go...
Read MoreCan Mentoring Ease Generational Tension in The Workplace?
Now I am not suggesting that there is a full-scale generational war going on in the workplace, but few would argue with the existence of a generational gap within the four generations (Veterans, Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y) – which can lead to some degree of disconnect. Take the findings of the 2011 poll by the SHRM, reported in the Fiscal Times, which showed some of these differences. For...
Read MoreHow to Understand your Compensation Package
When you are negotiating compensation for a new job, you should be aware that salary is only one component of this compensation. It is likely that your new employer will offer you what is known as a "compensation package," which is a collection of incentives and benefits that combine to create the total value of the position. It is important that you carefully take into consideration all of the...
Read MoreGamification Platform Released for Corporate Wellness Programs
UR Mobile has released an online wellness platform that uses game theory to encourage engagement in health and wellness programs at work. The new Wellabe platform is designed to work side-by-side with existing wellness programs or as a standalone product. Wellabe offers participants rewards in exchange for making small, healthy choices to improve their lifestyles. The platforms' environment is...
Read More6 Work-From-Home Jobs
Popular telecommuting jobs site FlexJobs reported that between 2007 and 2010, the site experienced a 400 percent increase in job postings denoting a remarkable increase in work-from-home positions in addition to other positions with flexible hours. In explanation, FlexJobs founder Sara Sutton Fell stated that much of this increase was due to companies cutting costs through offering more...
Read MoreHow to Streamline Global Recruitment
Streamlining global recruitment can be very challenging, especially for organizations that have dealt with resisted human capitalization changes in the past. Global recruitment is the norm these days, simply because everybody in the business world is seizing the increasingly border-less business landscape today. There is no other sensible thing to do but to expand internationally and hire on...
Read MoreRecruiter Pride: Nothing Like Vanity
Chet's parents are proud of his acceptance at Harvard. A Bronx taxi driver is proud of his Yankees. A Marine's sister is proud of her medal-winning brother who braved cross-fire to rescue a wounded buddy. CNN's Anderson Cooper declares he is proud to be gay. Tyson is proud of his knockouts. A gang-banger is proud of his tattoos. Apple takes pride in its product line. Recruiters are...
Read MoreMost HR Leaders "Overwhelmed" by Increasing Complexity of their Roles
A research study conducted by Personnel Today has found that 61 percent of Human Resources leaders strongly agree that their roles have become more complex within the past several years and 52 percent said that they lacked the ability to fully cope with the deluge. In addition to increasing complexity, 60 percent of respondents also reported that they did not have full confidence in how their...
Read MoreFired? Take these 5 Steps to Recover
It happens to many people, and more especially during a downturn economy. Companies look for little ways they can let go of employees, and sometimes, it can come as a sudden shock for those employees. In fact many have no idea its coming until they are sitting in the office and hearing the ax fall. So what do you do when you suddenly find yourself fired? 1. Go home and freak out (a little)....
Read MoreADP Shows Age a Big Issue in Health Care Benefits
The recently released 2013 ADP Annual Health Benefits Report has revealed that older employees are experiencing an ever increasing rate of enrollment in health care benefits while enrollment for younger workers is declining. Such shifts are likely to prompt employers to change their benefits plans in order to lower health care costs in the wake of provisions of the Patient Protection and...
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