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You may decide to use a recruiter when looking for that perfect job candidate, but why limit yourself to one recruiter when you may be missing out on a huge talent source? Ascendify takes the recruiter/hiring manager relationship to a new level with their social platform. Instead of a limited amount of static listings, Ascendify can offer your company a higher number of quality candidates, increased participation in employee referrals, greater efficiency in screening and more understanding of your brand for potential new hires. The platform makes it easier for candidates to understand your corporate culture, your benefits and special programs that make them want to work for your company.
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Workforce Articles
Web.com Small Business Toolkit: Ascendify (Social Talent Acquisition Platform)
February 1st, 2013 :: Maria Valdez HaubrichWeb.com Small Business Toolkit: DeskTime (Time/Project Tracking)
January 29th, 2013 :: Maria Valdez HaubrichWith so many readily available distractions threatening to zap your employees’ productivity, it might be a good idea to keep an eye on exactly what your staff is doing on their computers. Are more hours spent on Facebook during the workday than on getting those invoices out? What about punctuality? DeskTime is designed to find and eliminate wasteful habits. Plus, the reports system shows both the entire company’s work results as well as those of individuals. Don’t worry about invading your employees’ privacy: The system only records application names, website URLs, start times and end times, never anything sensitive such as keystrokes or form input. DeskTime is especially helpful for virtual companies.
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2013 Hiring Forecast: A Good Employee Is Hard to Find
January 25th, 2013 :: Rieva LesonskyBy Rieva Lesonsky
Will you be hiring employees for your small business this year? If so, you’re in good company–but you might face challenges as tough as looking for a needle in a haystack. More than one-fourth of hiring managers polled in the CareerBuilder Hiring Forecast for 2013 say their companies will be hiring full-time, permanent employees in 2013, up 3 percent compared to 2012. However, that doesn’t mean the hiring outlook is rosy.
Many businesses are still on the fence about hiring. Although more than 60 percent of employers in the survey say they are in a better financial position than last year, the slow pace of recovery is still affecting hiring plans, and the percentage of companies planning layoffs also increased, from 7 percent last year to 9 percent this year. Small businesses, in particular, show signs of indecision, with both the percentage planning to hire and the percentage planning to lay people off up 3 percent from last year.
If you are planning to hire, what markets will see the most competition? Sales (29 percent) and IT (27 percent) are the top areas where companies plan to hire. These are also the two areas that will see the biggest salary increases. Customer service, engineering and production are close behind sales and IT, with slightly over 20 percent of companies planning to hire for these roles.
While it may be hard to believe, in many industries and/or regions of the country, it’s hard to fill skilled positions, and employers are struggling to find workers. How are companies dealing with the shortage?
- Temp time: More businesses are relying on temporary employees or using staffing services to fill in the gaps. Some 40 percent of companies surveyed report plans to hire temporary and/or contract workers in 2013, an increase from 36 percent last year.
- Talent poaching: More employers are actively recruiting employees from other companies. Almost 20 percent of employees in the survey reported having been approached by a potential employer in 2012 even though they hadn’t applied for a job at that company.
- Pay raises: Employers are concerned not only about finding skilled workers, but holding on to those they already have. No wonder many employers in the survey said they plan to increase compensation for both existing staff and prospective hires.
- Do-it-yourself: Instead of searching for skilled employees, more companies are training their existing employees to move up to positions of greater responsibility or learn new skills that are needed within the business. Some 39 percent of employers said they will train current employees for new positions this year, up from 38 percent last year.
Image by Flickr user John Pavelka (Creative Commons)
Google+Web.com Small Business Toolkit: SpringTern (Student Freelancers for Hire)
January 22nd, 2013 :: Maria Valdez HaubrichTalented students need real-world experience, and your business needs help on a project, but you don’t have the money to hire freelancers. SpringTern wants to help put you and the talent together. SpringTern connects small and midsized businesses with students to do volunteer work projects. Projects are generally short-term and part-time (most on the site are under 100 hours) and can be done remotely, so there is no need to find space for the student in your office. SpringTern has facilitated over 20,000 hours of work experience since its launch and received positive reviews from student and business users alike. It only costs $45 to list your project on the site.
Google+Web.com Small Business Toolkit: NextSpace (Shared Workspace)
January 21st, 2013 :: Maria Valdez HaubrichWorking from home can get old fast, and being isolated can stifle productivity and creativity for a lot of entrepreneurs. However, office space can be costly and distracting. NextSpace hopes to change all that by providing cool workspaces with a professional infrastructure for freelancers and entrepreneurs looking for a creative community in which to grow their businesses. NextSpace locations have Internet and utilities, conference rooms, business services and, most importantly, other creative individuals you can bounce ideas off of and can network with for more business opportunities. Currently there are six NextSpace locations with another one in the works; you must be a member to take advantage of their locations.
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9 Employment Trends You Need to Know About for 2013
January 18th, 2013 :: Rieva LesonskyBy Rieva Lesonsky
What does 2013 hold in store for your employees and your business? According to the 2013 Workforce/Workplace Forecast from The Herman Group, 2013 will look much like 2012, with most employers adopting a “wait-and-see” approach to hiring and U.S. unemployment remaining above 7 percent for the year.
Here are 9 other trends you need to know about:
- Recruiting will intensify in many industries. Both big and small companies, especially in the IT sector, will feel pressure to hire due to burned-out, overworked staff. The bad news for small employers is that with big companies (with bigger benefits) hiring too, competition will be fierce.
- Trained, experienced workers will be in short supply in many fields. Consider promoting from within and providing your entry-level employees with the training they need to move into higher positions. Also develop relationships with local schools, colleges and universities to give you a pipeline to educated workers.
- Communities will become more aware of the lack of skilled employees, and smart local leadership will invest money and effort into developing the local workforce for the careers of tomorrow.
- Gamification will be used in training, performance evaluations and as a bonding tool to make work more fun and build relationships. It’s an especially important tool for companies seeking to engage their Millennial employees.
- Companies will use social networking to recruit new employees and to train and develop those they have. Don’t forget the internal social networks that even small companies have: If you’re looking to hire, try looking for referrals from your existing team.
- Companies will keep trying to do more with less—cutting staff and hiring independent contractors to squeeze still more productivity and profit out of their teams. There’s a right way and wrong way to re-engineer, Herman Group notes. Try to do it without cutting staff.
- “Job churn” will grow as too many employers continue to ignore what’s needed to create a happy, engaged work force. “There is a tremendous pent-up energy for job-hopping, which many employees have been putting off for years,” Herman Group warns. Ignore it at your peril.
- A second Obama Administration will likely mean greater regulation. You’d be smart to have access to an attorney with HR expertise, just in case. Herman Group believes that the Affordable Care Act may spur small and midsized employers to move from providing health insurance to taking part in “insurance exchanges” and funding their employees’ purchase of coverage there.
- Last, but not least, your small business might see more competition in 2013: Herman Group believes more unemployed people will take advantage of the growth in independent contracting by starting their own businesses (or at least becoming freelancers) to supply the services that businesses need.
Image by Flickr user brian Dhawkins (Creative Commons)
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How to Tap Your Ex-Employees as a Hidden Hiring Resource
January 10th, 2013 :: Maria Valdez HaubrichBy Maria Valdez Haubric
Is your small business looking to hire this year? One resource you may not have considered when you’re wondering where to find qualified candidates is your roster of former employees.
Big companies have long used this tactic, sometimes creating official networks of ex-employees they tap into when they need to fill an open slot. But for a small business, this concept makes even more sense (and is even easier to execute). Unlike a big corporation, where ex-employees may be completely unknown to the hiring manager, in a small company you, the owner, undoubtedly remember everyone who’s ever worked for you. You know their good and bad points, their skills and experience—and you know whether you’d like to have them back on your team or not.
So how can a small company stay connected with its former employees to ensure you can reach them when you’re looking for new employees? Here are some steps to make it simple
Capture their data. If you have to lay off a qualified employee or if someone leaves for a different job, make certain you have all of their contact information, including phone numbers, address and emails.
Use social media. If you don’t already have connections with your team on social media, make sure to connect with former employees on LinkedIn (or make sure someone at your company who was close with them does). That way, you can stay up-to-date on their career and the new skills they’re gaining, and will have a better sense of whether they’d be open to coming back to your company if a position opens up that seems like a good fit.
Stay in touch real-world style. Social media is great, but in-person meetings are what really keep connections alive. Think about inviting former employees to workplace events such as happy hours or get-togethers once in a while. I have one colleague who holds an annual “reunion” for current and former employees of her business at her home every year. It’s a great way to keep connections current, and also to find out what people are working on in their jobs and what opportunities exist to work with other people’s companies.
The benefits of building a former employee network are many. Even if you don’t have a job opening, you may be able to use former employees as freelancers or contractors in your business. Or you can refer them to colleagues who need their skills. In this way, you’re enhancing your relationships and strengthening your network for the time when you do need to hire.
Image by Flickr user Sean MacEntee (Creative Commons)
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How to Be a Good Interviewer
January 3rd, 2013 :: Karen AxeltonBy Karen Axelton
Do your New Year’s plans for your business including hiring new employees? Then you’ll want to make sure you get the perfect person for the job. One of the most important parts of choosing a new employee is conducting a good job interview that gives you all the information you need to make a decision. But many small business owners aren’t sure how to do a thorough interview. Here are some tips to help you.
Be prepared. Before the interview, review the candidate’s resume and job application. Also create a list of questions that you ask all candidates. This not only helps ensure you don’t forget anything important, but also means you’re judging employees from a level playing field by asking everyone the same things.
Focus. Don’t check your email, answer your phone or look at your computer during the interview. Not only is it rude, but you’ll also get distracted. You only have a short time to talk to this person before deciding you want to make them part of your business; shouldn’t you be paying attention?
Ask open-ended questions. Instead of questions that can be answered with “yes” or “no,” ask questions that require an explanation or call on the candidate to elaborate. You’ll get a better sense of the person’s personality that way, as well as fuller descriptions of his or her experience.
Know what you can and can’t ask. To avoid getting in trouble for discriminatory hiring, in general, you should stay away from questions regarding an interviewee’s age, marital or parental status, religion, race, disability or legal immigrant status. (This Nolo.com article provides more information and resources on hiring questions.)
Make it a team effort. If you get nervous during interviews, to the point where you find it hard to focus, consider having a partner or key employee conduct the interview with you. You can take notes and observe the candidate, while your partner can do most of the talking. This tactic has the added benefit of giving you someone else’s perspective on the candidate.
Write it down. Take notes on the candidate’s answers to help you remember what was said, especially if you’re interviewing several people in a row. After each interview, spend 5 minutes or so jotting down the relevant information, including your first impression of the person.
Follow up. Let the candidate know when he or she can expect to hear from you regarding the job—and be sure to follow up when you say you will. There’s nothing worse for a candidate than waiting in limbo to hear about a job offer. What’s more, if you’re not professional about how you handle this, it could affect your business’s reputation on social media.
Image by Flickr user Marco Bellucci (Creative Commons)
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Web.com Small Business Toolkit: 15Five (Employee Feedback System)
December 28th, 2012 :: Maria Valdez HaubrichIs better communication with your employees one of your New Year’s Resolutions? If so, check out this easy-to-use employee feedback system, where employees feel heard and are more engaged and employers get the feedback and contributions they desire. The philosophy behind 15Five is that it takes employees 15 minutes to fill out a weekly report and five minutes for supervisors to review the reports. The reports allow employees to update their successes, challenges, ideas and overall satisfaction on the job. Managers can then read through and comment on the reports and have a better understanding of where employees stand and what changes need to be made.
Google+Web.com Small Business Toolkit: Evernote Business (Organization App)
December 27th, 2012 :: Maria Valdez HaubrichEvernote has taken its very popular note-taking organization app and made a version especially designed for small and medium-sized businesses. The new Business version of Evernote adds tools to help businesses be more productive and collaborative, such as the ability to access, use, manage and modify any Business Notebook and its contents, while Personal Notebooks stay private. Evernote Business administrators have the ability to invite and manage users, store research, presentations, documents, notes and more. You can even save entire webpages with the Evernote Web Clipper.
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