New Hire Checklist, Ensuring Retention and Engagement

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Ever thought that there ought to be some sort of guide on hiring? No one truly prepares you for the responsibilities you will undertake after finding a good candidate. You’ve made the right hire, but now what? Blue Signal might have your solution! Read on for a comprehensive new hire checklist that can help take the guesswork out of the first 90 days. If you’re more of the visual learning type, follow the link below to download the infographic and get back to what’s most important - securing top talent! 

Before They Start

Get ahead and prepare. 

  • Prepare a list of expectations for the role.
  • Re-evaluate your current on-boarding process by getting feedback from staff. 
  • Gather essential items and equipment - set up computers and download relevant software.

 

On the First Day 

Assimilate them into company culture. 

  • Have everyone meet the new staff member. 
  • Get them acquainted with their team and management. 
  • Arrange a team lunch. 
  • Ensure they have all relevant paperwork complete. 
  • Ensure their workstation is functioning properly.

 

The First Week on the Job 

Get them acquainted with the role and business. 

  • Begin the job training. 
  • Wrap up every day with an end of day review, encouraging them to ask questions. 
  • Give them an assignment they can do on their own. Use this to gauge how their work ethic will be moving forward.
New Hire Checklist Blog Graphic

Throughout the First Month 

Ramp them up to meet their goals. 

  • Check in to review their progress towards goals and team cohesion.
  • Gradually increase their responsibilities. 
  • Do a deep dive into big picture business goals, and explain how each department and role plays into it. 
  • Give them all relevant materials and reference documents.

 

The First 90 Days 

Gauging performance and success. 

  • Schedule out monthly check-ins to give a forum to ask questions and measure progress. 
  • Check up on larger projects. 
  • Hand off several projects at once and see how they manage time and prioritize tasks. 
  • Get feedback on the on-boarding process.

 

After 90 Days 

Evaluate their fit by measuring progress via numbers and the team feedback. 

 

More about Blue Signal: 

Blue Signal was founded in Chicago in 2012, and since then, has grown into a multimillion-dollar executive placement firm with offices in the Phoenix and Chicago areas. Blue Signal has established itself as the premier executive search firm within wireless/telecom, IoT, cloud and managed services, medical & healthcare, manufacturing, emerging technology, and related industry niches.

At Blue Signal, we know that talent is a business’ best asset - and we are skilled in finding the exact professionals you need to reach your goals. Our targeted, specialized searches deliver highly qualified professionals to meet every hiring need. With over 120 combined years of recruiting experience, we can help your company find the right people for every unique company culture and industry niche. Our team works with both job seeking candidates and talent seeking hiring managers to find the perfect fit. Contact us today to explore your options, and jumpstart your team toward success.

How to Use Social Media to Land a Job

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In some form or another, almost everyone you know uses social media as a way to connect with others. In fact, there are 3.725 billion (and rising) active social media users. According to recent studies, people have an average of 8.5 social media accounts. Although many take advantage of the connections made through social platforms, most don’t think about leveraging those same connections to land their dream job. 

Are you a job seeker? Take advantage of these 5 key tips to help maximize your online presence and stand out from other applicants.

 

1. Keep Your Profile Up to Date

After reviewing your resume, the first thing employers look at is how you present yourself online professionally. They want to ensure that their new hire is going to represent their brand in a positive light. Make sure your username includes your first and last name, and change any connected emails to one that you wouldn’t be embarrassed to send out. SportsMan82 may be fine to communicate with friends and family, but you want to make sure you are making the right impression from the start. Make sure your profile image and posts are professional. Delete any posts that feature alcohol, profanity, overtly political statements, and any other controversial topics. When searching for a job via social media, it’s imperative that your profile reflects who you are as an employee.

 

2. Share Your Online portfolio or CV Online

Online portfolios are a great way to showcase your skills and past work experience. Use your portfolio to share facts about yourself and display your achievements. Take your portfolio one step further and create a blog; write about relevant topics related to your industry and expertise. There are plenty of free websites and tools that can be utilized to create a portfolio or cover letter to feature on your profile. Personal branding is essential to set yourself apart from other candidates, so make sure all of your social media pages are consistent across all platforms. If the jobs you are looking for don’t need a CV or online portfolio, instead, use your profile to illustrate your personality and display work you are proud of. Don’t be afraid to let people know you are searching; include a short description of your qualifications in your bio so employers know that you are taking your job search seriously.

 

3. Follow Major Players in Your Field 

When searching for a new role via social media, it’s essential to follow the companies you are interested in on social media. Currently, 91% of employers are using social media to hire talent and believe social media will become a more significant source of hire in the next 5 years. Aside from the traditional job search options like LinkedIn and Facebook, unconventional methods are just as effective at finding a job. Look on Instagram and Twitter for #hiring, and even check out the Reddit job page. Be sure to follow not only the companies you are applying for, but also any that you may garner connections from. Join public and private groups on social media to gain access to key industry players in your field. 

 

4. Engage in Online Conversations 

Tap into your connections to stay in touch with those who are working your desired role in similar industries. Make sure you are commenting, liking, and sharing relevant posts to show employers that you are up to date on industry trends. Oftentimes, hiring managers want to see that you are involved in current industry events and are keeping up with trends. Send personalized messages to your connections in an effort to find common ground and interests, one of those connections may just be someone who can help you get your foot in the door of your dream workplace. Help yourself appear in more search results by taking advantage of Search Engine Optimization tools; use hashtags, keywords, and tag your location

 

5. Don’t Over Interact 

The last thing hiring managers want to worry about is being spammed by an applicant through social media. Although you should connect with people in the field you are searching in, make sure you are not overstepping your welcome by over liking and commenting on posts. Make your interest obvious, but do so in moderation to avoid seeming desperate for the role. Just think about how you would like to be interacted with if you were in their shoes. It’s important to respect their privacy when it comes to interacting online.

Social Media Stat

Since the development of modern technology, social media has proven to be a gamechanger in the job search process. The job prospects and learning opportunities on social media are endless; 94% of professional recruiters network on social media and use it to post jobs to an extensive community. Take your job search to the next level by taking advantage of the opportunities and connections social media has to offer. 

“Why Haven’t I Heard Back from My Interviewer?”

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“Why haven’t I heard back from my interviewer?” This is one of the most common questions asked by candidates. According to a CareerBuilder study, as many as 75% of applicants say they never hear back from companies they have applied for. Companies looking for help are companies that need help, and their lack of communication typically signifies their need for an on-board applicant ASAP. As recruiters, Blue Signal has extensive experience working through every step in the hiring process from submittal through offer acceptance. We have taken thousands of candidates through many hiring processes, and have found that no two companies handle it exactly the same. However, there seems to be common themes that come after an interview. If you haven’t heard from your interviewer after what you believe to be a successful interview, this may be why.

Job Seekers that Apply

 

1. Decision-Maker Scheduling Issues

Just like any business operation, there are certain players in the process that have to be involved to gain approval. And, just like every other employee in a business, hiring managers have busy schedules and competing priorities. The fact of the matter is: you might not have heard back after an interview because of scheduling conflicts, someone being out of office, or just plain logistics. Making a decision to hire is an important choice for any business and can take time, especially when having to navigate some unfortunate hierarchy hurdles. 

 

2. They are Interviewing Others  

When looking for a job, you probably set out to apply to several roles at once. While landing the job requires certain skills and experience, it also is a slight game of numbers and favorable terms - where you always want more chances to win. In the same way, companies look to interview several qualified candidates before making a final decision on a hire to ensure they are getting the best of the best. If you have been waiting to hear back from the company after your interview, they could be putting off contacting you to make sure they weigh out their options. No news might be good news in this case! If they are interviewing others and haven’t passed on you yet, you might be in consideration among their top picks. 

 

3. Too Many Opinions at the Table 

Depending on the organization, the sheer number of voices in the decision-making process might factor into why you haven’t been contacted yet. Even if you have met several people throughout your interview rounds, there still may be other people in the process that need to review your credentials. Those that you have met probably have to meet and make deliberations. There are many organizations that make this mistake by having too many people involved in the process, and it ends up setting back their schedule. There is nothing you can do about this, but it’s something to keep in mind when considering a new company. This means they really value employee input and having teams collaborate to make decisions, right? 

 

4. Their Plans Have Changed 

After companies have reviewed several candidates for a role, we have often seen the parameters of the job change and evolve to the market. Sometimes, they see such great candidates they want to make the role higher-level or have the hire take on more areas of responsibility. Other times, they see a need to bring on more than one person for this position in their organization, and are trying to budget out two new hires. This is a good thing! That might mean that the role you initially applied for is now an even better opportunity. The downside - this can mean a delay in their hiring process. They’ll want to wait to reach out to you with information til after they have ironed out the details, so their delay could be a courtesy. 

 

5. Slow Interview Process 

Especially with bigger organizations, the interview steps can seem never-ending. Meeting with other people, getting approval from extra departments, and having more screenings can slow down the interview process for all applicants. Being thorough isn’t a bad sign, however delayed communication could be a bad side effect. To avoid this and get a better sense of their timeline, it’s best to always ask interviewers what the next step in the process looks like before leaving an interview. 

 

6. Hiring Freeze 

These are a recruiter’s least favorite words. Hiring freezes can come from a number of factors: budget changes, market delays, the economy, team restructuring, mergers, acquisitions, shifts in management, and much more. In this case, there is nothing you could have done to avoid it. Consider that they might be holding out information to see how long the freeze will last in the hopes it ends before noticed. They also might need to protect proprietary company information in some cases. Regardless, when you have representation within this process, like a recruiter, you usually gain better insight into instances like these. 

 

7. They Went with Someone Else 

Everyone hates rejection, but it’s just part of the interview process. All industries are competing for top talent, and you might not have been their #1 pick. That’s okay! For all you know, you may have been overqualified, or an internal promotion may have made more sense at the time for the business. Whatever the case, try to keep a good relationship with companies you have interviewed with by sending thank you notes to follow up. Who knows, in the future they might have a role better suited to your expertise, and your gratitude and class could leave an impression that makes you their first call when that other role opens up. 

 

No matter the industry, job, or reporting structure, no two interviewing processes are the same. Companies should treat interviewers with perception in mind, reflecting the best their company has to offer by keeping their lines of communication open and clear. But that’s on them! The best you can do is set yourself up for success by working with someone on the inside, like a recruiter! Recruiters are your best tool for representation and communication for a potential new gig, and can help answer questions about slow response times after interviews. Our job is to be in constant contact with hiring managers to see what they are looking for and why. It’s literally our business to know how your interview went! We have direct lines to client’s internal changes as well as the market shifts, and can provide you behind-the-scenes insight into their hiring strategy. We can help you with anything from interview preparation to salary negotiations, making sure that your start into a new company is a successful one. Talk to one of our Blue Signal recruiters today to see what opportunities they have available in your space! We’d love to represent you, and help you skip the guesswork after an interview. 

Blue Signal Welcomes 11 New Team Members to Keep Up with Growing Demand

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In order to keep up with growing demand for Blue Signal's recruiting services, we recently welcomed 11 new additions to the Blue Signal staff. With these experienced and diverse extensions of our team, Blue Signal is on track to make more placements in 2020 than ever before. We're excited to introduce the newest members of our staff!

12 Steps to your Perfect Hire – Why Work with Blue Signal

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The hiring process can be a long, tedious, and frustrating one. Hiring additional team support is rarely the only thing on a hiring manager’s plate - and truthfully, is probably not their strong suit. When looking to build your team, the last thing you want to be doing is spinning your wheels on half-baked leads that result in under-qualified candidates, all while handling your normal responsibilities. Working with a professional recruiting or hiring support service could not only save you the hassle - it can literally save you money. 

Fact: Companies on average are losing more than $18,000 per month while a position remains open. 

With Blue Signal’s recent achievement of over 800 completed search projects, the proof is in the process. At Blue Signal, we care about making a connection and maintaining our relationships with the best in the industry. Our success is our client’s and candidate’s success. As a partner in the process, we seek to make the best placement possible for all parties involved. To get to that perfect hire, we work with clients through our 12-step approach that ensures complete understanding of needs, goals, job requirements, company culture, and more! 

In exchange for your agreement and cooperation, we are guaranteed to deliver you the best market insights, interview support, and employee retention in the industry. Our tenured recruiting team has the connections, experience, and support needed to truly explore all the options on the market today.

Infographic - Blue Signal Search Process

If you think that you or your company could benefit from a consultation with our expert recruiters, give us a call! Our top of the line recruiting professionals look forward to hearing from you, and helping you find that perfect hire.

Your 4-Step Guide to Adopting New Hires into Company Culture

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As a hiring manager, you’ve done the hard part, going through endless levels of interviews to find the perfect candidate and now, it’s the start date. For a new hire, starting a new job can be exciting, overwhelming, and nerve wracking. Some people approach their new career with elation and confidence, ready to take on their responsibilities. However, some employees dread the first day - worried about the people they’ll meet, their supervisors’ management style and even where they will sit at lunch. Successfully integrating new hires into company culture is one of the most important hiring processes and can be a determining factor in your new hire’s career-span within the company.

Your new employee has already had a great first impression with their candidate hiring experience, now, it’s more crucial than ever to continue to impress  them with your company culture and keep that excitement and momentum going. Here’s a 4-step guide to the process of making new employees feel comfortable and part of the team from day 1.

New Employee Onboarding

 

1. Begin Onboarding Before the Official Start Date 

One way companies can introduce company culture to new hires is to start the process before they even arrive. When sending out materials to introduce them to the job, include internal materials that gives your new employee an inside look into the personality of the company. Take advantage of what is typically a to-the-point welcome letter to prepare your new hire for what they can expect on the first day in a fun and creative way. Providing them with a FAQ sheet, recommendations around the area, and a set first-day agenda can eliminate some of the worries and questions they may have upon arrival.

2. Create Fun Opportunities to Meet Fellow Coworkers

We’ve all played getting-to-know-you games as kids in school, and whether we liked them or not, they were undeniably effective at breaking the ice and encouraging interaction. Icebreakers and team facilitation activities are a great way to ease some of the tension your new hire may be feeling. Social media is also becoming a new and innovative way to create connections between employees. Help your employees merge into the company by encouraging them to follow company social media accounts, along with adding them to a private social network for your company. A private social network, such as a private Facebook group, allows employees to participate and feel active in conversations in a less formal setting. Ultimately, it comes down to implementing interactive opportunities to create a strong dynamic for your company culture.

3. Put Yourself in Their Shoes

Regardless of the amount of time your company has been established, company culture is something that is present from the very beginning. Unless you are the CEO or have been with the company from the ground up, chances are that you have had to go through the onboarding process as well once upon a time. It’s easy to forget the impressions and questions you had on your first day, but it’s critical to put yourself into their shoes and make them feel as comfortable and supported as possible. Remember, as a new employee, questions will be asked and mistakes will be made; these are expected and should be looked upon as a learning experience for both the new employee and manager. Putting in effort to realize that you were in the same position at some point in time allows a certain level of respect and rapport to be built.

4. Follow up

The number one place where companies fall short in the onboarding process is following up with your new hire to ensure they are understanding and enjoying their work. One of the easiest ways to guarantee long-term employment is to onboard them correctly and not let employees fall off your radar. According to the 2018 Recruiter Nation Survey from Jobvite, 39% of talent professionals dedicate between 1-3 business days to onboarding. Although it may involve increased efforts from larger companies, onboarding should be a priority and last weeks or even months as necessary. In addition to habitually checking up on your new hire, a simple follow up email is a valuable way to gain feedback and opens up an honest communication forum between all levels of authority.

Some of the biggest onboarding challenges are inconsistent applications, manager accountability and competing priorities. Adapting a new employee to the company culture and ensuring their success needs to be a priority to guarantee a positive experience. Keep in mind, helping your new hire fit into company culture can be simplified with these 4 easy steps: begin onboarding before the start date, create fun opportunities to meet coworkers, put yourself in their shoes, and follow up. 

We Are Here to Help

Are you a hiring manager or talent acquisition professional looking to expand your team? Ask us how we can help coach your onboarding process as needed! Blue Signal’s search process continues to impress our clients and our recruiters are dedicated to finding top talent within any industry.

 

Ready for a free hiring consultation?

Contact us today on ways we can help your organization.

(480) 939-3200

The Importance of Candidate Experience

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With the job market being at an all-time high, and unemployment at record lows, companies are in dire need for top talent. This is creating more competition among employers and as a result it is fostering a more particular candidate pool. Candidate experience plays a huge factor for a company’s hiring processes with more than 82% of job seekers saying that it is an important factor in their decision.

So, why is candidate experience so important to job seekers? Well, not only is it a reflection of employers, it also affects their brand and the culture that they have built. Recently, CareerBuilder conducted research on candidate experience and it revealed that “68% of candidates think the way they are treated in the hiring process reflects how the company treats its employees.”

There are many ways that employers can improve candidate experience, but the most important way is by setting clear expectations, having a clear and responsive process, maintaining a good impression, and simplifying the hiring process.

 1. Set Clear Expectations

Candidates need to be intrigued by a job description and the company in order to apply. It sounds simple, but it comes down to how you market the job. It’s important for employers to set clear guidelines on what type of candidate they’re looking for, and what background they need to have. The Namely Blog stated that “an HRDive report found that 73% of hiring managers say they provide clear job descriptions, while only 36% of candidates agree.” Having a clear and accurate explanation of the overall job responsibilities, requirements, benefits, perks or incentives, and even compensation details are important. Although some employers may not disclose compensation during the hiring process, be sure to discuss that at some point - particularly early on.

2. Have a Clear and Responsive Process

Throughout the hiring process it is important to keep candidates in the loop on what is going on. Interested in taking next steps? Let them know! Not interested in speaking further with them? Let them know! According to Workable, “75% of candidates never hear back from a company after sending in an application and 60% of candidates say they’ve gone for interviews and never heard back from the company.” This eventually leads to a bad reputation considering that “22% of candidates will tell others not to apply to the company.” So, it’s crucial to be transparent and responsive to not only maintain a good reputation, but to improve the overall candidate experience.

Candidate Experience Stats

3. Simplify and Speed Up the Hiring Process

Some hiring processes can be tedious and take a lot of time. Candidates are usually unsure of what to expect so a simple, fast and clear approach is the way to go. Hiring new talent can be time consuming and costly for companies. The Society for Human Resource Management states that, “companies reported spending nearly $4,500 per hire–not including the cost of lost time and productivity while the position sits open.” It’s important to be efficient and simplify the process - not only for the company, but for the candidate. The hiring process is ultimately a candidate’s first impression, so be sure to stand out.

4. Maintain a Good Reputation 

We’re in a social media driven era and people can find positive or negative reviews on a company with a simple click. A candidate’s experience is especially crucial for the people companies don’t end up hiring. According to a LinkedIn survey, “83% of candidates said a negative interview experience can change their mind about a role or company they once liked.” Providing a good experience can maintain a good impression and it is important for organizations to consistently build a positive reputation as a great place to work. Candidate experience goes hand in hand with company culture, and research states that 95% of recruiters say that it has an impact on employer branding. Recruiters connect with candidates daily, so they have a full understanding of companies hiring processes and have dealt with both good and bad experiences. It is crucial to listen to what people are saying, and most importantly take their feedback into consideration in order to maintain a good reputation.

recruiter graphic

There are many ways employers can enhance candidate experience and improve the current processes in place. Learn what needs to be improved on and listen to what candidates have to say - whether it’s positive or negative. Feedback is important and can be a great resource. Even doing a simple Google search or browsing Glassdoor can give employers clarity on what people really think about them. Remember that setting clear expectations, having a clear and responsive process, maintaining a good impression, and simplifying the hiring process is a great way to improve a candidate’s experience.

We Are Here to Help

Are you a hiring manager or talent acquisition professional looking to expand your team? Ask us how we can help coach your hiring process as needed! Blue Signal’s search process continues to impress our clients and our recruiters are dedicated to finding top talent within any industry. Contact us today on ways we can help your organization. (480) 939-3200

Don’t Panic, but the Talent Pool is Shrinking

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The US broke many long-standing employment and labor records in 2018, with the effects rippling through all business verticals nationwide. With the 2008 recession now 10 years behind us, the 2018 economy showed strong jobs growth and shrinking unemployment. This is good news for job candidates who are looking to upgrade their jobs. For businesses, however, last decade’s hiring strategies won’t work anymore. The talent pool is shrinking, and updated strategies are a must.

In a talent shortage, candidates (not employers) have the power to dictate wages, benefits, and job content. Competition for qualified candidates is stiff, and potential employees have demand on their side. Just this year:

  • Youth unemployment hit its lowest level since 1966.
  • The number of open jobs exceeds unemployed persons by 659,000.
  • The economy has created 2.5 million jobs, representing 66.7 million hires.
  • The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that April closed with 6.7 million job openings.
  • Unemployment dropped to 3.8%, its lowest level since 1969.

Despite high demand, only 50% of employees feel like their wages are competitive with market rates.

 

Death by Automation

Despite the longest bull market run in history, candidates don’t always have it easy, either. A recent McKinsey report estimated that 50% of today’s jobs are susceptible to automation by artificial intelligence. This used to be a distant vision of the future, but today, many of these technologies are already available on the market. Half of the tasks employees do today can be automated, reducing the demand for some skills that most people use as leverage in qualifying for a position. Once While less than 5% of all occupations can be automated entirely using technology, about 60% of all occupations have at least 30% of activities that could be automated.

talent pool - cities with skills shortages

Skills Shortages

Not to mention the staggering skills shortages throughout the nation. If candidates want to remain marketable, they must learn some new skills. According to a LinkedIn survey, the hard skills companies need most are cloud and distributed computing, statistical analysis and data mining, middleware and integration software, web architecture and development framework, user interface design, software revision control systems, network and information security, and SEO/SEM marketing.

The trend is obvious here – companies are desperate for digital skills to keep up with the increasing amount of technology required in modern business. Software development skills, such as performance tuning and SQL are required for over 850,000 open roles right now. To put this in perspective, the talent pool only contains 472,000 professionals with those skills.

The need for highly specialized workers is at an all-time high, while the pool of educated and qualified candidates is strikingly low. Trends in education levels and projected employment needs indicate that employers will require about 18 million more college-educated workers than will be available in 2020, a gap representing 11% of demand. Complicating the situation is the student debt crisis, called a bubble by many leading economists. The burden of debt is unsustainable based on the earning potential of most college degrees, especially arts, languages, and other non-STEM areas of study.

Talent pool - 2020 labor shortages

Economists don’t expend a reversal of this trend any time soon. Underqualified talent cannot leverage skills that are universal or able to be automated, lowering performance. Low performance reduces revenue, and therefore capital. Without the capital to modernize, companies cannot compete – in their markets or for gaining candidates. This cycle feeds itself, reducing candidates and marketability, sometimes to the point of bankruptcy.

 

Talent Pool Predictions

What’s next? Employee development and training is a proven way to reduce turnover. Companies nationwide are investing more in educational programs and expanding the skill set of their internal teams. This can help in modernization and retention, fending off some of the competition poaching. The promise of personal and professional development can be a key factor in a potential candidate’s decision making.

If companies want to boost growth, they need the right employees. However, to get the right employees, hiring managers need updated recruiting strategies. They must focus less on what the employee can do for the company, and more on what the company can do for the employee. Today’s professionals are looking for not only financial rewards, but recognition and a future. Despite employer belief, the top reason individuals left their jobs was due to career progression – not salary. Out of the employers surveyed, 48% have a strategy in place to promote company culture to make their company more attractive, and 43% leverage competitive salary packages.

What makes your company a place that a qualified, highly-desired candidate wants to work (or in many cases, leave their current company for)? At Blue Signal Search, we call this a company’s “sizzle”. If you are experiencing some of the growing pains of this shrinking talent pool and the digital age, contact us today. We can help you find your true value proposition – your sizzle – and market it to find the right candidate for your open role.

Need help with your recruiting strategy? Contact us at (480) 939-3200 or reach out to [email protected].

How to Speed Up a Hiring Cycle by 50% or More

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The average hiring cycle has risen sharply in the past few years (from 13 days to over 23 days). Some positions take even longer—2 months or more to make a hire. All of this lost time slows down team momentum and actually leads to a sloppier hiring process, not a more careful one. Not only that, many of the top job candidates are off the market in 10 days or less. Companies that take a long time to hire are depriving themselves of the best talent in the industry.

This year, aim to slash the hiring time by 50%. Here are the best ways to cut down lag time on a new hire:

Diagnose the problem areas

Start by taking a quick look at the numbers. How long did it take to hire the last 3 employees? Break down the hiring process into role creation, role approval, applicant tracking/sourcing, screening, interviewing, and extending the offer. Which takes the most time? Where can the process be sped up? Most companies lose steam in screening and interviewing candidates.hiring cycle

Plan out the hiring cycle

Set a deadline for onboarding the new hire. While most hiring cycles do not go exactly according to plan, having a deadline creates an incentive for good time management and fast responses. It is a common pitfall to subconsciously underestimate the time it takes to make the hire.

Start by coordinating the schedules of everyone involved in making the hire. Most companies try to get too many people involved in the hiring process, which can create confusion and delays. Best practice is to include the person who will be directly managing the employee, someone who can drill them on the technical skills, and preferably one team member who would be working alongside them.

If one of the hiring managers will be traveling, overloaded, or working on a complex project, consider reassessing the hiring timeline or cutting them out of the hiring process altogether. Good candidates may stick it out for a long hiring process, but most won’t.

Urgency bonus

Sometimes, a long hiring cycle happens when a manager is afraid of hiring the wrong person. This is a valid concern, because bad hires are expensive—but so is a long hiring cycle. A delayed hire can mean expensive overtime, overworked team members, missed deadlines, or even falling behind in market competitiveness.

For companies that work with recruiters (internal or external), an urgency bonus is a great incentive to keep things moving. The bonus should be enough to overcome the temptation to procrastinate, but not so big that the hiring manager is tempted to rush the hire.

Resist “Mini Me” and “Queen Bee” Syndrome

Most hiring managers want to hire someone with a similar industry background and skill mix, essentially, someone whose resume looks just like their own…minus 5 years of experience and 25% in salary, give or take. The reality is that it’s more comfortable to hire “mini me” people with a similar background, but the strongest and highest-performing teams are diverse—in strengths as well as in personality.

Mini me syndrome - hiring cycle

Avoid “mini me” syndrome in a hiring cycle. The best teams have diverse work histories.

 

The other pitfall to avoid is “queen bee” syndrome. It can be tempting to always go after the perfect candidate with the strongest career path, best leadership qualities, impeccable background, and every skill under the sun. Not only are these “queen bee” candidates rare and expensive, but they also often are not what is needed. Most teams are made up of worker bees. Resist the urge to insist on every skill, and assess what is truly needed in the role.

Training Skills and “Bend” Points

In today’s market, there is a resistance to on-the-job training at nearly every seniority level. Many hiring managers overestimate the amount of experience they need in a candidate, but they underestimate what someone can learn on the job. Keep in mind that a newly hired person is more likely to put in extra hours and extra work to close their skills gap. In many cases, hiring managers wait around for an extra 3 months for the perfect candidate, when they could have hired someone slightly less senior and trained them on the job in less time than it took to find them.

Backfills vs. New Roles

In the staffing industry, recruiters know that backfills nearly always get filled faster than newly created positions. In fact, many new roles change several times during the hiring process. Many never get filled at all. This is because backfill roles are under pressure to fill. Keep this in mind when creating a new role. It is a huge time drain to get everyone involved in a hiring project that may change three times and still take six months to fill.

Most hiring managers prefer to focus on their projects, not on drawn-out hiring cycles. Cutting down the hiring cycle time benefits everyone. It takes dedication, so set multiple milestones if necessary. By slashing wasted time in the hiring process, companies will boost morale, get on top of projects faster, and hit their goals at a better rate than the competition.

Why Customer Experience Should Matter to Recruiters

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Recently I was asked, “When you are working on a search for one of your best clients, and the resumes come to you, how quickly can you determine if it is someone your client will be interested in?”

I was honest and admitted it only took about five seconds. He gasped on the other end of the phone and asked what I do with the people who don’t cut the mustard. I told him our process was telling candidates that they are not a fit for our current role, but that I will keep their information for other opportunities and imply that we will likely have something for them in the future.

He calmed down, but pointed out that what really frustrates him is that quite a few hiring managers only look at resumes for a few seconds after many of them prolong the application process, which can take candidates multiple hours to submit. It is no longer just sending in a resume. He said it disgusts him that they are only spending five seconds looking at an application that likely took two hours to apply to.

He made a great point; it’s not a fair tradeoff. This got me thinking; are we really being fair to people who want to work for us? Candidates have spent two hours of time filling out an application for the chance to join your company, yet we are only giving them five seconds of review before we make a decision.

Today, everyone is talking about customer experience management; creating a consistent, desirable and differentiated experience across all touch-points with your organization. According to a Walker study, by the year 2020, customer experience will overtake price and products as the key brand differentiator.

Customer Experience 2020

 

The reality is that every time you or someone in your company engages a customer, it creates an experience that they remember. A positive emotional experience anchors them to you, whereas a negative experience will encourage them to head straight to your competitor. Where are the hidden opportunities to add enough value for our customers that it begins to offset the effort they’ve expended for us, thus forging a more equitable exchange?

Big box industries say that the key is Voice of the Customer (VOC) tools like reviews and surveys. Hotel chains and software companies ask their biggest customers, “What can we do differently?” and “How did we do?”

But how do you encourage your customers to take the time to volunteer this type of feedback? You try to dangle a carrot. Entice them with a discount, money, gift card or future services. Valuable comments are only going to be offered if something is in it for them, right? Never is a customer going to say they will drop everything to give a company advice on their service. Everyone is money-driven, and everyone is time-driven.

In recruiting; we are trying to best service our clients and candidates. But rarely do recruiting firms solicit clients  to ask how they can service them better. From a recruiting perspective, a question that is always asked from our clients is, “How do you differentiate yourself?” We go into recruiter autopilot, explaining very quickly what sets us apart: “We offer a full year guarantee, access to great candidates, we are fast, and we have a winning success rate. We are available 24-7 and offer a human touch, etc.….”

Yes, these are all positive ways to set your firm apart. But are they really differentiating? Probably not.

When it comes to customer experience management how do we as recruiters better ourselves and put the client first? The answer can be applied to every business interaction, and that is:

Ask better questions.

Questions such as:

  • “What can we be doing differently?”
  • “What are you looking for from a recruiter?”
  • “Can you fill the role on your own?”
  • “What type of talent are you searching for?”
  • “Does a full-year guarantee mean anything to you?”
  • “Do you want your industry’s #1 sales player in this industry? Or do you need someone in the chair who’s capable of doing the job?”

I have learned over the years that if we ask the right questions and understand the client’s needs, we create better relationships and earn long term results.

The truth is that dangling a carrot in exchange for reviews doesn’t work. Once you have formed a relationship with them, they will offer genuine feedback and ways to help. The best way to manage your customer experience comes back to better questioning. Dig deeper. Ask questions like:

  • “What is important to you in your career?”
  • “Where do you want to be in ten years?”
  • “How will you get there and why?”

Over 90% of professionals won’t know the answers to these questions. But that is okay, because we as recruiters are here as sounding boards to help them better understand companies, industry trends, and even their own needs.

At the end of the day, the most valuable reviews come from asking the right questions. No one truly tells you how to do things differently until they are upset or realize that things went wrong.

When you think of customer experience management, are you really listening to your customer? Here at Blue Signal, we pride ourselves on asking the right questions and are always open to hearing how we can improve.

Feel free to hear our full line of questions on the client side by reaching out at [email protected] .