Got a Failure to Communicate? Soft Skills Matter More Than You Think

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It is not uncommon to hear the words “skills gap” repeatedly mentioned by hiring managers when discussing why positions are vacant and how to win the search for the Holy Grail (AKA–the perfectly fitting candidates to fill those vacant positions). There is great debate on what exactly comprises a “skills gap” and why positions stay vacant. Is the gap based on technological skills? Technical skills? Soft skills? A mix? A recent telephone survey conducted by Adecco Staffing to 500 executives sheds some light on this topic, and the results generated from that phone survey might not be that shocking. 44% of those surveyed reported the gap they experience most often is based on a lack of soft skills.

How to Screen for Soft Skills

Soft skills. Interesting adjective: soft. Soft skills are anything but soft because those skills provide the core foundation for an employee’s success within an organization, and that success is essential for a company to survive in this volatile economic market. If a company hires a candidate with less than stellar soft skills, that can be a huge liability to the company. Customer service is a key role in every position, no matter if that person does not directly contact the company’s clients. Employees must positively interact with teammates in order to deliver exemplary customer service and not just meet, but exceed, the customer’s demands. If the customer is not happy, that customer will find another company to make it happy…and tell other potential customers about its experience along the way. Employee assessments can assist hiring managers in identifying candidates who could possibly integrate successfully into the company culture. We are human. Disagreements can and will occur because great talent comes from various personality styles; it is how those disagreements occur constructively and how they are resolved positively for growth to occur and innovative ideas to formulate and come to fruition.

Effective communication skills are some of the most sought after soft skills. Unless the job specifically requires it, a person does not need to be an accomplished speaker or published writer with a long list of accolades; that person does need to have the communication skills to express thoughts and ideas efficiently and be able to give and receive constructive criticism in a positive manner along with demonstrating the ability to coherently express himself/herself in written language. Displaying professionalism in the work environment means displaying the same behaviors sought. Leading by example impacts others more profoundly than preaching empty words and barking orders. Managers need to take a look in the mirror and ask themselves: Am I a supportive mentor to my team? Am I displaying the same characteristics I expect from my team?

Ways to Enhance Your Communication Skills

So how can a person improve his/her soft skills? Volunteering is a great way to help others while helping oneself. When working with diverse groups of people, a person will be introduced to different communication styles which in turn gives an individual an opportunity to refine his/her communication skills. There is an extensive list of nonprofit organizations that are desperately seeking human capital to volunteer; use your favorite search engine to get a list of those places, or just contact an organization that piques your interest and call it to see how you can volunteer. Another way to enhance communication skills is to find a professional mentor who can support you as you branch out of your comfort zone and what you feel is the norm. Look at networking groups to meet and integrate with others. Take a class. Many colleges have noncredit classes at a low fee or credit based classes you can audit at a reduced tuition rate if you do not want the college credits. There are so many classes that are applicable to human resources, interpersonal communications, and organizational development that will expand your ideas, but even taking a course based on a hobby introduces you to others’ perspectives where you can also share your own. It is never too late to learn new concepts.

Employers want employees who can “play well” together because time is too limited of a resource to be spending it putting out fires among the team. The old adage plays true–you are only as strong as the weakest link, and if that link breaks, it might not be able to be repaired. Time needs to be spent on the organization’s mission and not bandaging internal conflicts. People tend to spend more time at work or working at home than non-work related activities so it is important to develop a team of mutually supportive individuals aiming for the same goals but with creativity and innovative skills to help the team take a very unique route to achieve those goals. After all, isn’t it great to enjoy the scenery on the way to arriving at the destination?

To learn more about employee assessments available from ExactHire, please visit our assessment features page or contact us today.

Image credit: Reach! by Adam Baker (contact)

3 New Hire Mistakes That HR Onboarding Software Can Fix

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Starting work with a new employer is a big deal to a new employee. That goes without saying. Not so widely recognized is how big of a deal it is to the Human Resources and Admin teams within the new employer. These are the folks typically tasked with procuring all of the documentation and resources for new hires.

While most new hires are focused on making a great first impression with their bosses and peers, they don’t always seem to be as focused on doing the same with HR. At least that’s how it seems when looking at new hire paperwork. Below are three of the most common mistakes newly hired employees make with their onboarding documents, and how implementing HR onboarding software can address them:

HR Mistakes: Missing documents

This is, by far, the most common frustration for HR staff coordinating new hire activities. In many cases, new employees feel overwhelmed by paperwork. It’s easy for them to misplace a document. If they work off-site and have to fax or scan/email their paperwork, it’s common for pages to stick together, etc. Once this happens, the burden falls back to the human resources team to track down those missing documents in a timely fashion. For organizations hiring a handful of people a year, this is an annoyance, but can be managed. For those hiring at higher volume, it can be nearly impossible. Most onboarding software tools resolve this easily by allowing both the new hire and the HR team to see what documents have been completed vs. those still outstanding. Communication between HR and the new hire may also typically be automated within onboarding software, providing added efficiency.

HR Mistakes: Documents completed incorrectly

Here’s another common struggle for HR team members. Many statutory documents like the I-9, W-4, state withholding forms and WOTC forms are very confusing for new hires. For some, this could be their first job. For others, it may have been years since they completed forms like these. Regardless of the situation, it’s rare that new hires will get these documents completed correctly on their own. Some organizations have HR staff meet with each new hire to complete these documents, increasing the level of accuracy. Unfortunately, this is time-consuming and unproductive — that’s why most organizations don’t do this. Paperless HR onboarding software addresses this by greatly simplifying the data gathering process. Many leading web-based solutions will gather information from new hires in an interview-type fashion — much in the same way tax preparation software gathers information needed for your 1040 form. Then, these tools auto-populate both the statutory forms and an organization’s unique forms with the information collected from the “interview.” This dramatically reduces mistakes, as new hires no longer must understand documents and/or where certain pieces of information belong on given forms.

Unsigned new hire paperwork

Hard to believe, but true. Sometimes this happens due to a simple oversight from the employee. More often, it’s not clear to the individual where a signature is required for given documents. Using onboarding software again alleviates this issue. By utilizing electronic signatures and the auto-population of document fields, paperless onboarding tools make this type of mistake virtually impossible. New hires are able to see fully-completed documents and indicate their consent within the solution. The onboarding software then records their electronic signature and affixes it in the proper area of each document. Simple for the new employee, and less work for the human resources administrators.

An effective employee onboarding application should fix these mistakes, create a more positive experience for new hires, and improve efficiency for the HR team. To learn more about ExactHire’s OnboardCentric portal, please visit our employee onboarding software product page today.

Image credit: Stupid Garbage Compactor by JD Hancock (contact)

Checklist: Use Metrics to Improve the Applicant Screening Funnel

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Efficiency is my middle name…or I strive for it to be anyway. I prefer to follow processes, and as my co-workers know, when they don’t exist, I’ll create my own even if they are only applicable to me. As you might guess, I’m an 8 (on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most likely to follow policies and work within the rules) on the Manageability scale of the ProfileXT (PXT) assessment. I love organization, spreadsheets and color-coding!

But why?

Of course I’m biased, but I’ll say because processes beget consistency, data and therefore the ability to benchmark. And, “big data” allows you to analyze and improve, right? Well, to some extent…but so often when we have the data, we fail to actually do something with it. We forget the improvement part in the strife to collect the data in the first place. We’re proud of our shiny color-coded bar graphs, but now we’re spent from all the data analysis effort.

Good news. Another great thing about processes is that you can put one in place for executing change as a result of your data analytics! Build it in as a step in your checklist and then it will more likely get done. In this blog, I’ll discuss executing change as a result of metrics you collect during each stage of an average candidate screening funnel when recruiting potential future employees.

First Stage – Screen Employment Application Answers

This is the step in which you, as the recruiter, review application submissions for specific positions by candidates in order to deem them qualified or not qualified for the position (i.e. do their answers indicate that they meet your minimum basic requirements for the role?). With the aid of an adequate applicant tracking system (ATS), and your own previous due diligence in thoughtful question design, you can include screening questions that prompt applicants to answer in such a way that will automatically qualify or flag them. Thanks to this automation feature, your time is optimized as you take a closer look at only the applicants who have met basic minimum requirements.

Your ATS will provide you metrics that quantify how many applications are being received, as well as how many make it past this initial screening stage (among other data). But now for the evaluation and improvement part…which applicants made it through the screening question filter, but based on your own personal review of data collected from their resume or other answers, are actually not qualified after all? Ask yourself the questions below and then use your answers to enact change with the goal of firming up this stage of the recruiting process.

Lessons Learned:

  • Did you include enough (or too much) information about the job itself in the job listing description? Could providing different information better set expectations with applicants about what is required and help them to self-select out of the application process if they are unlikely to have the qualifications necessary?
  • Did you gather information from the resume that made it clear that the applicant did not have enough previous experience in a certain area…information that you might have collected had you already put a specific required screening question in place that would prompt the applicant to provide an answer?
  • Where can you record feedback about these “misses” in terms of applicants that should have been flagged by the system? Use it as an opportunity to create additional applicant status codes/dispositions, if necessary, or record more applicant notes in your ATS.
  • Did you receive enough applications to offer you a sufficient number of qualified candidates at this stage of the screening process?
    • Do you need to push the job to more external niche job boards and/or social media sites? How will that impact your recruiting budget for future open requisitions? Do you need to redesign your job requisition form to prompt managers to allocate a portion of their budget to paid advertising for open jobs?
    • Do you have an employee referral incentive program in place? If so, consider bumping up the incentive for hard-to-fill positions, and ensure that your applicant tracking system makes it easy for applicants to name a referring employee during the application process. If you don’t have a referral incentive program yet, start one today!

Second Stage – Conduct Phone Screens

At this stage, recruiters have narrowed down their list of resumes and now must conduct phone interviews in order to determine which of the qualified applicants will be invited for an in-person interview. A great deal of “cutting” can occur at this step, depending on the number of applicants you have, and efforts should be focused on verifying, for each interviewee, that information on the employment application is true, as well as assessing the candidate’s likelihood of being a fit for the company culture. This will also be the candidate’s first opportunity to ask you questions; and, the quality and depth of these questions will often be a factor to determining the candidate’s likelihood of progressing in the process (i.e. based on the questions asked is it evident that he/she prepared; does applicant care enough to ask questions, etc.). Select the candidates who will move on to the next step and then take pause to evaluate your efforts.

Lessons Learned:

  • Which phone screen candidates should NOT have made it to this step of the process due to a lack of skills or previous experience? What about their answers or background could have been fleshed out at the point of the application?
    • Or, what other phone interview questions could be revised/added in order to more quickly determine that this candidate is not a fit earlier in the phone screen conversation?
    • Would the introduction of any job skill tests at the point of application minimize the misfire?
  • For the stars of this round, what makes them more qualified than the others? Where did the star prospects find out about the position so that you can replicate the use of that ad source for future positions?
  • Based on the questions that the interviewees ask you, what additional career-related content can your team create and share with visitors to your jobs portal? Use this technique as another way to better set expectations with future potential applicants, as well as a means to test whether interviewees take time to review resources available to them and prepare for an interview.

Third Stage – The In-House Interview

In this step, you and/or your hiring managers will meet with just a few final interviewees in person to truly understand how their past performance and experience will complement the needs of your open job. Candidates at this stage will have the right skills and experience, but now your team will need to better assess their runway potential and further clarify that their interests and motivations will allow them to thrive in the position. More exposure to this candidate during this step will allow your staff to feel more confident about whether the candidate’s personality and behavioral hard-wiring are well suited for the position and management structure in place. Depending on your company policy, you may or may not have utilized social media screening efforts to verify the candidate’s experience, values and attitude with mutual network contacts. When you are ready to extend an offer of employment, take time to gauge the effectiveness of this round.

Lessons Learned:

  • Were there any final interviewees that were out of place in this round and should have been halted at the phone screen phase? If so, for what reasons?
    • Reevaluate your phone screen questions to capture candidate feedback potentially related to such reasons next time.
    • Use manager feedback in survey form within your applicant tracking software to record peer ratings and comments, and then look for trends that allow you to unearth not-so-obvious missteps at the point of the phone screen.
  • Rather than go with your gut, is it time to introduce a cognitive and/or behavioral assessment to give you a window into more objective, validated information about the interviewee’s motivations, interests and tendencies going into the final interviews?

Fourth Stage – Point of Conditional Employment Offer

Now that you have selected a finalist, at this stage you extend a conditional offer of employment and hope for an acceptance. Depending on your organization, local laws and an evaluation of the job, you may opt to conduct a background check on the candidate with his/her consent.

Lessons Learned:

  • If he/she rejects…
    • What are his/her reasons for declining the offer? Based on trending in answers across various open positions, you might need to make some changes to a variety of areas such as job listing content, company benefits, compensation, management structure, time-to-hire and your overall recruitment brand.
  • If he/she accepts, but then later fails on the job…
    • At the point of failure, what do you know now that you wish you knew then during the interview process? Hopefully this circumstance is continuously minimized due to an ongoing attention to executing change as a result of recruiting metrics and exit interview data collected. This step incorporates all the previous considerations for tightening up the screening and interviewing process, but might also include:
      • onboarding process improvement
      • manager training
      • an adjustment to benchmarks in place for any skills tests and employee assessments
      • employee focus groups

Fifth Stage – Big Picture & Future Planning

It is evident that a sizable task list can be accumulated just from paying more attention to what isn’t working in your recruiting funnel. However, building this incredibly important exercise into your routine will make your work more productive and stress-free in the future as you more quickly engage top talent to join your team and stay for the long haul. But its not over after the post mortem following the offer stage, don’t forget to apply what you learned by making adjustments to the job evaluation process for your next open positions – before they are open and you get caught up in the hustle and bustle of filling numerous jobs at once. Update those job descriptions and screening questions now. Explore new job referral sources and look at the conversion rates for your existing ones.

Stay honest by sharing your milestone goals with other stakeholders and set yourself a deadline for each lessons learned goal. These process reengineering efforts can only improve the quality of candidate you are receiving relative to your time and effort spent, as well as your time to hire. Plus, gain the ability to better predict the number of adequate candidates you should expect at each stage of the funnel based on your first-stage numbers.

How do you keep yourself on task and accountable to enacting real change based on metrics in your organization? We’d love to know!

For more information about ExactHire’s hiring solutions, please visit our resources page or contact us today.

Image credit: Lighting Sequence by Kevin Dooley (contact)

The Benefits of Hiring Military Veterans as Employees

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Veterans. Men and women who proudly serve our country and sacrifice for the freedoms in which we hold dearly. Once these brave individuals complete their overseas or domestic service, often they return to the United States to seek employment in the full-time or part-time capacity. With plans to reduce the number of soldiers deployed overseas by approximately 50%, many returning soldiers will be seeking employment, and this population of highly qualified jobseekers is not to be ignored. Veterans are a population of jobseekers that bring unique and sought after qualities to an organization. The benefits of hiring veterans are numerous, and here are a few of the main reasons to hire a veteran for your company’s vacant position.

Some employers are afraid of hiring veterans because of fears of future deployments or negative stereotypes (can’t take orders, PTSD, etc.); these fears can be appeased. Military cutbacks are reducing the number of deployments so military members are not leaving nearly as often. Reserve and Guard members should inform you of their current status of military membership and potential deployments so plans can be made to lessen any inconveniences to a company resulting from a deployment. Military soldiers are accustomed to taking orders and also demonstrating leadership skills from their training and on-the-job experience. They understand rank and demonstrate respect to management.

Not only can veterans enhance company productivity with their specialized skillsets which can lead to increased company profit, there can be financial perks from the federal government for hiring veterans as well. Another piece of legislation to familiarize oneself with is the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) which requires covered federal government contractors and subcontractors to take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment specified categories of veterans protected by the Act and prohibits discrimination against such veterans. For a more thorough explanation of the provisions of this act, please visit http://www.dol.gov/compliance/laws/comp-vevraa.htm. Did you know that in ExactHire’s HireCentric ATS software, employers can collect EEOC and Affirmative Action data information easily to simplify the hiring and reporting processes?

Where to Find Veterans to Employ

There are various events that can help introduce you to this skilled job seeking population. Talk with your state government’s workforce development board to learn what hiring events are held for veterans in your state and states where you hire. Follow the events going on within the Department of Veterans Affairs. Have a member of your HR team actively recruit job seeking veterans. For employers in the Central Indiana area, consider attending Operation Hire a Hoosier Veteran on April 16th at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

Veterans. They have made many sacrifices for us. We can never fully return the favor to them for their sacrifice and courage; however, let’s provide them with an opportunity to utilize their skills in a role that fits both the company and the jobseeker. When job matches of this sort occur, productivity is not the only thing that increases. Patriotism thrives as well.

ExactHire provides web-based applicant tracking software, as well as onboarding software and employee assessments. For more information about our solutions, please visit our resources page or contact us.

Image credit: Remembering the 65th Anniversary of Operation Market by The U.S. Army (contact)

Tick Tock – Time is Ticking Off Your HR Workday Clock

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How many times have you caught yourself saying, “If only I had more time…” If you had an extra hour, two hours, a full day or whatever the amount of time, how would you spend it? In the world of Human Resources, it is not difficult to feel as if one’s wheels are spinning during the workday. HR representatives have a full plate of roles and responsibilities. Regularly we are told, “Here is a vacant position. Fill it.” Filling vacancies does not happen with a snap of the fingers. Positions need to be filled yet we need time to recruit and then screen the candidates that have applied for those positions before those stellar candidates choose employment with another organization. Compliance policies and laws, paper resumes, electronic resumes, this recruiting tool, that publicity source, social media, phone screens, personal interviews–eeeek! How can one person or even a team effectively stay organized to complete these tasks in efficient detail in order to seal the deal on hiring the cream of the crop? Maybe Superman can save the day?!?

Since time is a resource that is very limited, and HR professionals wear many hats on a regular basis…finding tools and tricks that allow them to be more efficient and productive is a big priority. One such tool is Software as a Service (SaaS). In the context of the HR realm, these web-based solutions help streamline detailed tasks in an efficient manner so an individual or team can effectively maneuver through the recruitment, hiring, and/or onboarding processes, for example. ExactHire’s HireCentric applicant tracking SaaS solution can centralize the Human Resources functions representatives strive to successfully complete on a daily basis.

Here are five examples of how HireCentric can boost your organization’s HR efforts and save your staff members time:

Web-Based Accessibility

HireCentric is available wherever you have Internet service. Talk about convenience–there is no need to go to the office to access a candidate’s file because it is right at your fingertips. Also, if you are traveling for work, you can keep abreast of the vacancies and the candidates applying for those roles so when you get back to the office, you will not need as much catch up time.

Job Templates

In HireCentric, you can create job templates that make it easy to create multiple current and future job listings. Create a library of customizable templates so you do not have to recreate a job description over and over.

Applicant Correspondence

In HireCentric, you can create email templates to help you communicate with your candidates quickly and easily – but without sacrificing personalization. All candidate contact information is centrally located to make it easier for you to call or email. You can send an email to one or to many candidates with a click of the mouse.

Ongoing Process Improvement

With HireCentric, evaluation is ongoing. In the Reports tab, you can run a variety of reports to help you identify the data you need for internal and external reporting. Within the ATS, there are nearly two dozen unique reports available for use, and if that is not enough, you can create a customized report that meets your needs. Also, it can be integrated with some of ExactHire’s onboarding and employee assessment tools.

Standardization & Compliance

HireCentric offers you tools for tracking activities so that you may be compliant with Affirmative Action Planning, Equal Employment Opportunity and even your own company guidelines. In addition to creating your own unique applicant disposition status codes, you may input screening questions that are consistently asked when applicants apply for various positions to help you identify the candidates who do meet minimum basic qualifications.

In a work environment where time is money and money is time, a company must be fiscally responsible. If your company is not using HireCentric, it is time to take a look. Time is ticking by. Who needs Superman to save the day? With HireCentric, you can be the time saving hero to your organization!

Image credit: 52 Weeks of Photos- Week 42- Time by Louise Docker (contact)

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

Image credit: Cabine Telephonique rouge-Red telephone box – London Londres – photo picture image photography by Grand Parc- Bordeaux, France (contact)

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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5 Tips for Small Businesses on Year End Activities

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Well, it’s the time of year to think about taxes and wrapping up all the paperwork! There are many activities that management needs to take care of at the end of a year. Here are a few tips (or reminders) to help make sure the new year starts off right for your small business.

#1 – Get organized / Make a budget

Organization is key! If you run or own a small business, you know what it’s like to wear many different hats. The more organized you are, the easier your year will be. If you have not done so in past years, please consider making a budget or at least a sales forecast for the upcoming year. It can be re-evaluated as the year goes on, but it will give you a good guideline of what to expect with expenses and income; as well as, help forecast cash flow and overall company growth.

#2 – Complete and file 1099’s

These are tax forms that show money paid to independent contractors or other workers not on your payroll. Also, this includes attorneys, janitorial companies, landscaping services and third party accounts. A 1099 is only filed if the person received $600 or more in the tax year. These forms are normally due by the end of January each year.

#3 – File Sales, Use and Withholding Taxes

This can vary by state, but please look at your state’s website to see what you are required to file and the deadline. Many of these are due by mid to late January so do not delay!

#4 – Send out W-2’s

This will likely be handled by your Human Resources department….with a small business, that may even be the owner or a third party company. The W-2 is a form for each employee that shows his/her total earnings, as well as taxes, state and federal, withheld from the employee. Each individual will need to receive this from his/her employer in order to file his/her own taxes. These forms are required to be sent to employees by the end of January.

#5 – Assess your employees and consider giving bonuses

The new year is a perfect time to re-evaluate your staff and workforce structure. Look at all the positives from the past year. What could you do to improve the company culture or to show appreciation to your employees? How could peer feedback be incorporated to help everyone improve in their roles. Consider an employee assessment, such as a 360 degree review tool, to help in this area.

Try to implement a performance-based or profit-sharing-related bonus if you do not already have a plan in place. Or, if a monetary bonus is not an option, look into other options to reward them for a year of hard work and progress, such as a staff retreat or nice lunch out of the office. This will give everyone a sense of accomplishment and boost them to be excited about the new year ahead.

ExactHire’s software applications are specifically designed for small- and medium-sized businesses. For more information about our solutions, please visit our resources section or contact us.

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Can Recruiting Software Improve Efficiency for Small Companies?

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Recruiting has many components to it. While all companies (large and small) will differ with their own specifics, there are some common things that are part of most everyone’s recruiting process:

  • establish your brand for potential applicants
  • consider different ways to attract applicants
  • nurture them if the time isn’t quite right for one party or the other
  • move them along in the process to avoid missing opportunities
  • keep track of what has been or needs to be done with these applicants

Larger organizations have used technology to help with these items for 10-15 years, but only recently has it become feasible for smaller organizations to do the same. Good recruiting software (also referred to as Applicant Tracking Software or ATS) is now a cost-effective way for small companies to gain efficiency in these common recruiting tasks.

A good analogy is accounting software. Unlike 25 years ago, small companies today have access to very functional (and affordable) tools to automate the various aspects of their accounting. Today, the thought of handling these functions manually is almost laughable, given the technology available. In many cases, smaller organizations are finding the same to be true with recruiting. Below are some quick examples of how these types of tools help companies streamline the common aspects of recruiting:

  • Branding — great recruiting software will reinforce the existing web presence of an organization. This levels the playing field against larger competitors who have been doing this for years.
  • Attracting applicants — making potential candidates aware of openings is critical. Beyond traditional job boards, leading-edge recruiting software solutions are utilizing technology available to help leverage the social and business contacts of existing employees to drive more passive candidate traffic. These are the people who are potentially open to a change, but haven’t yet started actively seeking opportunities on job boards.
  • Nurturing candidates until the time is right — more progressive ATS offerings will allow an organization to “drip” on potential candidates with new openings and/or social media updates to keep them engaged. This keeps the organization more top of mind for that potential candidate.
  • Move them along in the process — knowing which applicants have applied, where they are in the process, and the next steps to be taken are keys to successful recruiting. This keeps good applicants more engaged and helps to avoid losing them to other opportunities. This is one of the core functions of a good applicant tracking system.
  • Keep track of what has been done — this is important to any organization, as documentation can be invaluable for situations where discrimination or unlawful hiring practices are alleged. For organizations that are required to comply with Affirmative Action regulations, the right software application is imperative.

 

Using this type of technology can certainly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the recruiting process for an organization. To learn more about ExactHire and our solutions, please visit our resources section or contact us today.

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