As the economic downturn of 2008 becomes a distant memory, a growing number of employers are finding that the tide is turning when it comes to competing for talent. It wasn’t that long ago when employers became relatively complacent from a hiring standpoint—it was an employer’s market. But all of that is changing as baby […]
Older Workers On the Rise: Benefits and Potential Drawbacks
The baby boomer generation has had a significant impact on society—and the workforce. That impact is predicted to continue. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that, while only 11.9 percent of the labor force was 55 years or older in 1990, that percentage will increase to 25.2 percent in 2020. Many Americans are choosing […]
Taking a Marketing Approach to Attracting Talent
In many organizations, the marketing and HR functions operate independently—HR focused primarily on internal communications with employees and marketing focused primarily on external communications with consumer and business audiences that include both prospects and customers. In some organizations, though, these two groups have teamed up to combine their expertise to boost overall communication effectiveness, internally […]
The Balance Between Hiring for Fit and Inclusion
Talent managers these days talk a lot about “hiring for fit” and the concept is sound. After all, to create and maintain a strong corporate culture, companies are well served to ensure that those they hire will fit into that culture. But, there’s a flip side to this commonly held wisdom. Building a culture based […]
Communicating When You Don’t Have All The Answers
HR professionals are finding themselves caught between a rock and a hard place these days as they attempt to communicate with employees about impending legislative and policy changes that may affect their healthcare coverage, their benefit options, and more. Employees want answers, but HR and company leaders often don’t have those answers. How can you […]
Developing Your Employee Brand Ambassadors
Companies exert a great deal of time and effort to build their brands and position themselves positively, and effectively, relative to the competition. Much of that time and effort is focused externally—on creating marketing messages that are disseminated through a wide range of communication channels from the traditional (print, broadcast and outdoor) to the digital […]
Recognizing and Overcoming Personal Biases
A bias is a predisposition for or against something. We can be either favorably, or unfavorably, biased, although the word tends to carry more negative than positive connotations. The important point, though, is that we all naturally have biases—they’re an unavoidable fact of life. Whether related to issues, individuals or preferences in music, art, or […]
Leveraging Diversity Through Dissension and Discord
The political environment has certainly ramped up the level of potential dissension and discord within workplaces around the country. And, while that dissension and discord can be disruptive and divisive, there are times when it’s just what’s required to leverage the value of diverse perspectives, backgrounds and experiences. It’s a lesson NASA’s widely known “group […]
Making Them an Offer They Can’t Refuse
Once you’ve found a top candidate you want to boost the odds that they’ll accept your offer. But, data tells us that up to 39% of job offers are rejected. Why? John Zappe, contributing editor of ERE.net, calls it the “too low and too slow” syndrome: 39% of the time candidates reject an offer because they’re received another offer (too slow); 29% of the time because the compensation/benefits package didn’t meet their expectations (too low). We offer some guidance on improving in these two areas.
Monthly Job Trends – January 2017
The economy has finally awakened from its long slumber, largely signified by the recent interest rate hikes the Fed has started to introduce after years of untouched, low rates. Naturally, a boosted economy means things are looking better on the jobs front. Interestingly enough, recent months have seen some fluctuations in unemployment numbers. According to […]