At a National Journal policy summit sponsored by the Society for Human Resource Management, one of the hot topics was the lack of workers with skills needed by companies.  Hilda Solis, U.S. Labor Secretary, commented in her address that this mismatch is one of the reasons for the high unemployment rate.

Most businesses that are hiring right now have experienced the disconnect between the skills they are looking for and the types of applications they receive.  There are so many people out of work that they are flooding the system with their resumes whether they are applicable or not.  A statistic quoted by Secretary Solis is that more than 4.7 people typically apply for the same job. 

One of the reasons given for this problem is the lack of relevant curriculum provided via our educational systems.  Even as I write, local universities and community colleges are soliciting input from employers to better meet their needs, but there is a ways to go.  Students need the motivation to enroll in these new programs – and we are told that many students lack the science and math skills to complete the programs and qualify for new jobs. 

A second reason for the problem is the Workforce Investment Boards of the Department of Labor seem to be out of touch.  The system is perceived as antiquated and irrelevant to the current crisis.  Older laid off workers who are not highly skilled are not going find their jobs returning in the current market.  The need to retrain is crucial for these workers. 

One problem that is difficult to solve is that many high school graduates don’t have basic skills needed to hold a job, such as good communication skills, the ability to keep to a schedule, or how to behave appropriately in the work place.  These are issues that require a whole different type of training that hasn’t been routinely addressed in our current systems.

There are multiple sources for the retraining or updating of job seeker skills if we can improve the quality of information on the real job market and the skills required.  Community colleges, unions, universities, businesses  and government training programs can all help.  Visionary efforts include a “Helmets to Hardhats” program to help veterans transition to construction jobs in the civilian world.  In addition, retiring employees in some organizations are being encouraged to impart their wisdom to the newer employees in their organizations.  Intern programs also help companies evaluate potential employees, and give job seekers an opportunity to learn about a particular industry.  

Responding to an ever-changing work environment by educational systems that aren’t by nature flexible and able to redo entire curricula in a short period of time is a challenge for the education industry.  Most successful programs come as a result of intense involvement by the business community.  In many cases where the company has unique products or processes, on-the-job training is just part of the orientation for new hires.

We need to do better in preparing people for the world of work.  There are good jobs begging, and great folks wanting to do them.

Tags: effective learning, hiring talent, retraining

Most large or well-recognized companies that are hiring are being inundated with resumes, and are trying to find ways to sort through the pile. The Internet has created a whole new market for job postings, and has resulted in a much larger audience.  To deal with the volume, increasingly applicants are being asked to take a personality test before they ever have any contact with the company. 
There are pros and cons to this practice, and in some cases complaints have been filed with the local commission for human rights that the tests are discriminatory.  One case was cited in an article by Eve Tahminciogle on the MSNBC Careers site.  In this Rhode Island case, CVS Caremark included questions that sent up legal red flags for the local ACLU.  The test asked applicants to agree or disagree with statements such as “People do a lot of things that make you angry”, “There’s no use having close friends; they always let you down”, “Many people cannot be trusted”, and “You are unsure of what to say when you meet someone”.   Several applicants had complained, and the local Commission found “probably cause” that the test was in fact discriminatory.  The company agreed to remove the problematic questions.

This could be the tip of an iceberg, as the growing use of these tests early in the hiring process is a relatively new area.  The perception is that some of these questions could hurt people with mental disorders, and is likened to a “medical exam”. 

Apparently the employment assessment market overall is worth $2 billion and growing.  It was estimated by one research firm that  one-third of employers are using testing for hiring and promotions.

There is strong disagreement between the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the ACLU on the use of these tests.  Jeanne Goldberg, advisor for the EEOC had no problem with applicants answering non-job related questions to see if the person’s personality will do well in a particular job. 

The article on MSNBC quoted some sample questions from a McDonald’s survey.  They included “I am sometimes unkind to others”, “I often lose my patience with other”, and “I dislike having several things to do on the same day”.  Ms Goldberg from the EEOC saw no issue with this survey.

The ACLU on the other had said that a lot of these standardized tests are weeding devices, and ones without real meaning.  The spokesperson said that employers were always looking for the magic test, but they didn’t accomplish much.  The applicant’s recourse was to decide not to work for the organization.

The question remains, how do you find the best candidates for your company – not only with appropriate skills, but with a work ethic that fits with the organization?  It doesn’t seem we’ve found the perfect tool just yet.  Good luck!

Tags: applications, Employment Testing, hiring process, hiring talent, Hiring Trends, recruiting

Ok, on the one hand social media is creating havoc in the workplace.  On the other hand, it is the latest job recruiting tool for professional recruiters.  An article in the Wall Street Journal talks about recruiters and the sites they turn to when “trolling” for candidates. 

In recent history Monster.com was a major player.  There was a fee for employers to post their jobs online.  Then things started changing.  Craig’s List was one place where jobs started appearing.  Then companies developed their own accounts on LinkedIn, touted  as a professional site for networking.  There they posted jobs and participated in discussion groups related to their businesses.  LinkedIn developed a hiring solutions segment with tools to help recruiters in their search.   The site has a reputation for having a comprehensive resume database, and is a go-to site for executive talent.

Now..we have Facebook entering the market.  Companies have also developed accounts on these sites, and post jobs and videos of current employees on the site.  There is much discussion among the various website companies as well as recruiting professionals about using this tool.  On the one hand, LinkedIn execs said that users regarded LinkedIn as their professional life, and Facebook as personal.  In their focus groups, job candidates were sharply averse to being contacted through Facebook for jobs.  On the other hand, Monster.com execs acknowledged that the Facebook recruiting platform is growing rapidly.  Their company has launched their own Facebook append it has grown to 800,000 users in a couple of months.

Right now all the players are seeing an increase in activity and revenues.  The future, however, seems to be in the social networking arena, with more and more companies adding those skills to their recruiting departments.  As individuals spend more time on the social networks, the recruiting power of these sites can only grow.  One reason Facebook is a target for the recruiters is that individuals spend a lot more time on the site, and one company found that candidates are 50% more likely to apply for positions found through Facebook than other means.

The result of all this discussion seems to be that both companies and job seekers are going to have to spend some time developing their skills in using the social network sites.  Just what we all need – more lessons to learn!  Good hunting, all of you.

Tags: applications, Facebook, hiring talent, Hiring Trends, job application, job seeker, recruiters, social network

Interviewing job applicants is the most important step in making hiring decisions, and the most difficult.  In my past blogs I have discussed various aspects of job applicant screening.  In this one we look at the main goals of interviewing:  Find out what the candidate knows, learn how their work skills have been tested in past work situations and where their aptitudes lie for future planning. 

Typically in a one-hour interview the hiring manager will ask 10-12 questions, and these questions should be geared to learning as much as you can in regards to the above goals.  However, there is a lot of prep time to hone these questions to produce the desired results.

Noah Apodaca, recruiter for UC Irvine, wrote an article for the Society for Human Resource Management newsletter (shrm.org) on what to ask and how to ask it to get the best response from your candidates.    The questions need to give the candidate an opportunity to share their skills and experience

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So here are a few examples of good/bad ways to ask the questions:
* Don’t ask: “Why do you want to work here/want this job?”  This elicits a response on how great the company is and what a great opportunity they have.  In fact the basic reason is that the candidate needs to make money!
* Ask instead – “What particular skills or experiences make you the best match for this position?”, or even more behavioral-based:  What would your most recent supervisor say are the skills that make you the best-qualified candidate for this position?”  This allows them to highlight the things they found to be important from researching the company and the position.
* Don’t ask:  “Where do you see yourself in five years?”  The obvious answer is with the company providing great contributions to the organization.  This gives you no insight on the candidate’s vision concerning professional growth.
* Ask instead – “Where does this position fall in your career path?”  This is more open ended, and also lets you see whether the candidate does have a vision or sees this job as a destination job.
* Don’t ask: “What was the worst thing about your last employer?”  This encourages the candidate to whine, or in the least, break professional decorum.
* Ask instead – “What aspects of your previous  position did you find most professionally challenging?”  This allows candidates to reflect on how they felt their skills matched the challenges of their most recent workplace, and even to suggest how they would improve that situation. 

This is just a short list of the types of interview questions that can be helpful to managers in trying to find the best person for the job.  It is difficult, but a good outcome is rewarding both for the manager and the company.  Good luck!

Tags: candidates, hiring process, hiring talent, recruiting

Studies show that high-performing executives add millions of dollars to their firms’ bottom lines. Here is an overview of the executive search process and some recommendations for success. 
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) wrote a report on the recruiting process for executives based on surveys conducted with member companies.  One of the main points of the report was the need for preparation as you begin to search.  If you have clear goals for the position you are much more effective in the search and in the candidate evaluation part of the hiring process.  It also helps combat the tendency to hire someone “like yourself” or just because you are comfortable with them. 

So, one of the main requirements for success was understanding your business as it exists and what type of leadership you need for the future.  For example a startup company is going to need a leader who is comfortable “working without a net” in that they will be establishing processes and building a team as they progress.  In a more established business, the candidate will need to be able to work within the goals and processes already established and to be able to motivate the team to work within these goals, as well as looking for new opportunities for growth.  Finally a company in a rapidly changing market will need a good strategic planner to keep the company in the game and growing.

Once the company has defined their leadership needs, then they need to look at the types of managerial skills the job will require.  The SHRM report defined three broad sets of skills, technical, interpersonal and conceptual.  The perception is that technical skills are most important at the middle management level; interpersonal skills are important at all levels, and conceptual skills are important at the executive level.  A more recent approach added another factor – business acumen – to the mix, and there are many different opinions on which skills are most important. 

Within these broad categories each company can define specific factors that are important for their organization.  Once that is done, building a job listing, interview questions and a set of criteria to evaluate the candidates becomes easier and more effective. 

Successful hiring of executive talent is one way companies can survive and beat their competition.  In the market today there is a lot of talent that can help your company be successful.  Good luck!

Tags: change management, Executive jobs, hiring talent, recruiting