4 Tips for Senior Job Seekers Living with Disabilities

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If you find yourself looking for a new job while in retirement, you’re not alone. Many seniors are trading in leisure time for extra income, but finding a position after retiring can be overwhelming if you’re not sure where to start. If you are a senior living with a disability, the process can be even more challenging. To take the stress out of your job search, and make your re-entrance into the workforce feel well-informed, Blue Signal invites you to consider these important tips.

Update Your Resume 

While self-employment options, like owning your own business, may be the most flexible employment option, it may not be the most convenient. For many seniors looking for post-retirement employment, a part-time position with an established company may be their best bet. Companies like Liberty Tax Service, H&M, and TJX (whom you know as the conglomerate of Marshalls, HomeGoods, and T.J. Maxx) are top-rated when it comes to hiring those 65 and older. However, to get interviews and snag one of those positions you’ll need to update your resume.

Resumes help make the first impression on employers, so you need to make sure yours stands out from the stack. If it’s been a while since you’ve updated your resume, using an online resume tool can help you choose the best design and layout to grab the attention of potential employers. Nevertheless, updating your resume doesn’t have to be an overwhelming task. To make sure your resume stands out, keep it simple by creating a one-page highlight reel of your previous employment, emphasizing any metrics or measurable accomplishments. Then, pair your updated resume with a cover letter so you can address employment gaps due to your retirement or other life events. An updated resume and cover letter will give you a strong start to your job search.

Know Where to Look for Senior Jobs

Crafting a powerhouse resume and cover letter can help you land a job in retirement, but you have to find open positions before you can send your updated materials to potential employers. If you have a smartphone, be sure to download job seeker apps that will allow you to browse open positions from anywhere. LinkedIn is a great tool for applicants to use, and this social media site can also help you connect with recruiters and hiring managers. Be sure to follow companies like Blue Signal on LinkedIn to stay up to date with their announcements and tips, helping you continually learn about best practices in the digital job searching space. These recruiting firms specialize in finding the right candidate for the right job, and often post best practices for job seekers on their social media.

Of course, to make the most of your job search, it helps to know which companies may be looking for employable seniors. From Pfizer to Wells Fargo to Amazon, there are quite a few reputable companies actively seeking candidates who are senior and wiser for a variety of positions.

Understand Your Rights and Legal Protections

If you are a senior, you should be armed with the basics needed to find a perfect post-retirement job. Since you are looking for a position as a senior with a disability, you should also be knowledgeable of the labor laws that apply to you. Federal laws prohibit employers from discriminating against you due to your age. This law only applies to employees or potential employees who are over the age of 40, but a potential employer should never ask about your age in an interview. When job searching, look for companies that champion diversity and inclusion efforts; like at Blue Signal, where they refer all candidates on the basis on qualification rather than age or ability.

In addition to legal age protection as a senior, you are also subject to protections for disabilities. Much like age discrimination, businesses cannot base employment decisions on your disability alone. If you’re hired, they must make reasonable accommodations to make your work environment more accommodating to your disability. Understanding your rights and legal protections will benefit you greatly when looking for a job in retirement.

Senior Blog Graphic

Consider Working for Yourself

When job searching, it’s important to consider if working for someone else is your best option. Many seniors who are living with disabilities and looking for extra income have found it easier to pursue entrepreneurship instead of traditional employment. One of the most lucrative, low-risk options for working on your own is to start an e-commerce business. You can even begin your small business from home, which can be a bonus if you have limited mobility. Use this ecommerce startup guide from ecommerCEO to learn more about whether this kind of business is right for you.

Of course, e-commerce is not your only viable option. There are many small businesses that can work well for seniors, from bookkeeping services to freelance writing or even operating your own food truck. Best of all, launching a business has never been easier, especially if you take advantage of online business formation packages that take a lot of guesswork out of the process. In most cases, you can have your business registered and setup in as few as five steps.

Conclusion

Whether you need extra income for medical expenses or want more to do during the day, working in retirement can be a smart choice. Finding a job shouldn’t add more stress to your life, so be sure to follow the tips above to make your search a simpler process. There are resources at your disposal if you know where to look. Better yet, there are people out there who want to help you through this process. If you need some extra help, you can reach out to Blue Signal to work with one of their expert recruiters. Above all, try to find work that will make you happy while you make more money in retirement.

More about Patrick Young of AbleUSA

Patrick Young is an educator and activist. He believes people with disabilities must live within a unique set of circumstances--the outside world often either underestimates them or ignores their needs altogether. He created AbleUSA to offer helpful resources to people with disabilities and to provide advice on navigating various aspects of life as a person with disabilities.

 

2021 Jobs on the Rise: How 2020 Shaped New Trends and Created a Surge In Demand

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As we settle into 2021, it has become evident how much has shifted in the workforce - especially considering what jobs are in demand. 2020, the year of unprecedented times, has brought us a completely new list of roles and industries that are rapidly hiring and ready to be capitalized on. Diversity and inclusion consulting roles, for example, have drastically increased as businesses seek dedicated staff behind these crucial initiatives. Flexible schedules and more positions offering work from home options have also played a big part in the job market further opening up. Big cities such as New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C. still lead with the majority of open jobs, but there is much more freedom when it comes to job hunting compared to a year ago. The spike in the number of open roles and those looking for work also directly relates to the high amount of layoffs that took place in early 2020. Those who were laid off or took time to be at home with family due to the pandemic are now looking to enter back into the workforce as the vaccine is being adopted and those roles are reopening. In this blog, Blue Signal breaks down specific industry trends to look at what caused such an increased demand in jobs, specifically within D&I, healthcare, E-commerce and marketing, tax roles, and education.

Industry Trends:

Navigating 2020 was new territory for everyone - while some industries and businesses were hit harder than others, everyone was forced to pivot and adjust as best they could. The hospitality industry for example, faced one of the biggest hits across all industries, but it was incredible to see how these entertainment businesses were able to reimagine their brand and service offerings to match the needs of consumers. In a previous blog, we shared how food and beverage companies rose to the challenge, with some global distilleries shifting production from vodka and gin to hand sanitizer. LinkedIn recently created a list of the most in-demand jobs for 2021 and they found that while fields such as aviation and hospitality were affected the most, other areas like healthcare, education, and finance had to drastically ramp up hiring to meet increased demand. 

Diversity and Inclusion Jobs

Diversity and Inclusion Jobs

Across all industries, large or small, businesses are recognizing the necessary action they must take when it comes to being vocal and thoughtful about D&I within their own organizations. For a lot of businesses, this is something they are dealing with publically for the first time. After the Black Lives Matter movement and many other global civil rights campaigns that took place last year, companies are speaking to their customers’ and audiences’ interests, and making plans to support these causes internally. To carry out these mission statements, many companies are seeking to hire professionals in new roles and even full departments, to develop and manage these policies and actions surrounding diversity and inclusion. Indeed reported that “Between September 2019 and September 2020, Indeed job postings in diversity, inclusion and belonging have risen 56.3%—from 140 jobs per million to 219. More significantly, after the U.S. economy declined in Spring 2020, the DI&B industry recovered quickly, with job postings rising by an astonishing 123% between May and September.” For examples and actionable advice on how your company can go about D&I initiatives head-on, check out our recent blogs on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Blue Signal and The Importance of Diversity & Inclusion in Recruiting, where we mention what we’re doing to enforce this change both internally and within the recruitment industry as a whole.  

  • Workplace Diversity Experts
    • Increased Demand: Last year, companies large and small turned to diversity experts to help bring new voices into their organizations. Hiring for these roles increased more than 90% since 2019.
    • Top Job Titles: Common job titles include Diversity Manager, Diversity Officer, Head of Diversity, and Diversity Coordinator.
    • Top Locations Hiring: Popular hiring locations include New York City, San Francisco, and Chicago. 
    • Salary Range: The average salary ranges from $72,900 to about $97,000. 

Healthcare Jobs

Healthcare Jobs

Not surprisingly, the healthcare industry has completely opened up and still seems to have a never-ending demand for staff, specialists, researchers, and volunteers due to the global health crisis. This has created a huge increase in opportunity and, for those who were contemplating making a career change into the medical field, it could not have come at a better time. Due to such an uptick in urgency for professionals like these, it is the easiest it’s ever been to make this transition, with quicker onboarding processes and more options for accelerated certifications and education programs available. Seaman says, “Many of these roles can be trained for remotely and don’t require a four-year degree.” Though front-line workers such as medical assistants and physicians are always in demand, another newcomer to these highly sought-after positions is in home health. When friends and family members weren’t able to visit their loved ones in nursing homes and assisted living facilities for months at a time, many families sought new plans for their elders’ care. Even though assisted living staff is still in high demand, at-home care workers have quickly grown in need as people would prefer their loved ones to be recovering at a private home rather than in a shared living space in close quarters with others.

  • Healthcare Supporting Staff
    • Increased Demand: Hiring for these positions has increased more than 34% within 25 titles since 2019. 
    • Top Job Titles: Health Care Assistant, Pharmacy Technician, Dental Assistant, and Home Health Aide are among the most common professional titles. 
    • Top Skills: On average, skills such as Patient Education, Data Entry, and Physician Relations tend to be of the most in-demand within the space.
    • Salary Range: The average salary within this field falls between $65,300 and $106,000.

 

  • Nurses
    • Increased Demand: Nurses are the backbone of the healthcare system and through the pandemic have been in demand more than ever, growing nearly 30% since 2019.
    • Top Job Titles: Roles such as Registered Nurse, Certified Nursing Assistant, Nurse Practitioner, and Intensive Care Nurse are some of the top positions hiring. 
    • Top Locations Hiring: New York City, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia have proven to be the most in-demand due to their larger population density. 
    • Salary Range: The average salary for these roles ranges from $73,000 to $111,000.

 

  • Mental Health Specialists
    • Increased Demand: With last year’s mental health crisis caused by the pandemic, hiring for these roles grew nearly 24% in 2020.
    • Top Job Titles: Roles such as Behavior Therapists, Mental Health Specialists, Psychotherapists, and Mental Health Technicians have all increased in demand.
    • Top Locations Hiring: Boston, San Francisco, and New York City have seen the largest surge. 
    • Salary Range: The average salary for these roles ranges from $41,600 to $65,000.

E-commerce and Digital Opportunities

E-commerce and Digital Opportunities

As we’ve predicted since the beginning of the internet, the ability to generate online business and establish a digital brand presence proved itself to be not only beneficial, but a necessity, throughout the pandemic. The results were clear, businesses that had already established their E-comm brand online and invested in digital marketing and brand awareness prior to the global shutdown, skyrocketed. Those who were unable to pivot and redirect their business online found it difficult to stay afloat. The new wave of online and virtual communities has also brought in many ideas that led to new entrants to the space. Social media and digital marketing professionals, as well as graphic designers, web developers, and AI engineers are in high demand now more than ever as businesses pivot their focus toward updated and user-friendly websites. With the E-commerce world hitting record numbers - shipping and fulfillment jobs reactively increased in demand, too. Products are being consumed online in never before seen volumes, and as a result businesses are essentially required to order more inventory, invest in larger warehouse space, and hire more staff to support these larger volumes of picking, packing, shipping, returns, and customer service jobs.   

  • Frontline E-commerce Workers
    • Increased Demand: Hiring grew 73% YOY — and that demand continues with over 400,000 open jobs today!
    • Top Job Titles: Most openings within e-commerce are for professional titles like Driver, Supply Chain Associate, Package Handler, and Personal Shopper.
    • Top Locations Hiring: In the bigger cities, the demand seems to be highest with Chicago, New York City, and Washington, D.C. topping the list.
    • Salary Range: The average salary for these positions falls between $42,000 and $56,000. 

 

  • Business Development and Sales Professionals
    • Increased Demand: Tasked with quickly adapting to an uncertain world and economy, hiring grew more than 45% between 2020 and 2019. 
    • Top Job Titles: In-demand professional titles include Sales Consultant, Sales Operations Assistant, Inbound Sales Specialist, and Strategic Advisor.
    • Top Locations Hiring: The top locations hiring remain in larger cities such as New York City, Denver, and Atlanta.
    • Salary Range: The average salary ranges from $43,300 to $105,000.

 

  • Digital Marketing Professionals
    • Increased Demand: Hiring for digital marketing roles grew nearly 33% YOY vastly due to the pandemic and increase of people remaining inside and at home.
    • Top Job Titles: Digital Marketing Specialist, Social Media Manager, and Search Engine Optimization Specialist are titles commonly looking to hire. 
    • Top Locations Hiring: Cities such as New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles tend to be hiring hot spots. 
    • Salary Range: The average salary for these roles ranges from $48,000 to $96,0000.

 

  • Digital Content Creators
    • Increased Demand: From TikTok to YouTube, and blogs to podcasts, the demand for digital content creators grew 49% year-over-year. 
    • Top Job Titles: Roles such as Content Coordinators, Writing Consultants, Podcasters, and Bloggers have been the most in-demand. 
    • Top Locations Hiring: New York City, Chicago, and Atlanta have seen the biggest surge. 
    • Salary Range: The average salary for these roles ranges from $46,000 to $62,400.

 

  • Specialized Engineers
    • Increased Demand: Most business and casual interactions moved online during the height of the pandemic, causing engineering roles to grow by nearly 25%. 
    • Top Job Titles: Common titles to look for include Web Developer, Full Stack Engineer, Frontend Developer, and Game Developer.
    • Top Locations Hiring: San Francisco, New York City, and Washington, D.C. tend to be hiring hot spots though the field has a high remote work availability. 
    • Salary Range: The average salary for these roles ranges from $77,500 to $104,000.

 

  • User Experience Professionals
    • Increased Demand: Demand for people who specialize in how people interact with these technologies grew 20% between 2019 and 2020. 
    • Top Job Titles: User Experience Designer, Product Design Consultant, and User Interface Designer roles have seen the biggest spike. 
    • Top Locations Hiring: Cities such as San Francisco, New York City, and Seattle have been the most in-demand. 
    • Salary Range: The average salary for these roles ranges from $80,000 to $103,000.

 

  • Data Scientists
    • Increased Demand: Brought on by the pandemic, some businesses leaned more heavily on data scientists with hiring growing nearly 46% since 2019.
    • Top Job Titles: Common titles include Data Scientist, Data Science Specialist, and Data Management Analyst.
    • Top Locations Hiring: Specific hiring hotspots include Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and New York City.
    • Salary Range: The average salary for these roles ranges from $100,000 to $130,000.

 

  • Artificial Intelligence Engineers 
    • Increased Demand: The profession of artificial intelligence (AI) was booming well before the pandemic hit but the industry did not slow down last year. Hiring in this area grew 32% between 2019 and 2020.
    • Top Job Titles: Titles such as Machine Learning Engineer, Artificial Intelligence Specialist, and Machine Learning Researcher have all seen increased demand. 
    • Top Locations Hiring: San Francisco, New York City, and Seattle tend to be common hiring locations for this field. 
    • Salary Range: The average salary for these roles ranges from $124,000 to $150,000.

Roles for Tax Professionals

Roles for Tax Professionals

Tax season seems to be a hectic time of year no matter the case, but this year is drastically unique. 2021 has seen a significant increase in people seeking professional help with filing taxes due to all the new and additional steps that have arisen from the pandemic and subsequent housing market. While the year began with a low unemployment rate of 3.5%, by April that figure had soared to 14.7% amid business shutdowns. A staggering number of 70 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits since the beginning of the pandemic last year, which creates a whole new tax situation many are unfamiliar with. Small businesses are also finding themselves in new territory after applying for and leveraging SBA loans. Even smaller claims from those who received stimulus checks has caused people who may not usually seek out tax help to reconsider this year. Another big factor playing into the overwhelming need for tax advice and services was the drastic change in the housing market. With interest rates at a record low, people were buying homes like crazy and homeowners were refinancing their properties to get better rates. Both instances caused homeowners, new and old, to search for professional assistance. 

  • Loan and Mortgage Experts
    • Increased Demand: From 2019, hiring within this industry increased nearly 59%. 
    • Top Job Titles: The majority of openings within the Loan and Mortgage space include Underwriter, Mortgage Loan Officer, Escrow Officer, Loan Closer.
    • Top Locations Hiring: Cities such as New York City, Dallas, and Chicago tend to be the hiring hot spots. 
    • Salary Range: The average salary within this field falls between $43,700 and $60,000.

Education & Career Coaching Jobs

Education & Career Coaching Jobs

In the midst of the pandemic, schools and universities and even coaching professionals were tasked with a major overhaul to quickly rethink their systems and completely reshape the way they operate and educate. This resulted in an increase in demand for the industry as a whole as virtual education and coaching became much more accessible. Many individuals found the time to go back to school during quarantine and those who were laid off realized the benefits of having an advanced degree in their field. Personal and career coaches also saw a major increase in demand when the state of the pandemic caused many people to reevaluate the direction of their careers, lives, and beyond. Professionals who specialize in life coaching and career planning became hot commodities, surging the industry and becoming extremely in demand today. Virtual learning has proved to be increasingly successful and incredibly advanced as those in the space continue to streamline their processes. This new age of coaching and educating will most likely change the way we learn, not just temporarily, but for the future to come. 

  • Education Professionals
    • Increased Demand: Within the education industry, overall hiring grew more than 20% between 2019 and 2020.
    • Top Job Titles: Common positions include Teaching Assistant, Elementary School Teacher, Mathematics Tutor, and Curriculum Developer.
    • Top Locations Hiring: Even with remote options available, top hiring locations remain New York City, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.
    • Salary Range: The average salary for these roles ranges from $46,500 to $63,200.

  • Personal and Career Coaches
    • Increased Demand: Due to the seismic events of 2020, hiring for coaching roles increased more than 51% since 2019.
    • Top Job Titles: Titles such as Career Coordinator, Life Coach, Fitness Coach, and Business Coach are all commonly sought after.
    • Top Locations Hiring: Cities with an increase in demand include New York City, Houston, and Boston.
    • Salary Range: The average salary for these roles ranges from $44,300 to $50,000.

With the novel and constantly changing climate of the workforce today, it’s important to adjust and pivot accordingly when it comes to the next steps in your career. Whether you are someone who is looking to make an industry move, or calculate a secure pivot within your existing field, referencing this list can help you dial into a more targeted role and show which skills to highlight. For example, those who have worked in retail will want to hone skills in E-commerce, customer service, and brand marketing to stay competitive in their field. If you have a background in Human Resources, focusing on your skills and experience facilitating D&I initiatives and overcoming challenges in this area could be a smart move. No matter the industry or career path you are on, our recruiters at Blue Signal can help you capitalize on the demand facing your industry. Reach out to us for guidance, or check out our website for tons of helpful resources such as open job boards, industry-specific trends, and blog posts on how to enhance your resume, brand yourself online, or nail an upcoming interview.        

 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Blue Signal

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As we look to the future - in our industries, in our communities, and even globally - the prioritization of diversity, equity, and inclusion are necessary to truly reach our full potential. This sounds like a pretty hefty undertaking, but as it has been proven in numerous studies, there is still much work to do surrounding representation across the board. It is really just the beginning. The good news? The success that is ahead may prove bigger than we can imagine. 

In recruiting, talent acquisition, and the business of overall talent capital, we have a duty to set the example and kickstart the process at the beginning - starting with hiring. As recruiters, Blue Signal recognizes its role in championing workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion - for our clients, candidates, and internally for our colleagues. We pledge to work diligently to ensure the hiring experience is free from discrimination and unconscious bias - and here is how. 

 

Where We Have Been 

"Blue Signal refers all candidates on the basis of qualifications rather than age, sex, creed, color, nationality, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, or ability." Our policy can be found directly on our website and it is the guideline by which we seek to approach the future. From the top down, we are looking to continuously improve our organization - and in turn, the organizations we support. 

We strive to support our core value of excellence, and our commitment to innovation - especially when it comes to our own hiring practices. Since our inception in 2016, we have hovered around a nearly 50% female workforce. This is much higher than the industry average of 25%. 

Additionally, we founded our very own Blue Signal Women of the Workplace (BSS WOW) initiative in 2019 with the purpose of promoting education, connection, and empowerment for women (and those who support strong women) and their contributions to the broader goals of Blue Signal - and beyond! The BSS WOW group has supported equity and inclusion advocacy within Blue Signal itself, and also within our greater Arizona community. BSS WOW partnered with Live and Learn AZ in 2020 to provide women who are victims of generational poverty in our local community with resume writing support and job application tools to help them in their own goals of breaking out of the cycle of poverty. Today, we meet regularly to discuss ideas and strategize ways to improve our own organization, and support women both internally and externally when it comes to professional development and representation within the workforce. 

As a starting point, we continue to seek resolution to the gender disparity we see throughout the tech industry. It is in our roots and it is a major theme in our future plans. We want to set an example within our own organization, practice what we preach, and then arm our clients and candidates with tools of their own to further develop more mindful gender equity practices in their own organizations. However, gender disparity is only one small portion of the work we have ahead. 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Blue Signal Blog Graphic

Where We Are Going 

Blue Signal has never shied away from a challenge, so we started by having the uncomfortable conversations and tackling our own unconscious biases when it comes to several other faucets of DEI. As CEO, Matt Walsh put so fervently in his Letter on Diversity, “diversity drives innovation, and we believe a truly diverse and inclusive workplace requires an ongoing process backed by action to stay at the forefront of progression. To do so, calls for a meeting of many minds that collaborate across identities and cultures.” And that is exactly what we did. 

Last month, Blue Signal launched its first ever DEI Committee to discuss feelings, experiences, ideas, and action plans for further supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the organization. We discussed what we have seen other companies doing, and what we can do starting today. We planned company-wide DEI trainings and found certifications surrounding equitable hiring practices that we plan to implement as a mandatory part of our own onboarding. We circulated educational materials, like this informative glossary of terms, to expand our knowledge base and open the door to pose new questions, and formulate new solutions. 

The DEI Committee looked back on past placements, examined the data, and determined where we had room to improve as far as who we represent. We found that in all our past searches, we represented what we estimate to be an average of 35% diverse candidates. Alarmingly, the average percentage of diverse candidates in tech roles today is around that same ratio (about 28%). We want to be well above industry averages in all that we do. 

Ultimately, we are seeking to educate ourselves and in turn, empower our clients and candidates so that we can make the biggest impact possible for DEI within hiring. We want to become a resource when it comes to DEI practices - whether that is educating hiring managers on unconscious bias in the interview process, or promoting diverse candidates as equitably as we promote our white, heteronormative/cisnormative candidates. With the right tools, we have the power to change the course of our industry and we take that challenge very seriously.

Conclusion 

Matt said it best, “Blue Signal’s commitment is to innovation. Our commitment is to diversifying our relationships and promoting equality. And our commitment is to empower our employees to be excellent, within the recruiting industry, our communities, and beyond.” As we continue to grow, learn, and change as an organization, we want to make an intentional path forward. We will focus on what we can do - whether that is on our individual desks, with our own candidates and clients, or within the industry overall - by endorsing education throughout. 

We encourage you to reach out and collaborate with us on this mission. Tell us about what your organization is doing to champion workplace diversity, to encourage equity, and truly foster inclusion. Or rather, tell us what they are not doing so we can learn from that, too. Follow along with us on this journey as we create a better professional world for ourselves, our organizations, our communities, and most importantly - those colleagues who are underrepresented. 

Benefits and Incentives Job Seekers Actually Care About

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With the popularity of unique perks on the rise among employees, we know that the initial job prospect and salary are not the only things attracting job seekers to a new role. According to a study by Glassdoor, about 60% of people report that benefits and perks are a major factor in considering whether to accept a job offer. Common perks and benefits that companies offer include monetary perks, like bonuses; travel perks, like paid trips; and philanthropy, like charitable donations made in the employee’s name. Some companies are renowned for their extravagant employee perks, like Google’s free gourmet food, massages, fitness classes, and gyms. Social media management company, Hootsuite, offers a nap room and a yoga studio inside of their office building, while Facebook offers four-month paid parental leave with a $4,000 “Baby Cash” bonus. While these perks seem fun and inviting, we wanted to know, do employees actually find them as a motivating factor when deciding which  company to work for? Back in January, we asked our nearly 100K LI followers which perks are the most incentivizing — 79% of people voted for monetary perks, 18% voted for travel perks, and 3% voted for philanthropy. Let’s explore what this tells us about the current candidate pool and their driving factors.

Employee Benefits Poll Results

Monetary Perks - Like Bonuses

According to our LI poll, 79% of people chose monetary perks as the benefit they see most incentivizing from an employer. Monetary perks can be offered in various forms, such as performance bonuses, year-end/holiday bonuses, or periodic raises. The preference for financial incentives may be because money is a tangible reward for specific behavior - whether it’s achieving sales goals or completing a project. Financial benefits are also less restrictive than other perks (compared to company vacations or philanthropic donations), and give employees the freedom to spend their reward according to their choosing. Additionally, these benefits are often more sustainable than other trendy office perks. With more than half of the American workforce working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in-office perks don’t hold as much value as they once did. Monetary perks can also increase productivity and inspire better morale. A 2018 study by Genesis Associates showed that 85% of surveyed employees felt an increase in motivation when offered a monetary incentive. When used as an added bonus, monetary perks can inspire healthy competition and stronger work ethic to attain a specific goal. Although financial incentives aren’t feasible for every company, implementing them in some way may be incredibly beneficial to your employees and new talent you’re looking to hire.

Travel Perks - Like Paid Trips or Unlimited Paid Time Off

While monetary perks are fairly commonplace, travel perks such as paid trips or unlimited paid time off are more rare. According to the Journal of Economic Psychology, "when given the choice in the abstract, employees generally choose cash rewards over non-cash rewards.” However, the benefits of vacation perks may be more valuable than its monetary counterpart. Vacation perks can significantly improve employees' mental health, help avoid burnout, and increase employee retention. It has been found that 75% of employees are experiencing burnout, largely due to not taking advantage of their paid vacation days. The U.S. Travel Association reported more than half of Americans (55%) are not using their paid time off, and consequently failed to use 768 million vacation days in 2018. Despite the unused PTO, the employees aren’t entirely to blame; companies often offer unlimited vacation time as an enticing perk up front but later guilt their employees for taking advantage of it, which further perpetuates the problem. To experience less burnout and higher employee satisfaction, companies need to offer flexible, shame-free vacation perks. 

Company vacations recognize the employees’ hard work and dedication to the company with a trip they may not have taken otherwise. For 18% of our LinkedIn voters, the gift of travel or vacation is appreciated more than money. Consequently, company vacations or travel incentive programs can increase productivity by 18%. The promise of a paid vacation can boost morale and lessen stress - which in turn, boosts productivity. Company vacations can almost promote team building by allowing coworkers to bond out of the office, in a less stressful environment. However, be cautious when building travel package rewards based solely on sales numbers, as it may be a deterrent for those in the company not directly involved in sales. Creating a similar contest, or implementing unlimited vacation time company-wide could be a valuable alternative. 

Philanthropy - Like Donations 

Employees are starting to pay attention to corporate social responsibility and how their current (or future) employer takes part. In 2016, Fortune Magazine published a survey of more than 2,000 workers that looked at the impact a company’s charitable gifts had on the workforce. They found that nearly two-thirds of Millennials were more likely to work for a company that gives to charity than one that does not. Corporate philanthropy includes companies from all industries, sizes, and sectors with a general focus on empowering communities, addressing global challenges, or protecting the planet. While participating in philanthropy checks off the box for some, others want to see how consistent the company is with backing up their mission. Employees are more likely to gravitate towards supporting causes that align with their personal values, and would like their employer to follow suit. Employers that push political agendas through philanthropy are less likely to be supported, and have the potential to cause internal (and external) backlash. Choosing a cause that is politically neutral and aligns with your employee demographic and interests is mutually beneficial to both employers and employees.

A great way to actively participate in philanthropy as a company is to create programs that employees can directly take part in. According to Givinga, “philanthropy programs that directly involve employees help create deeper connections and increase employee engagement.” When employees’ values align with the organization their company is supporting, they are more likely to be involved. Our team at Blue Signal participates in Blue Signal Gives Back, an annual company-wide incentive contest that benefits the charity or nonprofit of the winner’s choosing. Giving back to the community is a shared passion among our employees, and each year we work to incorporate those values into what we do as a company. Even though only 3% of our LinkedIn followers voted for philanthropy, we believe demand for philanthropic incentives will continue to grow. Not only does participating in philanthropy support a higher cause, it can also help your company attract and retain top-talent.

Conclusion

Attracting the most skilled candidates will take more than a competitive salary and insurance package. In this candidate-driven market, today’s top talent is looking for those additional perks to sell them on your company. In addition to recruiting, all three of these perks are proven to improve employee engagement and retention. If you’re wondering which perk(s) to implement, try reaching out directly to your employees - sending out an anonymous survey to get direct feedback on what your employees would like to see can be greatly advantageous. Utilize this blog and our other employee retention tips to attract and maintain top talent at your company.

Coffee with a Recruiter, feat. Jared Wenzel – Resume Best Practices

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Senior Account Manager, Jared Wenzel is Blue Signal’s own one-stop shop for healthcare and managed care talent. He has 10 years of recruiting and consulting experience, making him an expert in strategy, talent development, and even resumes. In this segment of Coffee with a Recruiter, Jared tackles common resume queries that can help you stand out as the best of the best among any applicant pool. 

Question: Do I need a one-page resume?

Answer: “If the rumors about recruiters and hiring managers only reviewing resumes for a few seconds each, if those are true then yes I definitely believe you need to have a one-page resume. In regards to a lot of resumes that I see, many of them look like the person just copy and pasted their job description right into the body of the resume. While that does show an overview of what you can do, what’s really important is showing measurable accomplishments, any type of metrics, anything that you can show that you can stand out from the rest of the resumes is definitely a good way to go. 

Really what it should look like is less like a job description and more like your own personal highlight reel. The best way to do that is really just to cut the fluff. I always think of “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo” - what sparks joy? What would spark joy in the minds of a hiring manager? What do they want to see? Well they want to see that not only can you do the job, but you can excel in the position. And I think showing measurable accomplishments and metrics is really going to make you stand out from the other applicants that just, again, copy and pasted the job description into the body of the resume.”

 

Q: How can I get hiring managers and recruiters to see my resume?

A: “That is a very good question! And one that I get asked a lot, because it seems like no matter how many times you send out a resume, sometimes it can be very hard to hear back from people. The truth is that oftentimes there’s a lot of people - could be hundreds of people - applying for the same job. So it’s really important to get your resume to stick out to those recruiters and hiring managers. 

For me as a recruiter, when I’m searching for somebody I’m going to be taking the position description and breaking it down into specific keywords that hopefully I’ll find on a resume or a LinkedIn profile. I think what you need to make sure is that you have keywords that are industry-term specific, like any type of business associations that you are in. Acronyms are great. I also think it’s very important to spell out those acronyms, not everyone is as familiar as you are with the industry. Anything ranging from the technology you have used, how you measure your metrics, anything like that is important. It can really identify the specific industry or position that you are looking for. 

There are resume optimization tools and certain websites where you can upload your resume and upload the position description. They’ll actually grade it by how many keywords are found based on your resume compared to the position description and give you recommendations on how to improve your resume to increase visualization. Many organizations will actually have tools that will scan resumes and grade them individually. If you don’t meet a certain grade your resume is getting kicked to the trash can, and the other ones are making it through. So tools like this are really helpful to kind of make sure that your resume can get more visibility. (Jared’s personal pick can be accessed here!) 

And once you have your resume in front of them, kind of a neat little tip is to highlight - I wouldn’t go yellow highlight - but you can bold, underline, or italicize certain metrics or measurable accomplishments that you want to make sure that human resources or hiring manager sees. Anything that draws their eye is going to grab their attention. So again, underlining, italicizing, or even bolding certain key metrics to make sure someone sees them, is a good way to get someones eyes directly where you want them to be.”

 

Q: What are some ways to take my resume to the next level?

A: “There are a number of ways which you can take your resume to the next level. First one may seem pretty obvious, but it is making regular updates to your resume. Especially as accomplishments are fresh in your mind, it’s easier to jot things down and especially make them more accurate. Now I’m totally about, you know, approximations when it comes to metrics, but obviously if you can capture them as you’ve completed them, it’s just going to make your resume look more accurate. And - no one likes to have to scramble and make updates to their resume, and look back and try to dig up all these old metrics. Especially if you find yourself without a job. So, keeping your resume current - updating it quarterly, or at the very least annually. When you’re doing your annual reviews with your direct report it's a really good time to grab those metrics and jot them down on your resume. 

The next one is to use a thesaurus. I’ve seen “dynamic” be used on so many resumes. Just put that into Google, put it into a thesaurus, and look up some variances of different words. It’s just going to make you look much more intellectual if you can throw in a couple words other than “strong,” or “innovative,” or one of the long list of cliche, descriptive adjectives people use for their resumes. Try to find something a little bit unique, and something that maybe fits your personality a little bit better too. 

I’m always a big fan of editing for consistency. You know, get down to your bullet points - do they have periods or are they open ended? Is your font consistent all the way through? How are your margins? Little things like this. I see typos all the time. Really just making sure, and keeping a close eye on things not only shows that you can be a meticulous person. Proofread, I think it goes a long way. And really, it looks way worse on a person when they find typos in resumes or in thank you notes, or anything else like that. Send it off to somebody else if you need someone to proofread it. If you see the red squiggly mark, it means it’s spelled wrong! So, try to fix that. You know, take a fine-toothed comb and go through your resume and make sure everything is pretty consistent. 

A little bonus tip for everybody, grab some references! If you know some people you work with or a past manager, get those set up and ready. Again, it’s not something that you really need to go scrambling for later. So if you can get some good people on your side, and kind of in your back pocket, it will just help for later on. Even if you don’t need it, but just in case you do, those are some good tips to help elevate your resume.” 

 

The Key Takeaways 

A resume really is the first introduction you have with a hiring authority, and just like actual intros - if not done right - it could be your last. To make sure your resume not only stands out, but also gets in front of the right audience, keep it simple by creating a one-page highlight reel, include the right keywords to get past those pesky Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) filters, and use some new adjectives to describe your style. Update your resume often, and keep good references in your back pocket in case the need arises. Finally, if all else has failed, you can always pick up the phone and call one of our expert recruiters to help get you on the right track for that next career move. 

Jared Wenzel
Jared Wenzel

Jared Wenzel

SR. EXECUTIVE RECRUITER

Jared is our own one-stop-shop for healthcare and managed care talent. With a background in recruiting, strategy, leadership development, and consulting – he knows what needs to be done to get your business to the next level. He finds the best of the best, not just the best in your zip code.

If You’re Not Looking Forward to Mondays: Why You Might Need a New Job

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If you’re not looking forward to Mondays, it might be time for a new job.

You know what we’re talking about. It’s a staple in American workplace comedies, having a main character suffer from a “case of the Mondays.” We’ve coined the phrase “Sunday Scaries” to describe the impending workweek that we dread during the last night of the weekend. Somewhere along the line, it became not just acceptable - but the norm! - to not look forward to Mondays. To groan and gripe when ending the weekend and preparing to go back to the office. But have you ever thought that maybe Mondays themselves aren’t the problem? More likely, if you’re not looking forward to Mondays - it’s probably time for a new job. 

Unfortunately, only 20% of the American workforce is “very passionate” about their jobs. When you consider that you spend about 2,000 hours a year - or 90,000 hours over the course of a lifetime - at work, it’s important that you find joy in what you do. In this blog, we want to discuss different ways that people find fulfillment in their careers - and ultimately try to determine if you should make a move. 

If You're Not Looking Forward to Mondays Flowchart

Do you feel properly challenged and engaged in your work? 

Most people enter their industries of choice because they find them interesting. People are drawn to science due to its complexities. Some enjoy finance because it gives them insight into the economy that others can only guess at. Creatives thrive on expression, and those in public service are fulfilled when they get the chance to give back to their communities. Whether your passion is in crunching numbers, creating content, or helping others - you joined your job because you found a challenge you liked to tackle. 

Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace found that only 15% of employees are engaged in the workplace — a whopping 85% are not! In 2018, Korn Ferry came to a similar conclusion, with 1 in 3 employees citing boredom as the main reason they were looking to leave their jobs. People don’t seem to be engaged in their work - whether it be from redundancy in tasks or from lack of challenge - and it’s costing employers money. In the same study by Gallup, they found that company groups with higher marks of employee engagement were on average 21% more profitable. 

If you share this sentiment, that might be your sign to look for a move up. Moving into a higher level role could renew that sense of trial and tribulation you crave when mastering your craft. It could also help you learn new skills that you may have already come to master at your current level. If you’re feeling stuck in your current role, try to apply for jobs that match your skill level, not your current job title. 

 

Do you get enough recognition for your work? 

No matter your occupation, it always feels good to be recognized for your efforts. It makes hard times rewarding and gives us something to celebrate. You don’t choose jobs because you want to do things you aren’t good at - so it stands to reason that your job is what you expect to excel in. But when that excellence isn’t recognized, it can feel invalidating and futile. 

80% of HR leaders believe that employee recognition is crucial for the success of organizations. Most HR programs treat it as a regular management practice for creating engagement, establishing and strengthening relationships, and contributing to overall satisfaction. It’s worthwhile for companies in the long run, proven by HubSpot’s findings that 69% of employees said they would work harder if they were better appreciated. 

Everyone agrees that it’s important - but oddly enough, not all companies take action to implement recognition into regular workflow. Not showing appreciation for employees is the mark of a bad work environment. Most companies have employee recognition built into their talent management strategy, so if you’re not getting that sense of accomplishment where you’re currently employed - look elsewhere! There’s no sense in staying where you aren’t celebrated when the market is so full of organizations willing to give that thanks. 

 

Do you feel properly supported in your role? 

Working is often compared to being on a team. In a business, salespeople can’t land deals without having a good product to represent, and engineers can’t create products without capital. The cycle goes on and on. No matter your occupation, you are likely to depend on others to enable you to do your job - which is where several organizations tend to fall apart. 

You might find yourself struggling to stay engaged due to poor leadership. If you work hard to turn around projects, and then get stuck behind red tape - you’re not alone. CNBC found that the average manager has 30% more direct reports than they did 10 years ago. Organizations seem to keep growing, but people don’t seem to be getting promoted at the same rate - causing management to become overloaded with reports and have less time to help them on an individual basis. The structure becomes unsustainable and causes reports to get stuck in their positions - unable to move up past their advisors. 

Thin leadership and a lack of support structure may signify a good time to jump ship. Organizations that are thriving are more likely to promote within, and move people up through the organization. If they’re not hiring or promoting more management, chances are they could be in a crisis in other areas of operation that are preventing that capital to be spent on talent. 

 

Do you get along with your coworkers? 

This seems like a silly point to make. People aren’t at work to make friends - but they do spend the majority of their day-to-day lives with their coworkers. Friendships and bonds form naturally from close proximity like this, and can really give you something to look forward to besides a paycheck. Think about it! If you aren’t happy with the company you keep for 40 hours a week - it’s not hard to figure out why you’re unhappy while at work. 

Colleagues shouldn’t be your #1 determinant for a good job, but it helps to be choosy when it comes to who you spend your time with. Statista found that 60% of surveyed employees considered colleagues to be the biggest contributors to happiness. More than workplace harmony, getting along with your coworkers could be the make or break of your job satisfaction. This goes for leadership, too! SeedScientific found that nearly 75% of employees quit their bosses, not their jobs. Therefore, if you’re not fitting your company’s culture - a workplace better aligned with your values (and maybe your sense of humor) could make those hours spent at the office more rewarding. 

 

The good news? You have the power here. Monster has predicted a steady increase in hiring trends for 2021 - in areas like sales, manufacturing, and technology. Remote jobs are giving people 20% more geographically diverse work options. CareerPlug found that of the companies surveyed throughout 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, most have not slowed down their hiring. In fact, 14% of companies created new positions as a result of COVID-19. All in all, if you aren’t looking forward to Mondays at the job you’re in today - there are several companies out there that are likely to offer what you’re looking for. 

Advocating for yourself is pertinent when seeking better job satisfaction. If you’re not sure where to start, it always helps to have someone on your side. When working with recruiters like us here at Blue Signal, you have a built-in advocate for your wants and needs within your career. We specialize in offer negotiations, candidate marketing, interview preparation, and more. As your partner in the process, we can give you an inside look into a role and a workplace culture - before putting in your notice at your old job. The best defense when it comes to protecting your career is good offense. Contact us today to get started on finding a workplace that redefines your Mondays. 

The Importance of Diversity & Inclusion in Recruiting

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In industries such as ours - recruiting, talent acquisition, human capital - we are in a unique position to influence hiring trends. We have the power to represent candidates that otherwise may have gone unseen. From the top down, there is an issue of representation and inclusion within all industry verticals. As of May 2020, racially diverse executives held only 16% of total C-suite positions according to a study by Stanford University. Of the Fortune 100 companies, 26 have no ethnic diversity at the C+1 level - and 6 have no ethnic or gender diversity at this level. The issue is apparent in the numbers alone - but make no mistake, there are people behind these statistics. 

As executive recruiters, we have a duty to make sure we are moving in the right direction for the future - by representing people to hire based on skill. At Blue Signal, we refer all candidates on the basis of qualifications rather than age, sex, creed, color, national origin, race, ethnicity, gender, or ability. We take pride in championing diversity efforts and actively work to educate our internal recruiters, hiring managers, and candidates to ensure the hiring experience is free from discrimination and unconscious bias. Leveraging our experience in this practice, and in a continual effort to educate ourselves on the best ways to combat these issues, here is some of what we have learned.

The Importance of D&I - Past Obvious Reasons

Diversity matters - this we know. However, even in plain numbers D&I directly correlates with success in business. Research by McKinsey identified that - compared to their respective national industry medians - companies in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are 35% more likely (and those in the top quartile for gender diversity are 15% more likely) to have higher financial returns. Bigger than that - those companies in the bottom quartile for gender, ethnicity, and race aren’t just not leading, they are proven to be lagging in financial returns. 

McKinsey Report - ClassicDiversity - EX1

“The business case for diversity in the workplace is now overwhelming,” claims the World Economic Forum. Their article on the subject listed a collection of evidence that D&I has a direct positive impact on innovation and business performance. Research by The Hamilton Project proves that there is a direct correlation between high-skilled immigration and an increase in the level of innovation. “Increasing the share of college-educated immigrants in the population by one percentage point increases patents per capita by 6 percent. This impact is roughly twice as large for those with advanced degrees… A one percentage point–increase in the college-educated or advanced degree-holding immigrant shares of the U.S. population are estimated to produce a 12.3 percent or 27.0 percent increase in patenting per capita, respectively.”

The Hamilton Project - Innovation - EX2

Catalyst, a global nonprofit whose mission is to build workplaces that work for women, found correlations between D&I and employee satisfaction benchmarks such as retention, productivity, decision-making, innovation, and team performance. There was also a link between diversity/inclusion and boosting company reputation, reducing instances of fraud, ESG performance, and financial performance. Here are some fast facts on their research: 

  • Companies with higher levels of gender diversity and with HR policies and practices that focus on gender diversity are linked to lower levels of employee turnover.
  • Thirty-five percent of an employee’s emotional investment in their work and 20% of their desire to stay at their organization is linked to feelings of inclusion.
  • According to one recent study, over a period of three years companies with higher diversity in management earned 38% more of their revenues, on average, from innovative products and services than those companies with lower diversity.
  • Organizations with inclusive business cultures and practices are 57.8% more likely to improve their reputations.
  • Companies with consistent, inclusive workplace cultures—especially as experienced by historically underrepresented groups—also outperformed the S&P 500 in average annual stock returns during the Great Recession (measured from 2006-2014).
World Economic Forum Quote

Diversity and inclusion is important for innovation. It’s important for financial and employee performance. It even unwittingly impacts a company’s information security, recruiting efforts, and overall reputation. Not only does representation matter - if not properly implemented, it can cost a company actual dollars. The evidence is indeed overwhelming. There is no longer a question of if it will impact a company’s performance. It’s now a question of why, as in “why is this still happening?” 

 

The Problem

It’s not for lack of trying. Companies have begun to recognize the issue and have implemented some misguided efforts toward D&I - such as intentionally hiring “diverse” individuals to try and tip back the scales. (Which is a problematic solution, to say the least.) Unfortunately, even with the best of intentions, companies must intentionally work toward diversity and inclusion if they ever want to see correct change. 

Take for example “colorblindness.” This is the rhetoric that by not seeing someone’s race, they are not engaging with racial discrimination. In reality, not making note of someone’s race is inadvertently allowing people to ignore manifestations of discrimination in things like social, economic, and institutional practices. Being “colorblind” minimizes issues that people of color face. In a field experiment by the National Bureau of Economic Research, they found that identical resumes with white sounding names received 50% more callbacks for interviews than those with African American sounding names. Based on their estimates, a white name yields as many more callbacks as an additional 8 years of experience. They also found that federal contractors (who are thought to be more constrained by affirmative action laws) and employers who list “Equal Opportunity Employer” in their job ads discriminate just as much as other employers. It’s not enough to talk the talk. 

Atlassin D&I thoughts vs action graph 1
Atlassin D&I thoughts vs action graph 2

This also holds true for hiring, or not, based on the perception of “culture fit.” When hiring, it’s easy to be drawn to the person you most relate to within the interview process. Greenhouse, an HR organization that works to make every company great at hiring, wrote a blog unpacking unconscious bias while assessing candidates during the interview process. They state the definition of unconscious bias as “the accumulation of mental shortcuts both hardwired and developed, that lead us to form judgements, often unfair in nature.” You can learn more about unconscious bias, and how it impacts business in this LinkedIn Learning course. When looking to bring someone onto a team, people are prone to hire someone they would want to “have a beer with,” as the cherry on top of a good candidate. When given an equally qualified candidate, people tend to place unconscious bias against them - believing they are not as viable of a hire because they don’t fit this perception of “culture fit” in comparison to someone who does. Greenhouse suggests that instead of hiring based on “culture fit” that companies should strive for “culture add” - where the candidate would add to the existing culture, rather than mirror it. 

If this is starting to sound like way too much work, you’re not alone. Diversity fatigue is real. Aubrey Blanche spoke about this idea while working as the Global Head of Diversity and Belonging at Atlassian. “The topic is everywhere and people are tired of talking about it. And much like compassion fatigue, caring hurts. You get frustrated by all this discussion not turning into meaningful action. It’s a fight that takes resources and energy, and it’s hard to stay committed when you’re barely seeing results,” says Blanche. Surely, everyone cares about diversity and inclusion - but few are willing to put in the hard work it takes to make a long term, impactful change. The issues are complex and can be emotional for many. But Blanche puts it best - “It’s not enough to just care about D&I. Without dedicating time and intention, you’re only reinforcing the pattern of mediocrity in the industry.” 

Aubrey Blanche Quote

In order to really tackle this issue, Blanche believes most companies are having the wrong conversation. Her company, Atlassin, published a report in 2018 about the State of Diversity and Inclusion in US Tech. This report discussed how, “most D&I programs focus on increasing the representation numbers of a narrowly-defined category of "diverse" candidates, instead of focusing on belonging and inclusion throughout the company.” In some cases, it might be that the reason a company is lacking in diversity is because they’re not putting enough effort into making their existing employees feel included. 

Atlassin D&I thoughts vs action graph 3

It’s not enough to look at these percentages and try to improve the statistics as if you’re only working with numbers and data. There are real people behind these stats, and sometimes that truth gets lost in translation when looking at the issue as a mountain to climb. Blanche expands, saying the “corporate level aggregate reports don’t actually measure diversity — they measure representation. It doesn’t matter if 30% of your company is made up of women if they’re all in marketing or HR and the men are in engineering.” If underrepresented groups are only found in certain job functions or are all only in particular teams, it doesn’t count. Diversity without distribution isn’t diversity at all. 

 

The Solution 

When looking at the problem as a whole, it can be very overwhelming. But when you look at its individual parts, you see that it’s the small actions that create the big picture. As hiring professionals, we are the gateway into an organization. It’s our job to establish that inclusivity from the start. To do this, we must become more comfortable with being uncomfortable. Greenhouse urges companies to approach diversity and inclusion with an open mind - these issues are complex, but by mentally reframing them as productive and an opportunity to learn, businesses will be able to make a change. 

A great first step is to build and establish a D&I mission and brand. Rakuna developed a comprehensive checklist to help showcase an employer’s diversity brand - suggesting things like publishing a diversity statement from the CEO on the company’s career page. If you aren’t sure where to start with writing this, check out the US Chamber of Commerce’s blog on the topic. They say that a clear diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategy should contain what DEI means to you as an organization, why DEI matters to you, and how you will approach DEI - now and in the future. 

Tiffany Houser Quote

But remember, we learned earlier that making the commitment on paper isn’t the same as taking action. By intentionally working against biases, we can start setting things in motion. And the first step in that process is to admit you have biases. The Digital Workplace says that “acknowledging the natural biases that you have openly with others can be a great way to disarm the situation rather than trying to skirt around the elephant in the room.” Outwardly admitting them makes these biases into something external you can work against. One excellent example of this is to establish blind screening policies. A study by Stanford University found that scientists were less likely to agree to mentor, offer jobs to, or recommend equal salaries for candidates based on the gender of their names at the top of identical resumes. By removing names, photos, and gendered pronouns in a resume - you can reduce the number of signals that could trigger gender bias. This isn’t perfect since you can still unconsciously create some bias based on past companies, geographic location, or even the college the person attended. A more foolproof method, that is widely popularized by developments in its technology, is to leverage artificial intelligence to automatically run initial screenings for you. 

Taking the human element out of the hiring process can have this benefit - but as we are reminded by the fear of machines rising against man - it removes some of the more nuanced, human benefits as well. Companies can instead standardize how they review candidates by focusing on skills versus experiences. By writing out the specific qualities you’re actually looking for in a hire when writing job descriptions, rather than something vague like “bachelor’s degree in applicable field,” you can work to better target your actual needs. This could also result in a wider range of applicants in the funnel, helping you judge on potential rather than restrictive minimum requirements. Atlassin used this exact strategy and boosted their female technical hires by 80% in a year’s time. 

Did you know that even the location you’re posting your jobs in can limit your diversity and inclusivity in the candidate pool? Tech companies in particular are known for being geographically concentrated in certain areas (Silicon Valley, for example). A whopping 75% of venture capital funding is concentrated in just three states! An interesting shift we are seeing with the developments of remote connectivity technology and the rise of the work-from-home norm is that geography is becoming less and less of a restriction on someone’s capability to work certain jobs. With this in mind, it’s hard to argue against hiring outside the usual locations. Harvard Business Review suggests that in order to increase diversity, companies should follow the talent. You can identify opportunities by looking at where people are graduating with the skills you need, or where there is a lower cost of living that could be more attractive to potential hires. Make your jobs more accessible to diverse groups by meeting the talent where it’s at. 

Harvard Business Review graph

Another hot button topic is pay equity. We can’t have the conversation about diversity and inclusion without mentioning it - especially since it’s seen across all industries. Companies need to push for pay equity not just for women, but for all intersectional groups. For instance, 2018 census data found that women of all races earn an average of 82 cents on the dollar compared to white men. But, this number is significantly lower for Hispanic or Latino women who make 54 cents on that same dollar. A person’s intersectionality can have a severely negative impact on their compensation when going unchecked. To turn this around, employers can start by being transparent with their compensation structure. First Round Review recommends gathering the market data yourself, and making it accessible to everyone in your company. This practice instills trust in your ranks, showing that you are looking out for their best interests by compensating them at fair, competitive rates. This starts the conversation where it’s most important - with employees. Then, once your current team is being paid equitably, you’ll be prepared to bring on new talent into that same pay structure. By including current employees at the forefront of your strategy, the end goal of D&I should fall in line as your organization grows. 

Conclusion 

Hiring is difficult in and of itself - even before considering the larger implications it can have within things like D&I. With a system so inadvertently stuck in a cycle that favors certain job seekers over others, there is still a lot to be learned before it can be equally beneficial for all. Working with professionals that specialize in representing candidates based on merit can help you on your journey to revamping your hiring practices to be more diverse and inclusive. Recruiting firms like Blue Signal work to connect companies with talent outside their network or who are otherwise inaccessible from the typical approach of posting a job and waiting for applicants. Better yet, we are constantly looking for ways to better incorporate D&I into hiring practices across the board. 

At Blue Signal, we collaborate with businesses on overall strategy - helping with more than just identifying and securing top talent. We are experts on marketing opportunities. We can consult on equitable market rates for compensation; locations to find geographically diverse candidates; and retention tactics, to support all kinds of internal groups with their differing needs. We know how to attract more diverse candidates, and can help you improve your employer branding to reflect those D&I values. As Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) workplace advocates, we appreciate the diversity of our clients, candidates, and communities in which we live and do business. We take pride in recruiting the best talent based on qualifications and skill - without bias. 

Whether you are just starting on the journey of implementing diversity and inclusion into your hiring strategy, or you have your goals set and just need some help to achieve them, Blue Signal is here to be your partner in the process. Contact us today to talk about your options, or leverage the resources below to move your organization in the right direction. 

 

Resources 

What do COVID-19 and Cybercrime Have in Common?

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The COVID-19 pandemic has encompassed and disrupted all facets of our lives for nearly a year. Since March 2020, we have seen people work around the clock to protect themselves, their families, and their businesses from the impacts of the pandemic. While the implementation of mask mandates and social distancing alleviated the rise of COVID-19 cases, it did not protect against the coinciding spike in cybercrime.

Today, we are faced with both physical and online viruses. The COVID-19 pandemic initiated a correlated rise in cybercrime, as cybercriminals took advantage of the pandemic to infiltrate users’ security and privacy. Cyberattacks — such as phishing, malspam, ransomware, and business e-mail compromise — have become increasingly more common and effective with users’ newfound state of fear and uncertainty surrounding the ongoing pandemic. Similar to the pandemic, there is not a clear end in sight for the spike in cybercrime. INTERPOL projections state there will even be a further increase in cybercrime in the near future. Therefore, understanding evolving cyber threats is crucial to conducting and protecting our businesses.

 

COVID-19 & Cybercrime 

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused fear, uncertainty, and doubt among all of us. Cybercriminals have used the rise in uncertainty to their advantage. At the beginning of the pandemic, cybercriminals would utilize COVID-19 phishing scams to get recipients to open malicious links or download attachments - resulting in data breaches and/or malware installed on users’ devices. Since the COVID-19 lockdown was introduced in March of last year, cybercrime has increased by 63%, according to a report by Human Element of Cybersecurity. This spike in phishing, malspam, and ransomware attacks have been directly related to the pandemic. INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock remarked, “Cybercriminals are developing and boosting their attacks at an alarming pace, exploiting the fear and uncertainty caused by the unstable social and economic situation created by COVID-19.”

The intensification of cybercrime in correlation to the pandemic is largely due to the increased vulnerability of employees working from home. Without ensured cyberdefenses, employees are more vulnerable to cybercrime than they would be if they were in an office. E-mail compromise, where cybercriminals use phishing or malspam to trick the recipient into revealing personal data, has become increasingly more common with the pandemic. Cybercriminals can also compromise emails by sending malicious domains, such as fake Zoom invites, third-party payment confirmations, or even employee surveys. A report from INTERPOL shows a 569% increase in malicious registrations from February to March of 2020. In the age of working from home, cybercrimes pose a severe threat to employees’ cyber security.

Cybersecurity Blog Stat Graphic

Who is Being Targeted?

Both businesses and their employees are being targeted by cybercriminals. According to Cybersecurity Ventures, cybercrime will inflict $6 trillion USD in damages in the United States by the end of 2021. Cybercrime Magazine list of damages include the damage and destruction of data, stolen money, lost productivity, theft of intellectual property, theft of personal and financial data, embezzlement, fraud, post-attack disruption to the normal course of business, forensic investigation, restoration and deletion of hacked data and systems, and reputational harm. 

While large corporations are being affected by cybercrime - such as Honda’s ransomware attack in June of 2020 that forced global operations to be halted and Marriott’s data breach in February which affected 5.2 million customers - the U.S.’s 30 million small businesses are also inherently prone to cyberattacks. Unlike large enterprises, small businesses generally lack resources and/or knowledge to prevent a cyber attack. According to Cybercrime Magazine, “more than half of all cyberattacks are committed against small-to-midsize businesses.” Beyond compromising the reputation of the business and the trust of their customers, a single data breach could cost a small business up to $3.62 million dollars.

Targeting small businesses through their employees has been an effective strategy for cybercriminals. Employees can be responsible for damage by falling for phishing scams, opening infected email attachments, using public Wi-Fi connections, or accessing compromised 3rd party applications. As an organization’s first line of defense, it is up to employees to see through the cybercriminal’s ploy. According to a recent report, 80% of businesses have seen an “increased cybersecurity risk caused by a human factor.” Cybercriminals are enabled by human error, which aids in their success. With more employees working from home, the opportunity for cybercrime has sky-rocketed.   

 

The Risks of Cybercrime at Work

The ongoing pandemic has shifted to more people working from home than ever before. According to Upwork, the remote workforce has increased by 87% from the previous year. At the end of 2020, 41.8% of the American workforce was still working remotely, and an estimated 26.7% will continue working from home through 2021.

With the transition to a remote workforce, employees access their daily work through either their personal home network or a Virtual Private Network (VPN), provided by their company. VPNs provide an extra layer of security for users by protecting their IP address, location, passwords, and data from potential hackers. A VPN maintains an aspect of centralized security, even when employees are not in the office. Consequently, employees using their home network rather than a VPN are subject to a higher risk of cyber attacks. According to the Work-from-Home Cybersecurity Threat Index, 56% of employees are using their personal computer/network at home, and 25% of remote employees don’t know what security protocols are in place on their devices. With a lack of central security, businesses are open to new threats that directly target their remote workforce. 

 

What You Can Do To Protect Against Cybercrime

Since 2018, Blue Signal has kept an eye on cybersecurity threats and has learned the most effective preventative measures to protect your business against cybercrime. If your employees are remote, make sure their network is secure. Use a VPN, and/or provide company devices with cybersecurity software downloaded to enhance security. Additionally, you can implement cybersecurity training for your employees. Having a company-wide presentation on cybersecurity is a great way to ensure all employees are trained and aware of common threats. When employees see that their actions (or lack of) can directly impact their job, they are more likely to be on alert for cybercrime. Lastly, you can hire a cybersecurity professional to protect your IT infrastructure and network. Having a professional in-house can act as an insurance policy against cybercrime, preventing the problem before it costs you millions. 

As an employee, the Cybercrime Security & Infrastructure Agency (CISA) advises to avoid clicking links in unsolicited emails and to be wary of email attachments. Similarly, don’t fall victim to the common threat of disclosing personal or financial information in an email - your boss is not asking you to buy gift cards or run an urgent errand from a “personal” email address. Finally, make sure you are using trusted sources. A simple click on the wrong link or replying with too much information may result in a data breach. Staying informed on cybersecurity protocols and common phishing scams can protect you and your company. 

 

Conclusion

It’s important to start 2021 off strong by avoiding viruses - both physical and online. By leveraging the information above and the resources below, you can increase your personal and business’ cyber security. It’s always better to be proactive when it comes to viruses - like a mask for your data, make sure you have security standards in place for your business. As a partner in the cybersecurity vertical, you can trust Blue Signal to find top-tier cybersecurity talent and facilitate your security and privacy strategies. We have knowledge in the space and understand the issues facing these IT security professionals today, giving you the advantage to get ahead of cybercrime.

 

Resources:

Center for Internet Security (CIS) Resource Guide for Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency’s Defending Against COVID-19 Cyber Scams

National Cybersecurity Alliance’s COVID-19 Security Resource Library

Cybercrime Magazine’s 2020 Official Annual Cybercrime Report

Cybercrime Magazine’s Cybercrime & Cybersecurity Infographics

MIT - How to Think About Cybersecurity in the era of COVID-19

Blue Signal Search - Cybersecurity and the Rising Cost of Crime

Blue Signal Gives Back 2020

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Closing out 2020 on a high note, we completed our 3rd annual company-wide event for Blue Signal Gives Back (BSGB). Giving back to the community is a shared passion among our employees, and each year we work to incorporate those values into what we do as a company. In 2018, Blue Signal donated $1,632.50 to the American Parkinson Disease Foundation. In 2019, we donated $2,052.50 to the Smith-Kingsmore Syndrome Foundation. This year, proving to be a 3-year trend, Ryan Walsh has won a whopping $3,986.50 to donate to the Smith-Kingsmore Syndrome Foundation on his behalf - all thanks to the combined efforts of the Blue Signal team. 

 

How BSGB Works 

Starting on November 16, 2020 and running through December 25, 2020 - every Blue Signaler was given the chance to choose a nonprofit charitable organization to represent. They certainly were off to the races! Employees were able to earn money based on metric points that were each assigned a dollar amount. Employees could earn points through correctly answering trivia questions, or even hitting goals like landing a placement! All efforts made an impact, and the competition was fierce. Each week our Human Resources Director, Jessica Walsh, sent out a progress report - building the excitement for the announcement at the beginning of the new year. 

BSGB Week 5

In the end, the team with the most points wins - taking all money earned from all teams and putting it towards the winning charitable organization. Blue Signal then makes a donation to that organization in the name of the winner! 

BSGB 2020 Blog Graphic

2020’s Winning Organization - The Smith Kingsmore Syndrome Foundation 

The SKS Foundation was established in 2019 as a non-profit foundation for children and families affected by Smith-Kingsmore Syndrome. SKS is a rare genetic condition that can cause a wide range of medical, intellectual, and behavioral challenges. The foundation is working to improve the quality of life of children affected by SKS by supporting cutting-edge research, collaborating with medical professionals, and strengthening community through worldwide awareness.

Researchers are continuing to learn more about SKS and are working to help special needs families gain more understanding/earlier diagnosis. The goal is to better understand the characteristics and the differences of MTOR conditions like Smith-Kingsmore syndrome to be able to design well-informed treatment plans.

The SKS Foundation happens to be very near and dear to Blue Signal’s hearts. 4-year-old Jameson “JJ” Walsh, the youngest son of CEO, Matt Walsh, was diagnosed with Smith-Kingsmore Syndrome in 2019. Early on, JJ had hearing loss and has undergone two cochlear implant surgeries to allow him to hear, which were a triumphant success! Despite his diagnosis, and with the support of the SKS Foundation and its incredible, growing community - JJ is a happy and healthy boy and is making great progress with the help of the amazing medical support he receives. 

BSGB 2020 JJ Collage

If you are interested in learning more about SKS and the Foundation, please follow this link. 

Donate to the Smith Kingsmore Foundation, here!

Blue Signal Search Recognized as #2 Best Place to Work in AZ, 2020

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Blue Signal Search was recently recognized by the Phoenix Business Journal as the #2 Best Place to Work in Arizona for 2020. 

 

For 16 years, the Phoenix Business Journal has run an annual awards competition for best places to work in the valley. They categorize contestants by business size (Blue Signal being under 50 employees qualified as a “Micro Company” this year!) and winners are determined by employee feedback and participation. The competition presents a great opportunity for companies to learn what their employees are really thinking and provides contestants with valuable information they can use to improve day-to-day operations and overall workplace environment.

For the 2020 list, Blue Signal is elated to announce that we were ranked #2 as a Best Place to Work in Arizona! We were honored to be among the 100 companies that were recognized at the virtual event on December 8th, and we definitely took notes! The ceremony gave the floor to each winner to be able to talk about what makes their workplace such a wonderful place to be. Common themes included family-like cultures, opportunity for upward mobility, and transparency within their leadership. After a year of unprecedented workplace changes, it was really inspiring to hear about so many local businesses that overcame those challenges and found ways to make their employees feel valued and secure. 

PBJ BPTW Award Photo

We want to thank each of our employees as well as members of the Arizona community for joining us on the adventure that was 2020. From pivoting to provide COVID response coverage, to keeping our loved ones safe by going remote - Blue Signal was put through its paces like many companies over the last year. We are forever thankful for our internal teams and all the immense patience, commitment, and passion they displayed despite the global turbulence.

Here is what our employees had to say: 

“I feel like this company and the role I am in fit everything I need from an employer and job at this point in my career. I feel empowered to make decisions, I feel that my ideas and voice are heard, I feel that I am given ample opportunity to learn new skills, and I ultimately feel as though I have a say in where my career takes me with this company. Also, they have a great amount of respect and understanding when it comes to work/life balance - unlike many other organizations that want you to punch the clock no matter what else is going on in your world. I really appreciate the trust and respect I am given in this role.”

“Blue Signal Search is an environment that offers the support to be successful and the flexibility to be fairly autonomous. Agency recruiting is a very difficult industry and yet for those people who are willing to put in the hard work and dedicate themselves to the right activities, they can achieve that success at Blue Signal. The leaders are accessible and the training is thorough. The technology and other resources are extensive. I would recommend Blue Signal for either someone new to recruiting or a seasoned recruiter looking for a less "corporate" setting where they can create their own destiny.”

“My company cares about me as an individual and is invested in my growth. Many of my friends lost their jobs during COVID, and experienced major anxiety. Blue Signal assured us, provided multiple avenues to support us both professionally and personally through tough times, and pivoted so we were helping those impacted by COVID by finding nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals to fill needed roles. I am proud to be part of this family-like atmosphere and a culture that actually cares about me.”

“Blue Signal is a great place to work. The company is focused on ensuring not only the work success of all employees but also the well-being and growth of each individual both in and out of work. Everyone is treated fairly and with respect. Leadership is constantly looking for ways to innovate and improve all aspects of the business. Culture is the number one most important thing to everyone.”

“It’s a growing company and stable at the core to where job stability and success is never in doubt. They create an environment that allows employees to thrive in their career and overall enrichment.”

PBJ Best Places to Work 2020 Blog Graphic

Blue Signal values quality and fit over quantity and convenience. More than your typical transactional staffing firm, our executive search tactics utilize our relationships and a thorough understanding of client and candidate needs to make the best placements possible. When it comes to clients and our company itself, Blue Signal emphasizes culture and community first. It’s part of our approach to connect with the needs of our customers and is part of how we keep ourselves grounded and involved. When COVID-19 swept the nation in March of 2020, the Blue Signal team was able to pivot business strategies in just 2 days to offer recruitment services for Critical Infrastructure sectors that needed essential workers quickly. With excellence as a priority and a culture that promotes camaraderie, Blue Signal is hands-down a great place to work.

 

More about Phoenix Business Journal: Phoenix Business Journal (PBJ) is Arizona’s premiere resource for breaking business news, including daily updates, weekly publications, and industry insights. PBJ is a member of the American City Business Journals (ACBJ) - the largest publisher of metropolitan business newsweeklies in the United States. ACBJ has 44 business publications across the country, reaching more than 3.6 million readers each week. 

More about Blue Signal: CEO Matt Walsh founded Blue Signal in Chicago in 2012. Since then, the business has grown into a multimillion-dollar executive placement firm, with 16 employees based in Arizona, and 37 nationwide. Headquartered in Phoenix, AZ, our recruiting team brings together experience that delivers top talent in a variety of industry niches including telecom and technology.