Even with the Labor Department’s announcement of over 163,000 jobs being added to payrolls in July, which is a very small step in the right direction, there is a high unemployment rate, and paradoxically, a qualified candidate shortage. Even with more than eight percent of the labor force being unemployed, and almost double that being underemployed, large companies still have trouble finding quality candidates for their open positions.
Of course, each industry has been affected differently by the recession and the unemployment rate is not uniform along them. But, overall, most large companies in the fields of technology, medicine, retail, entertainment, finance, and insurance are having difficulty finding qualified candidates to fill job openings. The lack of quality talent leads to job openings not being filled for an extensive period of time and therefore greater losses for the companies.
In order for companies to stay ahead of the competition, in their respective industries, innovation, especially in their hiring process, is necessary. Just like candidates looking for jobs must diversify their search, companies too have to adapt to the changes in the recruitment process and use unique approaches to find the ideal candidates.
The new age of hiring has been ushered in by the creation of several online staffing marketplaces. Technology and social networking have revolutionized the HR industry to help companies find quality talent cost and time effectively. Instead of spending time and money trying to find and recruit candidates, companies can enlist staffing marketplaces to do the job for them.
In the past, companies were burdened by the hassle of working with numerous recruiters and suppliers and used valuable time and resources to deal with large amounts of individual paperwork and billing invoices. Recently, there has been an influx of revolutionary HR technology that goes above and beyond the standard realm of staffing. With the introduction of cloud-based technology, companies are now able to streamline the talent acquisition process and allow large companies to deal with only one point of contact for all of their recruitment and hiring efforts. Some websites even offer the option of using them to manage interviews, invoices, project-wise spending reports, hiring history, and background checks.
Independent recruiters, now more than ever, have the ability to grow and promote their own business by using new online staffing solution websites. They can provide them with administrative assistance and ample databases of both employee and employer listings.
Technology has influenced the HR world so profoundly that it is nearly impossible for a company to function successfully without it. The integration of online staffing into the traditional recruitment process is changing the way the HR world operates, resulting in a more streamlined, efficient, and productive industry.
Who’s The Guest Aristocrat?
Rahul Jain is the CEO and Founder of Bitsoft which provides complete staff augmentation solutions to the clients for all their contract and permanent needs. SkillGalaxy, a service of Bitsoft International, is an online staffing marketplace that uses technology and social networking to help companies find and recruit quality candidates.
Contact Information:
Rahul Jain, President and CEO
630-355 8427
Bitsoft International, Inc
2272 W. 95th St.
Naperville, IL-60564, USA
Futurism – what a word. Chock-full of mystery, excitement, intrigue… It promises a world where technological advance triumphs over the status quo. In support of this ideal, humans engage in a relentless pursuit, constantly pushing the technology envelope – learning, inventing, exploring. Case-in-point, NASA’s Mars Exploration Program recently landed a rover named “Curiosity” on the crimson planet. Outfitted with the absolute latest technological innovations, Curiosity’s simple goal is to explore and learn. As fun as it would be to name your next great HR technology project “Curiosity”, most of us do not have this luxury. We can’t afford to pursue technology purely for interest’s sake. We need a more pragmatic approach grounded in clear business outcomes. Given this stated “governor”, what does the future hold for HR technology?
To date a lot of attention has been placed on automation and standardization – driving efficiency by streamlining processes using “best practice”. It has a distinct “Borg-like” feel to it: HR technology designed to pursue an “unemotional, mechanical perfection” controlling individual actions through standardized technology used the same by everyone. This is set to change dramatically. A number of trends are emerging that will transform HR Technology from a “systems-centric” focus to an “employee-centric” focus.
Prolific advances in Internet technologies, mobile devices and social applications are changing the way enterprises engage with and manage their workforce. Employee expectations for enterprise applications are being driven by experiences in the consumer world. Is the system easy to use? Is it engaging and interactive? Is it the trusted source I can use to get answers, connect with my peers and get my job done in a manner that is better than the alternatives? Ultimately, what is the value it presents in my busy day-to-day work?
The next-generation workforce application environment will be a truly unified environment from an employee-centric viewpoint. Applications and functionality will align around the employee’s day-to-day work and the enterprise’s business objectives, not be dictated by the individual tool/application. They will be agile. They will be personalized. They will first consider what the employee is trying to accomplish and then apply the technologies that best support that activity.
In this model, you will start to see a world characterized by:
Just-In-Time Experiences: Role-based hubs delivering just-in-time access to relevant information, system tools/processes, and experts dependent upon the particular job, location or project you will be working on that day.
Next Generation Work Processes: Ask an expert and embedded knowledge centers will be available as you complete work processes. Knowledge, processes, and experts will be continually updated through user-driven social contributions.
Making New Connections: Browse to find colleagues with expertise/interests aligned with a project you will be working on, learn about the person behind the name, start a conversation with someone you haven’t met before, build a personal network, recognize a peer for a job well done. Find previously unknown experts that will be currently available, on-shift and consult with them in real-time.
EasyToUseYetEngaging: Delivering interactive, relevant, and productive experiences without the complexity. A unique combination of the latest technologies creates a new kind of employee experience that isn’t only interactive and engaging but one that also drives adoption and increases productivity for the company.
As my dad likes to say – “The times they are a changing son.” He is right and I can’t wait! My own “Curiosity” is getting the best of me. Who knows – maybe we’ll also find out soon that there was life on Mars.
Who’s The Guest Aristocrat?
Cary Schuler is the Co-Founder and CEO of cfactor Works Inc. (@cfactorworks)
Entrepreneur passionate about leveraging technology to redefine the way companies and their employees interact. Since its founding in 1999, cfactor Works has rapidly expanded its operations, currently serving clients across North America. You can connect with him on Twitter @CarySchuler or on LinkedIn.
*The Aristocracy of HR” does not endorse the product/company listed above. This guest post is purely for informational purposes.
Hey #HR Aristocrats! This is more of a “coming attractions” preview than one of my usual blog posts.
There are lot of exciting things coming out of “The Aristocracy of HR” and I want you to hear it here. First, let’s talk about Technology and more importantly HR Technology.
Technology has been and will continue to be the primary and most important driver of innovation. It is changing the way we do business, the way we communicate, the way we see the world, and more importantly the world of work. It is a game changer and/or a change agent.
HR Technology is a niche within this vast world of technology, but an important player. The importance of this duo is HR too is a game changer/change agent or at least that is where I think HR needs to be to be an effective entity (separate conversation), but I digress. HR the commander and advocate of human capital married to Technology the overarching and supreme change agent is transformational.
As such, I am kicking off this series of guest posts from fellow HR Tech Enthusiasts which will end with a post from me on “The Futurism of HR Technology”. Sounds cool… right?
According to Merriam-Webster, Futurism has two meanings:
1) A movement in art, music, and literature begun in Italy about 1909 and marked especially by an effort to give formal expression to the dynamic energy and movement of mechanical processes
2) A point of view that finds meaning or fulfillment in the future rather than in the past or present
The first definition doesn’t begin to move me until you get to the part about “dynamic energy and movement of mechanical processes”–powerful! Then I move to the second definition and there you have it “meaning or fullfillment in the future rather than in the past or present”– uber powerful!
This series was created to explore not where we have been (maybe we can take a short glimpse) but where is the marriage of HR Tech is taking us.
“The Aristocracy of HR” is a society that I envision as having the HR’s best and brightest at the helm doing HR as it ought to be. As such it is only right that I take a moment to tell the world that the HR society as we know it is shifting. The best is yet to come and it is coming via “HR Technology”.
I hope you will tune in and help me celebrate my one year blog anniversary on Thursday, September 13th. More to come on new ventures and also some posts in between on what this past year has taught me as a new blogger.
Dosvidan’ya for now! That’s goodbye in Russian! ; )
For those of you that have not been exposed to the concept of rework- it is the act of having to reinvent, redo, redesign something that was done inefficiently to begin with and now someone has to step in and pick up the pieces. The most important aspect of rework is that most times the task and/or project had every possibility of being done correctly in the first place, but because of egos, poor listening, no listening, and complete and utter disregard for making effective decisions said task was done poorly.
As some may have witnessed in an afternoon tweet from me yesterday- I loathe rework and more importantly inefficiency. I could be wrong but I would like to think inefficiency is a choice not a matter of circumstance. I believe people actually make a conscious decision to be inefficient. Why would someone make a conscious decision to be inefficient in their day to day work? They do it because it is comforting. You ever meet someone that knows a process is ineffective and has been for years but will champion that process until the cows come home because that is the way it has always been done. Never mind that a whole lot of nothing gets done in the process.
The problem with this is when circumstance rears its ugly head and suddenly you have to spring into the 21st century like everyone else you know not how to plan work to a positive outcome. Instead, there are meetings and more meetings and one bad process after another. All of this only to find out in the end that what you needed to accomplish was not accomplished and as such it becomes rework.
Common sense is a human’s best friend, It keeps you grounded, it is the foundation that intelligent, logical thinking is built upon. When you have grounded, intelligent, logical thinkers at the table there is bound to be more positive outcomes and less rework. In a day and age, where budgets are tight, resources are scarce, and the workforce is shrinking how can you justify inefficient processes, policies and people?
I don’t think any business can afford the frustration, wasted man hours and resources that is synonymous with rework. I’m not at all insinuating that all must be an immaculate perfection in the workplace. However, I do think that sometimes people figure it’s best to do business as usual and create rework because rework ensures job security. What a terrible precedent to set? In time, a person’s quest to lazy job security will be halted because the inefficiency will affect the business and you may be out of a job after all.
Working smart is being informed, planning the work not letting the work run you and doing things that will result in the best outcome for the business and customer.
Measure twice and cut once. Rework is the devil. Drive a stake in it the next time you see it.
Business is not without its share of problems. The problems span the benign to those that are malignant, metastasized and on the verge of killing your business. Sometimes the solution to a complex problem is not readily available. In the interim, you ruminate over the potential outcomes and possible solutions. In the heat of the ruminating you deduct that the issue at hand is one that needs a complex answer. You then turn to some lofty methodology to solve said problem.
You’re probably saying what’s wrong with this? Surely, a some methodology will get rid of this problem indefinitely. Wrong!
Let’s take Six Sigma for instance, it is a methodolgy born out of the manufacturing industry and conceived to put an end to defects as a result of faulty processes; therefore reducing the variability of outputs. It sounds wonderful and I’m sure we can thank this methodology everytime we drive our cars or operate any machinery without injury or faulty output. However, since when did the “people” business of HR need a manufacturing methodology to tell them whether a process is ill-conceived or whether or not we are delivering a true value proposition to our customers?
The truth is we know very well what the myriad of issues are and how to solve them. Instead, we use “Methodology Interruptus” as a front to seem like we are doing something lofty, complex and even smart, but really we had the answer to the issue all along. While the methodolgy is interrupting us from using our brains and working the problem we are spending a ridiculous amount of man hours charting, evaluating grids, calculating statistics all to tell us what we already knew- Houston we have a problem!
The question we need to be asking ourselves is what is the solution? What is the simple solution? If there is anything we get flack from our stakeholders for it is fast-track decision making and a reluctance to provide a simple but intelligent solutions. Solutions is what we are supposed to be good at. You know where the business continues on another day and the employee and customer are thriving and happy. I have news for everyone “people are not robots (at least not yet)”. As such, I don’t think you need any flippin six sigma, lean or other methodology to figure out what’s wrong with the “people” side of business.
The long and short of it is get your head out of the weeds or the clouds depending on where you sit and observe, listen, watch, probe. You may be shocked to find that the answers to your most complex issues are right in front of your face. The people are your solution. The business begins with the people and it will surely end at the hands of people.
HR let’s get back to basics and stop getting fancy. Boycott “Methodology Interruptus” the next time you see it in your organization.
If I had a dollar for every time I had a jobseeker tell me “well I thought I was qualified”- I would be an immensely rich woman and therefore would not be writing articles on the world of HR in my spare time but I digress. There is a sentiment among some jobseekers that you should apply to everything you “think” you are qualified for. On one hand this is true as I constantly encourage candidates that have not had the privileged of being scooped up by my company to keep an eye on our career website and apply to what they “think” they are qualified for. I may be misleading these candidates because what they “think” they are qualified to do and what they are actually qualified to do may differ.
For instance, I may think that with my aptitude to learn new things, some training and a few advanced classes in Microsoft Excel that I could be an accountant. The reality is I am a HR professional by trade with a degree in Psychology. While I may be extremely intelligent and have “fire in my belly” to do whatever I put my mind to-I am not; nor will I ever be qualified in the mind of a recruiter or hiring manager to be an accountant.
The fact is when a company posts a position and there are “minimum requirements” listed. You need to meet all of the minimum requirements. The minimum requirements in a job posting are usually non-negotiable. Conversely, the “preferred requirements” are such that they would make you all the more attractive as an applicant but they are not a necessity.
Unfortunately for jobseekers, the time when employers hired for attitude and trained ready and willing people is a thing of the past in most sectors. Employers for the most part are looking for candidates to come in and hit the ground running with minimal training and/or downtime. That means you cannot merely “think” you can do the job with reasonable assistance; you must be qualified to do it. Whether or not you are indeed qualified will be defined by individual companies. However, jobseekers should know that their knowledge, skills and abilities or (KSA’s as we call it in HR) should be the focal point of their resume and it should reasonably match the requirements of the position for you to move on to be reviewed by the hiring manager.
Here are some tips on assessing your qualifications when applying to a job:
1) Read the job description carefully. Don’t skim through job description and serial apply to jobs. If you read the job description you should be able to discern whether or not you would be qualified to do the job.
2) Be reasonable. If you have worked as a cashier at Stop & Shop for the past three years and are pursuing a degree in Anthropological Studies with a concentration in Middle Eastern History do not apply to a Comptroller position. At every level in an organization, there are required KSA’s and competencies as well as mandatory on-the-job experience you must have to move up the ladder. Creep before you walk.
3) Make sure you meet the minimum qualifications. Some companies will be a little flexible on these. The threshold you should use is 80%. If you meet 80% of the qualifications requested in a posting- apply to it. The worst that could happen is your application will be rejected. The best case scenario is the recruiter has the ability to be flexible on certain qualifications and you get through.
4) Attitude and Aptitude are two different concepts. While many will agree that sometimes it’s better to hire someone with a positive attitude than someone with a negative attitude and a degree from Harvard- you need to pay attention to whether the company has specifically stated that they are willing to train. Just because you are bubbly and pleasant does not mean that you have the qualifications to do the job- it just means you’re nice.
5) If you don’t immediately feel confident that you could perform the duties of a position without extensive training you probably are not qualified to do the job. Don’t let anxiety about being unemployed and/or your ambitions to land a job cloud your ability to make informed decisions about your career.
My first job out of college was in staffing. I was so excited and proud of myself that I was able to land something in my field. I attended every seminar and workshop there was in my college career center to prepare me for this job.
I should have known from the all day boot camp, I mean all day peer interview-that I was signing up for something outlandish. Anyhow, love my alma mater, but they did not and could not prepare for the nonsense I encountered at this company.
There were many reasons why this experience was a nightmare, but this one incident sticks out. I worked with a group of people that had their own little clique. It was a creepy clique-in that the way they interacted with one another was highly inappropriate. When I say “highly inappropriate” I’m not being lame or a prude. They were all kinds of “touchy feely” with one another-quite nasty.
The “terrible threesome” (no pun intended) is what I called them in my head. Here I was fresh out of college trying to gain experience in HR and make a name for myself and their only concern was to initiate me into their little threesome. One day, I was walking down one of the corridors to my cube and one of the women from the “crew” slaps me with all her might on my behind and says what’s up girlie? and winks” I was shocked at first and then I got angry. I have to be honest it took everything in me not to knock her on her behind-but I digress. Instead, I put my HR hat on and tried to recall the by the book protocol I learned in school and my internship regarding the resolution of these issues.
I confided in my mentor at the time and she fully backed me in escalating the issue. Here’s where the dummy in the story reveals himself. I went to my immediate boss to make a complaint regarding my co-worker swatting me on the behind. When I finished telling him the story , he says “Suzy” did that? I don’t believe it! I’m sure she didn’t mean to do that. Maybe you should speak to her about it. I’m sure she would apologize. I think you are taking this out of context.” I let him know that she was purposeful in the way that she swatted me on the behind and I want this escalated and rectified.
He claimed to have discussed it with the Director of Business Operations. The kicker is nothing was ever done and I was never notified of the outcome of this “alleged” invesitigation.
In hindsight there is so much more I could have done to rectify this, but I was “wet behind the ears” and didn’t know as much as I do now about my rights.
Some thoughts on this experience:
1) It is never cool for a supervisor or employee relations professional to inject their own feelings into an investigation.
2) Employees have a right to have their complaints acknowledged and resolved no matter how trivial it may seem to the employer.
3) No one has the right to invade your personal space. It’s easier said than done, but do not be intimidated by people if you are uncomfortable in your work environment.
4) HR usually is the place you go to rectify these situations. However, if you should have the same luck I have had in these situations- do escalate until there is a resolution. Sometimes when reflecting on that time, I regret not sticking it to them.
5) Lastly, company culture is extremely important to your success and well-being. Examine, research, observe and probe interviewers during the screening and interview process about the culture of the company.
They probably won’t be upfront and tell you that they are running a makeshift harem during the work day, but you can use your common sense and gut to make informed and intelligent decisions about whether a company is right for you.
In a previous life I worked for an organization that managed outsourced emergency departments and hospitalist services for hospitals nationally. Our accounts were in extremely difficult markets which meant that every physician we had the honor of hiring was priceless.
You would think that the variables of difficult markets and rare findings of board certified emergency management physicians would make a company do all it could to retain their employees-not so much.
My last year there we were losing key accounts left and right – the first red flag. Every recruitment/marketing effort I made was met with calls of angry vendors saying they were never paid for previous ad placements and marketing-yet another red flag. To top it off I am on-call one day where I receive yet another angry phone call from a hollering physician who was getting ready to go on vacation and did not receive his paycheck- the red flag to bring clarity to the rest. Here I am little ol’ physician recruiter doing my duty as on-call supervisor for the weekend and I have to find out why this man hasn’t been paid and get him his money before he leaves for Europe.
When I called my superiors and explained that this physician was highly upset and screaming over the phone- I was told the following: “We paid Hospital “X” on time last month- now we have to rotate it and pay another hospital on time. Dr. Smith should stop whining. I’ll call him!”
When I heard this my head was spinning. The dr. was wired his check as a result of his hollering, but I thought to myself; why should any hard-working employee have to “holla for a dollar”?
This man was a pain in the you know what, but that was neither here nor there. He showed up, did his work and now was relying upon this money to take his family to Europe. Why shouldn’t he be paid on time?
For several months following this incident, we continued to rotate the pecking order for who would get paid on time. It resulted in a lot of hollering and discontent among our staff. Morale among the physicians was on a rapid decline and as a result we started to lose some of them. More importantly, it made my job as a recruiter extremely difficult. I don’t have to tell you all how quickly bad pr travels in a niche market.
Here are some takeaways from this experience:
1) Companies: The partnership between you and your employees is as such: they provide a service and you pay them for said service. PAY your employees for God’s sake!
2) Employees: When you work for a company where you see these kind of shenanigans going on- run for the hills! You don’t have to be the CFO or Comptroller to know the end is near.
3) The executives in your company should not be vacationing in Bora Bora and driving high end cars and you can’t afford to pay for ads and marketing; let alone pay your employees. Something is wrong with this picture.
4) If the service you provide is one in a niche market, please know that there are four or more companies behind you to take your business. That said you need to be on point and if your expenses are exceeding your profit it may be time to cut back. Just saying…
5) This is just a general insight- Just because you have “always” done something a certain way doesn’t mean its the right way. I was brought aboard to innovate and shake-up the recruiters that were already there. It stuck for about a month and then it was business as usual.
The moral of the story is: “Pay your employees for the work that they do and profits will come back to you.” “Don’t pay your employees at all and your empire will surely fall.” That is all!
