Are Reference Checks Worth Your Time When Hiring Employees?

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The answer is a simple YES! Reference checks are worth your time; just follow these tips to make sure you are using this opportunity to your best advantage and to find the applicant that will be the best fit for your company.

Talk to an immediate supervisor

This seems like an obvious one, but it needs to be on the list! If a candidate is not able to give you a reference of a supervisor this could be cause for concern; it could be a sign that the candidate left previous jobs in unfavorable conditions. Speaking with the supervisor will shed a lot of light on the person’s working style as well as overall personality. You may be able to find out what management style worked best for the candidate as well as how he/she worked with others. It is also a good idea to find out what other strengths and weaknesses the supervisor remembers about the candidate, if he/she is willing to share them.

Ask open ended questions

Try to avoid questions that are “yes” and “no” answers only. Remember, you are trying to find out more about the candidate as a worker and his/her overall behavior. Examples would be… Tell me about the candidate’s management style? What is a strength this candidate showed to management and co-workers? Also, it is important to read beyond just the answers that are given…does the person’s energy while speaking about the candidate seem positive? Does he/she have plenty to say or is he/she struggling to answer the questions?

Find references not on the list

In today’s business world, where networking (especially social media) is prevalent, you might know people in common with the candidate. Check LinkedIn or other professional groups for someone that may have worked at the same company as the candidate. Even if that person is not on the reference list provided by the applicant, it would be beneficial to attempt to gather his/her input on the applicant. However, one important warning is to make sure this is not the only reference with whom you speak. For example, the two individuals may not have worked together closely enough for an accurate reference to be provided by the common third-party person.

Keep it short and sweet

The reference’s time is just as important as yours. Make sure to have a list of questions ready so that the conversation goes smoothly and quickly. Assure the individual that he/she is speaking to you confidentially so that he/she is more at ease throughout the conversation. Start with basic questions, if necessary, and then work up to the more complex questions.

The chosen few only please

Save this step to last…make sure you have narrowed down your applicants to just a few chosen people, if not the final person that will be receiving the conditional offer of employment. Do not spend time doing reference checks for each candidate in the mid-stages of the hiring process. By the end of the interviews and other candidate questioning, you may only have to do reference checks for a few absolute final people. And by then, you may have a good feel for which candidate will be the best fit for your company. This will just be the final piece to complete the hiring puzzle. Whether you decide to check on a small group of people or just the final candidate, make sure you are cognizant of the applicants’ wishes for the confidentiality of their job search. That is, make sure they are okay with you calling any current employer to check references. Not letting the cat out of the bag too early will help to further earn an applicant’s trust in your organization.

Remember, the hiring process is all about finding the best fit for the job. While using our applicant tracking software to gather applicant information and to narrow down your choices, uses these quick tips to make reference checks easy and worth your time. We can automate the process of recording reference check data, too. For more information about our products, please visit our resources section or contact us today.

SMB Pre-Employment Screening Guide Ebook

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Need Employees for Your Small Business? Hire for These 8 Characteristics!

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I believe strongly that I was meant to work for smaller organizations – start-ups especially. And while I have never worked for a really large company (and so have no true frame of comparison), the way I’m hard-wired screams for me to be in a place where I can wear multiple hats. But not everyone is destined to thrive in a smaller business. However, there are some key traits you should seek when screening applicants for jobs available in the office of your start-up company…

1 – Resourcefulness

Let’s face it…many times employees at a small business have no precedent to set the stage for how they might approach a given situation or obstacle. There’s no “way we do things around here” yet and so individuals must jump in and get their feet wet to figure out what works well, and what will just be a temporary bandage to get through the issue. This can be very exciting for some, but cause a near panic attack in others. So it’s simple…just hire MacGyver, or find the most recent Discovery Channel reality TV star that fashioned a fishing basket out of jungle vine, right? But seriously, the tendency for one to be resourceful can be at least partially unearthed through a line of interview questions that ask the candidate to provide specific examples of how previous work obstacles were overcome when a new type of challenge was presented.

2 – Ability to Self-Direct…& Gets Bored Easily!

The ability for one to be autonomous and able to stay on task is not the most earth-shattering revelation on this list. But, have you thought about the “why” behind someone’s motivation to get things done? In the context of a small business environment, many times the most successful people not only cross all their tasks off the proverbial Post-it note regularly, but do so with enthusiasm because they have another Post-it note waiting for them to attack – one that has all the new ideas they jotted down the other day. The important point here is that while these people tend to get bored easily, they are in an environment where they are empowered to create their own work…so it’s impossible to get bored.

Of course all positions have responsibilities that are somewhat reactionary, but your proactive small biz Kool-Aid drinkers are happy as long as they get to dig their hands into many different cookie jars to help improve the company and their role.

3 – Passion

Unless you are screening for new Dancing with the Stars candidates by rating their tango, passion in the context of the SMB market doesn’t have to imply intense emotion, but rather a compulsive drive to continuously improve upon the processes, products and services that propel the organization forward. It basically means that your people honestly give a care about the long-term impact they have on your organization, and that your organization has on its industry and community. They do NOT get a case of the Mondays each week. I’m not trying to say that some people who work for large corporations are not intensely devoted to their occupation…I’m merely saying that in a small biz…it’s blindingly obvious when someone on the team doesn’t have the same mojo as everyone else there.

And while you’d probably begin the search for this trait by asking the candidate to describe an experience where he/she went above and beyond during a project…you might instead start by asking the prospect to tell you a story about someone who went above and beyond for him/her, first. Get details on the impact of that deed on the interviewee’s outlook and ask how he/she hopes to emulate that focus in his/her own life. Then, you might have an even better idea about his/her true passion (and how that could take shape for your organization).

4 – Unpretentious

Don’t hire people who are too fancy for their own good. You might work for a small company if…you bring your own stapler and mouse from home, or you fill up the company Brita water filter pitcher when it’s getting low in the fridge. The point is that employees have to do some things they may not be used to doing if they come from larger offices. If they are too good to help answer the office phone or start the dishwasher in the kitchenette when it fills up, then that’s going to grind some gears down the road.

5 – Inventiveness

To piggy-back off #1 on this list, you should have some people on your team that are gifted at innovation when it comes to creating efficiencies and brainstorming and executing new ideas. The important part here is to spread that creative gene around so that different teammates are engaged to excel in different areas. One might have a keen eye for detail and fresh promotional ideas; while another may have a talent for developing new procedures to anticipate potential hiccups down the road.

It’s a little trickier to screen for this type of trait in a personal interview, as sometimes you don’t truly know until you can see it in action. However, you can certainly assess one’s interests and behavioral tendencies through a pre-employment testing tool to give you a better idea of what makes the applicant tick. That way, you can explore initial assessment results with follow-up questions during a final interview.

6 – Optimism

Because the course of the ship can change frequently and suddenly in the world of a small company, at times there can be a general sense of the “unknown” in terms of what the future may bring. Some personalities can turn a lack of knowledge into the assumption that the worst possible scenario may come true…so the Negative Nancys of the world, in the absence of expectations for a clearly-defined career path inside of the organization might bolt (incidentally…our own Nancy on staff at ExactHire is in no way negative just to be clear!). In contrast, optimistic individuals have the capacity for embracing the fact that while a clear-cut ladder doesn’t exist, maybe other exciting and brand new roles will be carved out by ambitious contributors in the future.

7 – Adaptable

I won’t spend a lot of time on this one because it may be the most obvious necessity in a strong hire. But what are the giveaways to the true nature of someone’s flexibility? Try to probe for an interviewee’s specific reasons for changing positions within an organization or switching companies all together in the past. The bottom line is that small companies need staff members that perhaps even crave change and somewhat fluid circumstances, as these types of organizations can evolve quickly as the result of venture capital funding, unexpected turnover, etc. If you’re familiar with Chaos Theory such that a butterfly flaps its wings in Tennessee and a tidal wave hits Taiwan…know that SMB’s are feeling the butterfly’s blustery effects closer to Texas in contrast with corporate counterparts that can distill the effect over a larger employee base.

8 – Tech-Savviness

Let’s make an argument for having an average to above average knack for embracing technology. You’re probably thinking you’d find the opposite in a small organization where budgets might be too constrained to afford the latest Software-as-a-Service and other technological tools. However, what tends to be more expensive? Automating key processes or hiring more headcount?

Hire individuals who sit at least slightly to the right on the technophobe vs. software geek spectrum. In an environment where people resources are limited and multi-tasking is a way of life, people who can get up to speed on new software applications more quickly, and without a lot of hand-holding, are going to be more productive for your company faster. And in the context of a professional office setting, one of your first clues to this skill might be how effectively the individual completes the web-based employment application available through your applicant tracking system. Or, assess how involved this person is on a business-geared social media site such as LinkedIn.

Working at a startup can be a wild card, fraught with uncertainty about the future profitability of the company…or what your specific career path has in store…or whether you will be exposed to the type of experiences you feel you need in your profession. You’ll probably catch yourself saying “well, that’s part of working at a small business” from time to time when addressing a lack of things that might be readily available at a big business.

However, while your most valuable new hire prospects will certainly consider this expectation; they will realize that this same phrase can work to their advantage, as well, and probably more frequently if the traits they possess align well with their respective position. Above all, hire people that are motivated to see the immediate impact their individual role has on the business as a whole – arguably the most exciting part…and enjoy the ride!

ExactHire offers hiring software solutions specifically designed for the small- to medium-sized company. For more information on tools to help you find employees for small business, please visit our resources section or contact us.

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How to Automate the New Hire Process

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Time is the hottest commodity on the market. There are many more things to be done today, but the hours in a day have stayed the same. Because of this, we begin looking for ways to automate various tasks in our day. If you’re in Human Resources, you might be asking how we can automate the new hire process.

The Employment Application

The best place to begin automating your hiring process is with the application. An online application that can help standardize your job description postings, add additional job specific questions to the application process, and automatically place applicants into an electronic database is a great place to start! You could decide to make a simple online form for the application process (which would not likely include the cool features mentioned above) or you could use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to create an online application (which would include the cool features mentioned above).

Scoring Applicants

By using an ATS, you could also include scoring filters on questions that you ask applicants. This would allow you to sort your applicant pool quickly, giving you those who most accurately fit the profile that you’re seeking at the top of your “stack.” For example, if you need a mid-level person with 2 – 4 years of experience you could include the following question with score levels that you customize:

How many years of customer service experience do you have?

  • Option 1: Zero – one year of experience (score = 0)
  • Option 2: > 1 year, but < 2 years of experience (score = 5)
  • Option 3: > 2 years, but < 4 years of experience (score = 10)
  • Option 4: > 4 years, but < 6 years of experience (score = 2)
  • Option 5: > 6 years of experience (score = 0)

From this question, along with a few others, you could sort your applicants based on the score attained and begin reviewing applicants that most closely fit your preferred candidate skill/experience profile.

Routing Application(s) for Review

With the HireCentric ATS, you can route applications to various people within your organization and the system will keep track of to whom you routed the application, as well as, when the other person reviewed that application. No more stapling a routing slip to a resume or a teammate saying they spilled coffee on the only copy. It can all be automated through applicant tracking software! A few simple clicks and away it goes.

Completing New Hire Paperwork

Already have the application, scoring, and routing process all set? Really looking for a way to automate the “hundreds” of forms a newly hired employee fills out? The new hire paperwork process can be automated by using employee onboarding software. We build your paperwork forms into an online database. The new hire fills out the questions – all electronically. That information populates the forms and the employee may electronically sign them. You or anyone else on your team with access can approve the forms and then print, forward, archive, etc. the forms. Our onboarding software can be connected to our HireCentric ATS which means as soon as you decide to hire an applicant, directly from their HireCentric file, you can invite the new teammate to begin completing paperwork.

 

Making the new hire process paperless does not have to be a complicated nor difficult process. Let us help you find more time in your day! Visit our resources section for more information or contact us to schedule a live demo.

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Background Checks & Hiring – 7 Things to Consider

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Since the revised EEOC guidance rules were published in 2012, there has been much speculation and frustration among employers as to the use of criminal history checks in the hiring process. These updated guidelines for background checks are especially challenging for small and mid-sized organizations, as they typically don’t have the legal resources readily available to help keep them compliant.

I’ve heard these complaints from clients over the past 18 months. At the same time, I’ve been fortunate enough to receive some tips from background check providers as to what employers can do to help avoid any undue exposure. Below are some of the things they’ve shared with me that I might recommend:

#1 – Have updated job descriptions

Everyone has heard this ad nauseum, but with these EEOC revisions, this is even more important than it has been in the past. And, if you are using an applicant tracking system such as HireCentric, creating updated job descriptions can be done quite efficiently through the use of job templates.

#2 – Be very careful in asking about criminal convictions on your employment application

While the finer points of this bear further discussion with a qualified Labor & Employment Law attorney, the key is to avoid any appearance that applicants having prior criminal convictions are excluded from serious consideration. Beyond this suggestion, many states have actually implemented legislation that makes it illegal to even ask this type of question on the employment application.

#3 – Consider only criminal convictions relevant to the job for which an applicant is applying

The fact that an applicant committed a crime is no longer considered sufficient reason to exclude that person from consideration for a position. In addition, you must be able to show that the crime for which that applicant was convicted creates risk for the organization if they are placed in a given position. An example…the fact that an applicant was convicted for shoplifting doesn’t pose any undue or unreasonable risk for the employer if the applicant is being hired to run a manufacturing machine. However, if that same applicant is being hired to manage company funds, most would agree that the shoplifting conviction is more relevant to that position and could create exposure for the employer.

#4 – Convictions must be recent enough to indicate significant risk

This is very subjective, but the intent here is to make sure that applicants who were convicted for offenses many years ago aren’t excluded from consideration unnecessarily. Another component to this is that applicant attempts at rehabilitation and recent job performance results should be considered. If someone was convicted of a crime 15-20 years ago, but has been employed and showed good performance in positions since then, that conviction likely shouldn’t be used as a way to disqualify the applicant from consideration.

#5 – You get what you pay for

There are a number of inexpensive ways to gather criminal history for applicants. While this isn’t meant to be a “plug” for any particular provider, this is an area where cutting corners can result in big penalties. Be sure to use a qualified provider of these services who can not only provide the conviction history, but who can also provide advice and counsel when needed.

#6 – Confirm convictions at the original source

This is an extension of the point above. Once a conviction shows up in any criminal history search, be sure your provider can locate and provide information from the original source…typically found at the county or municipal level. Since many of these government entities are not fully computerized, this often requires someone physically visiting a courthouse to manually locate and confirm the conviction information contained in the criminal history search.

#7 – Allow applicants to challenge any convictions found

By law, any conviction information found in a criminal history search must be disclosed to the applicant for potential appeal. It’s not uncommon for someone to have a conviction show on their record, when the actual person convicted of the offense is a different person. They may share the same name, but have completely different dates of birth or Social Security numbers. When using a provider, be sure they will either notify applicants on your behalf (ideally) or provide you the means to do so yourself (at a minimum).

By way of full disclosure, I am not an attorney and this is not meant to be legal advice. Instead, these are some effective tips that have been shared with me since the revised EEOC guidelines were released in 2012. I hope these are helpful for your organization, but I recommend speaking with an attorney or a representative from your criminal history provider for more details on this topic.

For more information about ExactHire’s applicant tracking software or potential background checking providers, please contact us today. 

Image credit: 3D Scales of Justice by Chris Potter (contact)

5 Tips for Applicants to Stay Classy in 2014 – Make Ron Burgundy Proud

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I love stupid movies…especially comedies. While I catch a lot of grief for this on the home front, it does occasionally come in handy for blogging purposes. Even more so on the last Friday of the year!

One of my favorite characters is Ron Burgundy — he of the “Anchorman” (and now “Anchorman 2“) fame. Politically incorrect and a walking sexual harassment claim, he’d be a nightmare for any HR professional in real life.

At the same time, it made me think about how Ron might react to all of the cultural and technological changes that have occurred since the 1970’s. You have to remember that he was a product of the 1970’s — things like smartphones, laptops, fax machines and the Internet weren’t even contemplated at that time. So, in his honor, below are the top five tips for job seekers in 2014 as seen through the eyes of Ron Burgundy:

#1 – Buy a new suit

When Ron and his friends suffered from an “existential funk,” their therapy was purchasing new suits. Since all interviews are done in person (no video interviewing or Skype existed in his time), it’s important to look your best.

#2 – Have a glass of scotch

Ron loves “poetry and a good glass of scotch.” When interviewing in person, having a couple of drinks to help calm your nerves is a good thing. Order the way he would — “I’ll have three fingers of Glenlivet, with a little bit of pepper… and some cheese.”

#3 – Make friends with the HR lady

Being as sexist as he is, Ron assumes all human resource professionals are female. In addition, he sees himself as “kind of a big deal.” Thus, from his standpoint, hitting on the person conducting the hiring process makes all the sense in the world. The only saving grace is that there was no Facebook or Instagram in his day — he likely would have been guilty of postings along the lines of Anthony Wiener.

#4 – Act like you know everything

Remember that Ron didn’t have Google. Even if he had, he probably wouldn’t have taken the time to use it. Instead, he preferred to make random guesses as to the meaning for things he didn’t understand. One great example is his definition of diversity — “an old, old wooden ship that was used in the Civil War era.” Another is his inability to recall how San Diego got it’s name — “I’ll be honest, I don’t think anyone knows what it means anymore. Scholars maintain that the translation was lost hundreds of years ago.”

#5 – Don’t bother with an employment application

Applications are for common people. Take it from Ron, they take too much time and can only keep you from getting that dream job. Instead, focus on communicating your strengths face to face. Like Ron in his initial meeting with Veronica Corningstone — “People know me.” “I’m very important. I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany.”

I hope you’ve enjoyed these tongue-in-cheek recommendations for job applicants. May the end of the year go smoothly for you and best wishes for a happy & prosperous 2014. Oh, and one more thing…

“You stay classy, San Diego!”

For information on ExactHire’s hiring software solutions, please visit our resources page or schedule a live demo.

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3 Tips to Engage Your Applicants During the Hiring Process

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Any decent recruiter knows that it is critical to have an active pool from which to source candidates for jobs, but that doesn’t just mean a large number of any past job applicants. A truly good applicant pool includes applicants that are interested in future positions with your organization and have the qualifications required. Here is an overview of three tips to engage your applicants throughout the recruiting and selection process.

Have relevant and diverse content on your careers site

Maintaining a company careers site with current and RELEVANT job-related and company-culture inspired content will help attract top talent. Your website or career page may be your first impression with the applicant…so make sure it’s a positive and informative experience! This effort shows potential future employees that you are serious about your industry and your team, and it can provide compelling information to elusive passive job seekers who are just dipping their toe into the pool and contemplating job transition.

Moreover, feature this information in various forms and locations:

Acknowledge applicants’ efforts to apply for jobs on your site

Once the candidate has applied to the job, make sure he/she receives some confirmation of his/her formal interest in the company. Making this communication more personalized will help the candidate stay intrigued…think of it as a call to action. Invite the candidate to follow your company via Twitter or LinkedIn in the correspondence text, itself. By doing so, you can start to expose glimpses of your company culture early in the relationship and the right applicants will more likely stay interested in your company throughout the process, as a result.

Make the first meeting unforgettable

Most of the time, the first meeting between a candidate and an organization’s recruiting representative is an interview, so try to find ways to make this experience more positive and remarkable…not just a stiff meeting at an office in a conference room. Set clear expectations about what to expect from the rest of the interviewing process and then be accountable to following through with promises in order to bolster your organization’s credibility and employment brand.

When interviewing top talent for hard-to-fill positions, meetings could take place at a nice coffee shop. This would put the candidate at ease and also make the experience stand out in his/her mind. After all, when courting A players for critical positions, as a recruiter, you are competing against others that want this applicant at their organization, as well.

Finally, thank all applicants for their time…while not a radical idea, this is sometimes overlooked since normally it is the applicant thanking the hiring manager. These types of small details will leave a lasting and positive impression with your candidates.

As a recruiter, part of your job is to “sell” the position to the potential employee and make sure that each candidate is truly interested in the job. Keeping candidates engaged throughout the hiring process will help to ensure your top contenders accept a job offer, start off engaged and succeed at your organization.

For information on how ExactHire’s hiring software solutions can aid your efforts to engage applicants, please contact us today.

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Is Paperless Hiring More Efficient?

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Would paperless human resource processes be more efficient for my small- to medium-sized organization? My cut and dry answer is yes. Since we are all grown-ups, however, we know that there are rarely instances when answers are cut and dry. So, let’s explore, briefly, why my answer is yes.

What do I do with all of these paper resumes?

Do you remember that seminar where the instructor says, “Try to make all of your paper ‘one-touch!’” Could you imagine a world where employment applications were one-touch? That’s a mind-boggling concept.

What do you do with hard copy applications these days? Let’s say you currently accept them electronically (perhaps via email) and/or in printed form (perhaps via mail/fax or at a job fair in person) and put them into a collection pile/email folder (touch #1). Then, you sort through the pile (touch #2) to see which ones you like the best. Oh darn! You’ve just knocked over your coffee; let’s hope this was an electronically submitted version. Then you walk the application stack over to the hiring manager for review if you are lucky enough to be in the same building (touch #3). I’m sure you can sense that this process is getting lengthy.

With an electronic application, there is no need for you to “do” anything with the applications until you’re ready to sort through the proverbial pile. If you want to forward an application to the hiring manager for review, then its three clicks of a button and the hiring manager can check out the application. I don’t know about you, but I can’t even make it to some of my co-workers offices that quickly. Plus, the process of sorting is a whole lot easier when using a web-based hiring software application that allows you to use automatic scoring and disqualification filters on application screening questions.

Paperless hiring helps you to be more productive with your time and de-clutters your office & email inbox.

I can’t read this application; do you know what it says?

I hear school systems are doing away with cursive writing. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but it is all of the buzz with this new school year starting. But if focus is diverting from penmanship, then I have a feeling concerns with chicken scratch writing (per my question above) are only going to increase. If everyone completed his/her application or new hire paperwork online electronically, then you would not have to worry about the difference between an applicant’s handwritten number one or seven.

Paperless hiring software makes documents more legible.

We have compliance reporting deadlines coming up. Have you been keeping track of that spreadsheet?

No more need for manually documenting applicant information in spreadsheets! Because all of the information is captured automatically in a database, there is no need for anyone to manually enter information into an applicant flow log spreadsheet for affirmative action reporting, for example; nor, would there be a need for anyone to “catch up” the spreadsheet if it was not kept current.

Human resources software takes the tedious manual tasks out of the reporting process.

The two big efficiency questions are: will paperless hiring save me time and will paperless hiring move the process along more quickly. Yes, paperless hiring will make a compelling impact on both fronts.

To learn more about efficient software solutions for the hiring process, please contact ExactHire today.

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4 Steps For Job Seekers To Better Engage New Employers

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Are you a job seeker that is getting back into the work force? Or, maybe you lost your previous job and are still searching for the next position. Either way, your chances of landing your next great position are dramatically improved if you can undergo an honest assessment of your skill set, identify any gaps that might need shoring up, and then proactively engage new employers. In this blog, I’ll outline four easy steps for better engaging with employers:

Network – as much as possible!

Thanks Captain Obvious! I know this is cliche but it’s so true! Networking may be the single the best way to expand your radar for potential employers. Join a professional group – by interests, profession or geographic area. Find out when they have events and make them fit into your calendar! Beef up your LinkedIn profile or other similar professional social media sites, and then connect with others on social media. However, be careful not to be too needy; try to form meaningful partnerships with these people. Show that you have honest interest in a particular field. If your peers hear of a job opening, they are more likely to refer you if you have given them reason to remember you and shown that you are genuinely interested in a new position.

Find employers that fit your skill set – and follow them!

Here’s another step that may seem trivial to mention, but I am going to say it regardless because sometimes the simplest solution stares us right in the face and we still don’t see it. Narrow your employer audience. If your past work experience is in financial services, for example, then it is probably not the best use of your time to go to career events or networking opportunities that focus on manufacturing or healthcare.

Seek out employers in which you have interest, or that are in the industry that you wish to pursue. Maybe such companies will be at a trade show or networking event and you will be able to speak face-to-face with someone from that organization. Go one step further and ask members of your network to refer your personalized emails/letters & resumes to their personal contacts at those organizations (after doing some research on the company!) to express why you would be a good fit for a certain position, or just a good fit for their company culture, in general. Explicitly demonstrate your interest in companies by subscribing to their recruiting-related newsletters and/or following their organization’s pages on social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Depending on the organization/industry, don’t forget to watch for company updates on newer social networks such as Google+ or Pinterest, too.

Take classes – update your education

I am sure your parents stressed the importance of education to you as you were growing up. Guess what…they were right! That doesn’t mean you have to run and tell them they were right, but it’s a good career move to keep continuing your education in some format. If it’s been years since you have changed jobs, you will find out the job market has changed over time. The process of applying for jobs is not the same as it once was. Many employers now use web-based applicant tracking systems, so it will be necessary to update your approach, and potentially your resume, to mesh with this online format. Take classes on updating your resume and online career profile. Check online or with local colleges for lists of educational opportunities. If you are working with a recruiter, he/she may recommend specific resources for you to use.

Seek out the professionals that are already in your life

Again, this is not rocket science – check with those people in your life that may know of interesting job prospects. Think of your family, friends, neighbors or community members that you know through other civic groups. Also, check with previous co-workers or managers… they may have moved on to different companies or careers. Keeping in touch with these people and partnering with them can be a win-win situation. Cultivate long-term relationships so that when they hear of a job opening, your name will come to mind. This has never been easier than it is now with sites like LinkedIn.

Good luck in your job search and remember, have fun and stay true to yourself! Job fit is vital in our ever-changing job market!

For more information about how ExactHire’s applicant tracking system can engage your organization’s potential applicants, please visit our resources section or contact us today.

What Is An Applicant Flow Log Report?

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What’s an applicant flow log? Many of our clients are required to comply with Affirmative Action and OFCCP (Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs) regulations. While these regulations are wide-ranging and very comprehensive, they typically apply to organizations that have government contracts (or sometimes subcontracts). At their core, these programs help to ensure that organizations don’t discriminate in their hiring processes. Of course, there’s more to it than this, but I’m not an Affirmative Action consultant.

What You Need To Know

The primary way these regulations are measured and enforced is through analysis of applicant records. In very simple terms, employers must keep very good records to show key things such as:

  • the number of applicants per open position posted
  • whether or not those applicants volunteered their race, gender, and ethnicity
  • if they did volunteer this information, it must be listed per applicant
  • the disposition of each applicant (i.e. how far did they get in the hiring process and why they were exited from the process)

The Challenge of Applicant Flow Log Reports

While the intent of these regulations probably wasn’t to overburden employers, the reality is that they do. As you can imagine, recording applicant flow log information in a spreadsheet for each applicant…for every job–while keeping their race/gender/ethnicity information separately, as required by law–is beyond painful. Then, once this data is collected, it needs to be analyzed and reported to authorities in very specific ways–typically by an Affirmative Action consultant or Labor/Employment attorney. On top of all that, if the employer fails to adequately keep these records, they risk fines and penalties if audited, including the loss of any future government contract. This clearly isn’t an optional task.

Ease the Compliance Reporting Burden

This compliance headache is a major reason why many organizations (even those in the small and mid-sized business space) are turning to applicant tracking software. A good ATS gathers, segregates and allows for automated reporting of the information described above–an applicant flow log report.

However, before working with an applicant tracking system vendor, be sure to ask for proof that they can do this type of tracking and reporting. The best way to do this is to talk with clients who are using this component of the applicant tracking software already. They will be in a great position to help you understand how well the ATS works for these specific purposes.

For more information about ExactHire and our Affirmative Action reporting capabilities, please contact us today.