Video: Tips for Attracting Candidates by Appealing to What They Value Most

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The Trevi Group
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Tips for Attracting Candidates by Appealing to What They Value Most (+video)

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The recruitment landscape in the executive, managerial and professional sector remains a candidate-driven market in 2016, and moving forward, companies need to ask not what candidates can do for them, but what they can do for potential hires. To attract the best candidates, companies should broaden their perspectives beyond salaries and benefits and think about what makes their organizations not only great places to work, but enviable ones.

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As trends change, highly qualified candidates have the resources necessary to be more discerning about the companies to which they apply, and the offers they ultimately accept. Now more than ever, these candidates are thinking about a company's culture and values. They're weighing whether the company fosters a positive environment and whether its values align with their own.

"Highly qualified candidates are prioritizing a positive and inspiring company culture over pay or benefits," says Suzanne Rice, director, global franchise development for MRINetwork. "They want to work somewhere that helps them grow not only professionally but personally."

Rice recommends the following tips for revealing the company traits that job seekers value most:

Define your values. Think about your company's mission and values, and how you can effectively convey these attributes during your next candidate interview. Go beyond financial or strategic goals and reflect on community impacts such as ways your company benefits society, makes people's lives easier or demonstrates goodwill in the world.

The modern, highly qualified job seeker is more altruistic-minded than his predecessors, and wants to work somewhere where he or she can contribute to a larger effort that transcends simply making money. An interviewer who can confidently share with a candidate the company's higher purpose and the concrete ways it's contributing to the common good will make a job offer that is much more attractive.

Put employees first. Top candidates are prioritizing company culture, and how it's created by the employees to get an idea of the people with whom they will be working. To effectively discuss your company's culture with applicants, analyze the positive qualities that are shared by employees across your organization and spend extra time looking at the specific traits of your top-performing employees. Spend time talking with workers to gain a better understanding of the personal qualities and attitudes that they bring to their work.

Also observe the overall atmosphere of your office. Are socialization and bonding activities in and outside of work encouraged? Or is the atmosphere stressed, negative or draining? If that's the case, improving your company's culture should be a priority.

Size up the organizational structure. Examine how work is being accomplished across the company. Today's job seekers are looking for alternatives to the top-down organizational structures of the past. Instead, they want to work at a company with a more collaborative organizational structure that not only welcomes and encourages opinions and suggestions from all employee levels, but also responds and takes action on these ideas.

Ethics in the workplace and sound business practices are also very important to candidates today. They want to work at a company where leadership is held responsible for their actions. Consider whether your company has an open organizational structure, accountability measures in place and ways you can improve them.

"Spending time reflecting on these important traits of your company, and prioritizing them in your discussions with candidates, helps ensure that your hiring practices respond to the unique needs and attitudes of today's job seekers," adds Rice. "A modern, self-aware company is one in which most qualified top performers will want to work."

The Trevi Group
www.TheTreviGroup.com 

What Your Review Process Says About Your Company Culture

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The holidays have come to an end and companies are ramping up for the new year. While executives are getting ready to roll out new operational plans, strategies and budgets, many employees are preparing for their annual performance review. Although the review process is a necessary part of business, it can be a time-consuming and tedious exercise for both managers and their direct reports. Workers can also feel they are in the hot seat with regard to their performance from the previous year. Most importantly, it can delay feedback and two-way conversations that would have been more beneficial at an earlier time. This postponed interaction is causing some employers to look at alternatives to the annual review to build a stronger, more cohesive company culture.


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Accenture is a company that recently decided to eliminate annual reviews. With a workforce where 70 percent of employees are Millennials, the organization realized that traditional evaluations were not effective for engaging and motivating this generational group which values frequent, real-time feedback. As a result, Accenture developed a digital approach that encourages managers to “coach in the moment” from any device, instead of “after the moment”. Their goal was to create a culture that promotes continual growth and learning for all employees.

“It is not surprising that workforce expectations are changing and are being influenced by the social, mobile world in which we live,” says Nancy Halverson, vice president of global operations for MRINetwork. “Companies that understand the implications of this, and are nimble enough to adopt new technologies and different approaches to work, will be most successful with attracting and retaining top performers that will become the future leaders of tomorrow. Analyzing the effectiveness of the review process and what it says about the organization’s culture can be a great place to start.”

Halverson suggests companies that are looking to re-evaluate their performance review process ask the following questions:

Is the annual review the main time that feedback is provided on performance? Look for opportunities on a regular basis to set priorities, discuss work outcomes and coach team members. Whether it is weekly status meetings, daily advice or a combination of the two, employees are frequently more engaged when they feel their managers are committed to helping them become more successful workers.

Does the company provide mentoring opportunities beyond the insight provided by supervisors? Employee groups that facilitate peer-to-peer mentoring, internal networking and presentations from leadership on career ascension can help organizations develop a culture of growth and development.

What technologies or new approaches can be leveraged to expedite feedback? Not every company will find it necessary to implement a digital process like Accenture, but business leaders should continually consider whether they are communicating with their direct reports in a meaningful and timely manner.

Eliminating the annual review is not necessarily the answer, as many companies find the procedure effective in evaluating employees and holding them accountable. “The key is to find ways to augment the process by creating opportunities to promote dialogue that will improve work flow, productivity and career advancement,” adds Halverson. “Ultimately, that is the type of environment that top performers seek.”

The Trevi Group
www.TheTreviGroup.com 

IT mergers and acquisitions on way to record year

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IT mergers and acquisitions are set to skyrocket.

The global value of publicly disclosed technology-related mergers and acquisitions was $396.4 billion in October, according to a report by Ernst & Young. M&A in the industry is on track to beat the 2000 record M&A value of $412.4 billion.

Some 45 percent of the executives surveyed said that they planned to actively pursue acquisitions in the next year, and 80 percent predicted global M&A will flourish in 2016.

October was the most profitable month of the year for tech company buyers, IT World reported. The largest deals were the $67 million purchase of EMC by Dell and the $19 billion acquisition of SanDisk by Western Digital.

The growing use of mobile, cloud and big data technologies in business is spurring the increase in M&A, IT World reported. Network systems and storage hardware are combining, and mobile devices are changing the ways software and applications are developed. With all the changes, innovative tech companies that can bring business systems up to date are in high demand.

"While digital disruption is not a new story, we have clearly entered a new chapter in its impact on M&A," said Ernst & Young global technology industry leader Jeff Liu.

A record 1,069 publicly disclosed mergers and acquisitions were made in the third quarter of 2015, marking the seventh consecutive post-dot com bubble record for technology deal volume, according to IT World.

Partially driving the boom is a growing number of IT businesses buying non-tech companies, the source reported, citing IBM's acquisition of assets from the Weather Company for its Watson platforms. More traditional industrial companies are also buying IT companies to strengthen their analytics and improve profit margins.

The Trevi Group
www.thetrevigroup.com

The Recruiter's View: The Labor Market Outlook for 2016

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The U.S. labor market continues to expand, and in 2015, 230,000 new jobs has been the monthly average through October. Many companies are in growth mode, focusing on key strategic hires to support this expansion. At the same time, a great deal of attention is being placed on engaging and retaining top performers that will ultimately join forces with new hires to build stronger, more dynamic teams. Despite this focus on harnessing quality, skilled talent, companies are finding that recruitment and retention is increasingly problematic, especially in the executive, managerial and professional sector. This is due to the candidate-driven market, an environment in which top candidates have the upper hand because of more available job opportunities and a growing shortages of highly specialized talent. As high performers have multiple job offers to consider and the ability to reject less desirable work opportunities, employers are faced with making fundamental changes to their recruitment and talent management strategies to gain greater access to the brightest talent in 2016 and beyond.


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New data from the most recent MRINetwork Recruiter Sentiment Study, a biannual employment landscape survey of MRINetwork recruiters across approximately 600 worldwide offices, indicates that the candidate-driven market, which has experienced a consistent uptick since 2011, is at an all-time high. Remaining unchanged from survey findings in the first half of 2015, 90 percent of respondents feel the executive, managerial and professional sector is candidate-driven.

Additionally, top performers continue to reject job offers. Forty-four percent of participants listed “accepted another offer” as the primary reason for offer rejections, up from 37 percent in the first half of 2015. Low compensation packages and counteroffers were also top reasons for turndowns.

The candidate-driven market and offer rejections are nothing new. However, as companies increasingly concentrate on recruitment of skilled, strategic talent, they face the dilemma of properly vetting candidates, while also creating a streamlined, engaging applicant experience that top candidates have come to expect. Then add to that the need to engage and retain top performers. With more employees looking for new opportunities and companies forced to prioritize their retention efforts, recruitment must now compete with retention, despite the desire to bring on new talent.

There are possible signs of recruitment slowing behind retention, when we look at how long it takes to get an offer. In previous years of the survey, recruiters reported that most offers were being extended between 1-4 weeks of the candidate’s first interview. In the most recent survey, recruiters say job offers are now being presented between 3-6 weeks. Additionally counteroffers are rising, up two percentage points from the first half of 2015. These trends have emerged, in spite of recruiter recommendations since 2011 to expedite the hiring process and provide more competitive compensation packages to avoid losing “A” players.

So what will employers need to do differently in 2016?

Create a more candidate-centric experience that demonstrates interest in the incumbent vs. just trying to see how interested the applicant is in the organization.

“Candidates want quicker and simplified ways to apply for openings and go through the interview process, yet employers and HR departments make the simple process of applying for one of their openings more complicated”, said a recruiter responding to the study.

Consider the entire hiring process from the candidate’s stand point, from the time they apply for the position to the start of onboarding.  What does the process look like when you consider the level of interaction and communication from your staff? What does it say about the organization, the company culture and the work environment that the future hire can expect? Above all, what lasting impression does the process leave with candidates?

Compensation is important, but advancement opportunities lead. When evaluating a potential job move, top candidates are primarily focused on their future employer’s ability to provide opportunities for them to move up within the company, both immediately and in the future. In fact, according to the survey, almost half (45 percent) of recruiters felt advancement opportunities would be the most important consideration for candidates looking to make a job move in 2016. While counteroffers may temporarily help you keep key employees on board, these individuals will eventually leave, if this is the only thing keeping them there.

Engage employees by making career-pathing part of your company culture and value proposition.

Career-pathing takes advancement opportunities to the next level by mapping out a long-term plan for each employee’s incremental progression to new roles within the company. Providing fun things like cool technology, flexible scheduling and employee appreciation events are great, but ultimately your top performers will leave if they see there are no real opportunities for upward mobility. Making career-pathing a fundamental part of your talent management strategies and promoting it in the interview process can reduce some of the time and effort spent on retaining key employees, enabling you to spend more time on growing your teams.

Prioritize succession planning now.

You know your baby boomer employees will eventually retire, however their departure appears to be accelerating. According to the survey, vacancies from retirement grew to nine percent, up four percentage points since the first half of 2015, and after remaining relatively static in previous years. It’s clear that the more senior members of your staff are beginning to feel more confident about retiring. Now is the time to begin grooming key staff members who can become the company’s future leadership.

All signs point to 2016 being a pivotal year for recruitment in the executive, managerial and professional space and potentially the overall labor market. The insight and trends that recruiters have been observing the past few years, in regards to the candidate-driven market, are coming to light across virtually all industries and sectors. If employers truly want to expand their teams, and not feel burdened by retention issues, they will need to create modern, full cycle practices that look at recruitment and talent management strategies as an inter-connected process, rather than two separate efforts.

> Click here view the complete study. 

The Trevi Group
www.TheTreviGroup.com 

Employment Summary for October 2015

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The latest Employment Situation Summary from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that the nation experienced significant job growth during the month of October. The overall unemployment rate dropped from 5.1 percent to 5 percent.

Gains seen in a variety of sectors

According to the report, total non-farm payroll expanded by 271,000 jobs last month, above economists projections for 200,000 new roles. The sector that added the most positions was professional and business services, which increased its workforce by 78,000. About 46,000 of these jobs were in the administrative and support services field, while computer systems design and related services and architectural and engineering services added 10,000 and 8,000 jobs, respectively.

Healthcare expanded by 45,000 positions, many of which were in the ambulatory care services and hospitals. The retail sector created 44,000 jobs, largely due to clothing and automobile retailers. Food and beverage businesses created 42,000 jobs, while the construction industry grew by 31,000 positions.

Some industries that experienced little or no change to their workforces include wholesale trade, transportation and warehousing, manufacturing, information, financial activities and government.

Strong report increased likelihood of Federal Reserve rate increase

According to The New York Times, October's report is strong enough that the Federal Reserve could be inspired to raise interest rates in the near future. The news source explained that an unemployment rate of 5 percent is close to what many economists consider "full employment," which is typically accompanied by a Fed evaluation. However, the Fed has treated the post-recession economy with an extremely gentle hand, so rate hikes are not guaranteed despite October's positive showing.

The issue will likely be raised at the Fed's Dec. 15-16 meeting, noted the Times. The quality of November's report will be a major deciding factor.

The Trevi Group
www.TheTreviGroup.com

Attracting Talent with Public Relations

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Public relations, or PR as it's often called, is something we've all heard of but what does it really mean? Frequently companies think that PR should be leveraged to promote company news; everything from new hire announcements, office openings and website launches, to new products or services, and mergers and acquisitions. While some of these events may be deemed newsworthy, PR is most powerful as a tool to raise a company's profile, communicate the brand and culture, and continually position internal experts as industry thought leaders. Most importantly, when public relations is leveraged effectively, employers can extend their ability to reach top candidates and attract them into their organizations. All too often, this is an opportunity that is missed when it comes to recruitment and hiring, because many companies only focus on archiving as many "look how great we are" press releases on their websites as they can.


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So how does PR work and how can companies use it to entice top performers? Press releases are what most people think of when it comes to PR, but in actuality this is just one of various tactics that can be used to gain media coverage and communicate a compelling message. Additionally, PR is often mistaken for marketing, with the expectation that there will be a dotted line to a sale or new business. "Companies that are most successful with PR understand that at the core, PR is a public service, the purpose of which is to educate and connect with the community at large," says Nysha King, media relations specialist for MRINetwork. "Working in concert with marketing, the focus of PR should not be on self-promotion, but instead on the insight that the organization can provide, and how this information contributes to an ongoing dialogue, creating consistent, positive messages and stories about the company. These messages work over time to create a positive perception of the organization, ultimately making clients and prospects more receptive to engaging in business transactions, while also piquing the interest of 'A' players who could potentially work for the firm."

King offers the following tips for companies looking to attract talent with PR:

Seek out opportunities to discuss industry trends, challenges and projections for market activity. Contributing an article, submitting recent research findings and speaking at an industry conference are all ways that employers can offer up industry knowledge and different approaches to work that will raise their organization's profile. These efforts can start with a simple pitch note to the editor, or a proposal to the events committee. Top candidates want to work for companies that are innovative and forward thinking; media coverage provides the opportunity to leverage thought leadership that can be enticing to prospective hires.

Showcase your company culture. Whether it's through social media or company ambassadors, one of the best ways to communicate what it's like to work at the organization is through employees. Capture fun events and unique aspects of the office environment that demonstrate why it's a great place to work. Then post pictures and describe what is being depicted on social media, the company website and other external communication vehicles. Additionally, identify high performers who can represent the organization and share their unique stories via career spotlights or contributed articles in publications.

Partner with other organizations on initiatives that complement your business focus. Engaging in philanthropy or other projects that align with the company's mission is a good way to demonstrate goodwill. Collaborating with associations and institutions that may benefit from the organization's expertise on a volunteer basis, provides a softer, human element that provides more depth to the company culture which can be especially appealing to candidates. Today's talent are increasingly focused on working for employers who are ethical and display a commitment to meaningful causes.

Manage your reputation on employer review sites. At some point, you're bound to receive poor reviews from disgruntled former employees, on sites like Glassdoor.com. Get in front of these reviews by responding to any negative information and presenting the company in a more positive light. In your online posts, admit to any past challenges and discuss how the organization is working to improve these areas. Many times, just the simple acknowledgement of an issue diffuses the situation and demonstrates a company's integrity.

Whether a company is big or small, media coverage is something that every organization can successfully pursue to attract and recruit top talent. "Employers must first identify what they want to convey about their culture and then determine the available resources to disseminate this information through consistent messaging," adds King. "Once this is established, employers can create and roll out manageable PR strategies that communicate why the organization is a great place to work."

The Trevi Group
www.TheTreviGroup.com  

Employment Analysis Summary Report -- for September 2015

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The September Employment Situation released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics was a bit disappointing, with lower than expected job growth and an unchanged unemployment rate.

A total of 142,000 jobs were added in September, much lower than the average monthly gains seen over the last 18 months, and below economists’ expectations for 200,000 new jobs. The unemployment rate remained at 5.1 percent. The civilian labor force participation rate fell slightly, dropping from 62.6 percent to 62.4 percent. The amount of workers taking part-time jobs for economic reasons, also decreased by 447,000.

Small gains occur across major industries

The sector that experienced the most growth was healthcare, which added 34,000 jobs. Within this field, hospitals and ambulatory care services accounted for most of the gains. Information added 12,000 jobs in September, while food services payrolls expanded by 21,000 jobs. Business and professional services added 31,000 jobs, with most new positions appearing in the computer systems design and legal services subsectors. Retail hiring was also on the rise, as the field created 24,000 new jobs, mostly in general merchandise stores and automotive dealerships.

Manufacturing, construction, wholesale trade, financial activities, transportation and warehousing, and government all showed little or no change throughout September. Employment in the mining industry was once again on the decline, losing 10,000 positions over the course of the month. Average hourly earnings fell by $0.01 to $25.09. This slight decline comes after August's gain of $0.09.

Lack of major growth raises concerns

Despite many economists’ belief that the September job report shows the U.S. economy is weakening, others feel employers are temporarily holding off on hiring as a result of recent turmoil in the financial market. According to Fortune, job growth for all of 2015 is still hovering around 200,000 per month, which is quite strong. However, the source explained that the data should give pause to anyone hoping to claim that the U.S. economy has reached escape velocity.  The New York Times added that the uncertainty caused by the July-September job reports will likely inspire the Federal Reserve to hold off on increasing interest rates until next year, though earlier in 2015 they were expected to go up in the fall.

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The Trevi Group
www.TheTreviGroup.com