Tag Archives: Recruiting

It’s HERE! My New Talent Scarcity Book is ***Free*** For a Limited Time

Over the last year as companies struggled to find good people to hire and fought at the same time to keep their best staff, I knew there had to be a story there. I began digging into the data and found some surprising and potentially alarming details: there is a real talent shortage.

I began writing about my findings and soon realized that this was a problem that begged for solutions, so I gathered stories of companies that are hiring and keeping their people in creative ways. Today, I’m proud to announce that Talent Scarcity: How to Hire and Retain a Shrinking Workforce is now available on Amazon!

Not only that, but if you want to download the book 100% for free, it’s available this week only. Just click here and complete the free “purchase” on Amazon.

In the book, you’ll learn about:

  • The key contributors to Talent Scarcity, both within the US and worldwide (including demographic changes, gig work, and personal choices)
  • How companies like Coca Cola, Zapier, Audible, Delta Airlines, and other firms are evolving their People processes to find and keep the best talent
  • Why and how business agility plays into how successful a company will be in this new environment
  • And so much more

This is a message that needs to be heard by business and talent leaders just like you. Get your copy of the book for free today.

Note: if you’re like me and still prefer a physical book, that’s certainly available too.

Video Interviews up 40% in 2021: New Data from HireVue

The world is more virtual, remote, distributed (did I forget any buzzwords?) than ever before. 

Our research at Lighthouse shows that video interviews, mobile assessments, and chatbots are seeing usage at higher levels than ever. Check out the graphic below from HireVue, where their data show that video interviews jumped 40% in the last year to 26 million video interviews cumulatively held on their platform. (see graphic at the end of this post for more details)

If you’re looking for ways to screen candidates, video is a great way to do it. Our data from a few years back showed that while we think candidates may not like video or assessments, the real truth isn’t as clear cut.

  • The evidence shows that candidates HATE video interviews or assessments if they are general in nature (tell me your three greatest strengths)
  • The evidence shows that candidates APPRECIATE video interviews or assessments if they have a practical, clear line of sight to the work they will do in the job (how do you create a project budget from scratch?) 

That’s a great lesson even if you’re just doing “normal” interviews in person. Make sure you’re asking questions to get to the outcomes that matter in the job. We learned this back in 2013, people. 

How to Hire Your First HR Staff Member (and who NOT to hire)

first hr hireLast week I had a great conversation with a $10M startup company about how to make their first HR hire, and I thought those ideas would be worth sharing here. Many of you are already HR leaders at your own firms, but you probably haven’t given much thought to this idea of starting up an HR function from scratch, and it’s a good discussion to have. Plus, I’d love to hear from you!

  • What skills are most important?
  • What would you look for if you were hiring your first HR person?
  • If you’ve started up an HR function, what are your best tips?

Where to Look for your First HR Hire

Continue reading →

3 Candidate Experience Trends You Should Know

Candidate experience is a booming business. Anyone with the ability to create a more positive experience for a company's job applicants is in a great position right now, and that won't change any time soon. In the last ten years, interest in the candidate experience has grown exponentially, as evidenced by Google Trends data.

On top of that, we're seeing more evidence that the candidate experience is more than just a “nice to have” for businesses serious about profitability. One HR Open Source case study of Virgin Media highlighted the company's transformation, detailing just how the firm was able to attribute more than $7 million in revenue to its improved treatment of candidates during the hiring process. This combination of factors is most likely why “candidate experience” was one of the top three priorities for recruiting leaders in the latest Lighthouse Research Talent Acquisition Sentiment Study.

In 2019 and beyond, we expect to see some specific ways this part of the talent acquisition world continues to evolve.

Video is integral to hiring processes

hiring candidate experience trendsVideo is huge, both for businesses and consumers. YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world (with greater traffic than AOL, Bing, and Yahoo combined!). Netflix and other video streaming services now account for the majority of internet traffic worldwide. We have come to expect and appreciate video on many levels, but it hasn't yet made its way deep into the hiring process.

In one 2017 study, our team at Lighthouse Research found that candidates most want to see hiring managers in videos, not the stuffy “company overview” content that the majority of companies share. Additionally, with greater competition for talent, some companies are now offering video tours of workspaces to help attract the interest of potential candidates. Video is a powerful substitute for in-person experiences, and it's infinitely more scalable, as well.

Video is going to be increasingly woven throughout the hiring process, creating a more personalized and seamless experience for all candidates.

Assessments are appreciated, but…

We've long been told that candidates hate assessments in the hiring process. They slow things down, they muddy the waters, and they don't add any perceivable value to the overall experience.

The truth is, though, candidates actually do like assessments, but only if they actually give them a chance to show how qualified they are for the job. In other words, don't throw them a generic personality test and expect them to be happy. Instead, look for ways to allow them to demonstrate their job-related skills and knowledge.

For instance, don’t ask software engineers to…

Check out the rest of the piece over on Clara Labs.

How Does AlliedUniversal Hire 90,000 Workers a Year? Referrals and PURPOSE [Podcast]

How many people did your firm hire last year? 10? 100? 1,000? While it’s not a contest, there are lessons to be learned from organizations that hire more people, because they have the process down to a science. Today we’re going to hear from the head of hiring operations at AlliedUniversal, one of the largest security firms in the world. AlliedUniversal hires more than 90,000 workers per year and has some great lessons we can all learn from, such as hiring with purpose.

I actually looked at the archive and realized I recorded a video nearly 8 years ago on how to work with purpose. It’s pretty early in my video recording days, which means the quality is iffy and you get to see the version of me that was brand new to this whole world of HR, but if you want to subject yourself to it, here’s the link. :-)

Subscribers click through to listen to the show below Continue reading →

Can a Business Grow Competitively While Doing Social Good? [Podcast]

The United States is experiencing one of the lowest unemployment rates in history, and a new study from Express Employment Professionals shows that 8 in 10 businesses expect to grow this year. Where will that talent come from, since artificial intelligence isn’t here yet to save us?

joe delossFor most employers, this means that retention is going to be more important this year than ever before, and this is especially true for employers where turnover in customer-facing roles leads to critical gaps in coverage, performance, and service. We need to be asking ourselves how we can treat the people we hire in such a way that we actually improve their lives. It’s about more than just offering them a paycheck in so many ways.

In the interview below, I speak with Joe DeLoss, Head Fryer and Founder at Hot Chicken Takeover. The question I asked in the title (can a business be competitive while doing social good?) is clearly answered in this interview as we talk about his mission and vision for the company in the context of the social impact it has.

Subscribers, click through to listen to the interview.

Show Notes

Episode link: Listen on the We’re Only Human Podcast page

Customers come first. Time is money. Tie it to the bottom line.

In each of these instances, we think we’re serving the business. But what if we thought first with our heart instead of our head–could we still serve the business just as well? In this interview with Joe DeLoss, Head Fryer and Founder of Hot Chicken Takeover, we will deeply challenge your thinking on that concept.

In this episode, I talk with Joe about the company’s rapid growth, unorthodox hiring strategies, and what happens when you bend from your principles during times of high-pressure growth (hint: not a good idea). Additionally, they discuss tailoring employee benefits to meet the needs of the workers instead of offering a template plan like the competition. Through it all, you’ll hear Joe’s focus is not just on marketing strategy or chicken recipes, but on the employees he serves as the leader of the business.

For more information about Joe and HCT, check out the links below:

To see all the show archives and learn more about We’re Only Human, please visit https://upstarthr.com/podcast

Tips for Hiring Deaf Individuals: Practical Advice for Employers

hiring deaf workersCarol and Teri. I’ll never forget them as long as I live.

These two women were amazing. Always bright and cheerful, I couldn’t help but smile as well any time they were around. And they taught me an incredible amount not just about the technical aspects of the job I did at the time, but also about interoffice politics (how to avoid them) workplace dynamics (how to read others’ emotions) and more.

Carol was the quiet one. She kept to herself, did great work, and didn’t bother anyone. However, she was the first to send you a message when she thought you needed a pick-me-up.

Teri was definitely more vocal, but she also had a way about her that just made me smile. She was very interested in the work I was doing and wasn’t afraid to give me pointers on how to improve.

Oh, and neither of them could hear. Yes, while both of these wonderful ladies were deaf, they still had an amazing impact on me from the earliest days of my career.

With that in mind, I reached out to Bobbie LeMere at Tangram to give me some practical advice for employers looking to make a concerted effort to hire more deaf or hearing-impaired individuals. LeMere says that 80 percent of people who are deaf or hard of hearing do not work, which paints a dismal picture of today’s work environment. Her tips below give employers ideas on how to support these workers and give this population a fighting chance to succeed in the workforce today.

Practical Tips for Hiring and Working with Deaf Individuals

  1. Use on-site interpreters for interviews and meetings—While technology has made it possible
    for those who are hearing and those who are deaf to communicate, through apps,
    videophones, text messaging, and other methods, an on-site interpreter can best ensure that
    all individuals are able to participate fully in the conversation.
  2. Provide disability awareness and etiquette training to all employees—Training is an essential part of ensuring that your company is prepared to hire and integrate individuals with all types of disability in your workforce. Providing a forum for employees to learn about disabilities and to debunk the myths around disability will ultimately lead to a more cohesive and productive workplace where employees of all abilities are comfortable with each other.
  3. Hire individuals based on their skills and their ability to complete the essential functions of their job—Hiring someone for charity is just as inadvisable as not hiring someone because of misconceptions about disability. When interviewing someone with a disability, be sure to focus on their ability to complete the job. Don't make assumptions about what someone is able to do.
  4. Get buy-in from leadership—If your organization doesn't have support from the top, disability inclusion is less likely to succeed. Be sure that all levels of an organization understand the importance and benefits of disability inclusion so that all employees feel valued and can thrive.
  5. Find the right accommodations—Ask the person what accommodations would work best for them. There are many technological tools that can help a person who is deaf or hard of hearing communicate, such as:
    1. Video Remote Interpreting (VRI)—this can be of use in one-on- one meetings, basic conversations, short meetings or exchanges, or meetings where the primary goal is to sign paperwork.
    2. Video Relay Services (VRS): this allows individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to communicate over video telephones with those who are hearing in real-time via a sign language interpreter.
    3. Video Phone Technology—these web camera videophone and videoconferencing systems can serve as complements to personal computers and are connected to other participants by computer and VolP networks (ex. Skype).
    4. Other tools—dry erase boards, notepads, text messaging, apps, Boogie Board, and other tools can be useful for very simple conversations or exchanges. You could also learn basic American Sign Language to help bridge the communication gap.
  6. According to a survey conducted by the Job Accommodation Network, most employers report no cost associated with accommodations. The typical one-time cost for accommodations is around $500.
  7. Safety First—Are your emergency procedures inclusive of those with disabilities? For those who are deaf and hard of hearing, you may choose to install special alert lights or implement a buddy system to inform employees when there is an emergency. If an employee who is deaf or hard of hearing faces away from an entrance or doorway in their workspace, use a mirror so they can easily see when they have visitors or when someone is approaching them from behind.

I hope these tips and ideas help you and your own team to be more inclusive of your hearing impaired workers!