Evaluating the Hiring Process to Maximize On-boarding Initiatives

Many HR professionals don’t realize the on-boarding process begins when a candidate applies for a position or is sourced by a recruiter and not on an employee’s first day. These first interactions between the candidate and your organization set the tone for how they perceive your employer brand.  It’s vital to get off on the right foot!  Two important factors contributing to on-boarding during the hiring process:  the length of time it takes from a candidate’s initial application until an offer/rejection is made and how informed the candidate felt during this time.  To help effectively on-board employees, the hiring process must be as quick and painless as possible. If candidates wait forever for an interview or job offer, their level of engagement will start to drop off before they’ve even entered your organization.  Just as important, candidates must feel special and “chosen” to maximize their engagement.  Newly hired employees will not feel this way if they sat by the phone pondering the status of their application.  It’s detrimental to your organization’s retention efforts if new employees show up with a negative impression even before first day.  Therefore, it’s imperative to evaluate your hiring process in order to properly on-board your new hires.

To enable an optimal hiring process, your organization may already have an arsenal of metrics to evaluate recruitment staff. Most typically, companies look at metrics only in terms of how they impact the bottom line.  It’s important to realize these metrics also indicate a candidate’s experience in the hiring process.  Both recruiters and hiring managers need to be held accountable for how long it takes to fill an open position.  By establishing base-line metrics for both recruiters and hiring managers, they will be incentivized to streamline the process, becoming more efficient at sourcing, pre-screening, interviewing and hiring qualified employees.

HR professionals often rely on days-to-fill as their metric of choice for measuring recruiters’ and hiring managers’ performance alike.  However, days-to-fill is too generic a metric. There are too many factors outside of both recruiters’ and hiring managers’ control for the days-to-fill metric to properly identify sticking points within the hiring process.  For recruiters, variables outside their control include: hiring managers dragging their feet in terms of interviewing, making a decision and offering the position.  Hiring managers are not able to control if recruiters adequately source candidates, present them in a timely manner and effectively pre-screen the candidate.

To further evaluate and assess bottlenecks within the hiring process, break the process down into phases and hold recruiters and hiring managers accountable for the phase in which they are most crucial.  Recruiters should be held responsible for the time it takes for them to present a candidate to the hiring manager.  In holding recruiters to a baseline “time-to-present-candidate” metric, it alleviates many of the factors that are out of their control and truly measures their performance. The time-to-present metric accounts for recruiters’ abilities — such as the time it takes to source a candidate and how quickly they are able to pre-screen.  In a perfect world, recruiters would always select and present only the utmost qualified applicants to their hiring manager.  However, we don’t live in a perfect world so it is also important to establish a baseline “quality-of-candidate-presented” metric for recruiters.  This prevents recruiters from artificially decreasing the time-to-present-candidate by advancing ill-qualified candidates to the next step in the hiring process.  Also consider establishing a baseline “number-of-candidates-presented” metric.  This will discourage recruiters from bogging down hiring managers with an onslaught of mediocre candidates and help ensure only the best and brightest advance.

Hiring Managers should be held accountable for the time it takes for them to present an offer or reject the candidate after they’re presented by the recruiter.  Establishing a baseline “time-to-present-decision” metric for hiring managers will incentivize them to set aside time to interview candidates in a timely manner and make filling their open position a top priority.  This will also encourage them to come to a decision as to whether the candidate got the job or not in a timelier manner.

However, it’s important to realize that evaluating the hiring process can’t end with just quantitative data.  Monitoring the time-to-present candidate and time-to-present decision metrics will provide useful insight along with other baseline quantitative metrics. Adding qualitative data will help you gain a broader, more accurate picture of the hiring process as a whole.  Remember, it’s essential to keep candidates well informed during the pre-employment phase (not to mention the entire employment life cycle) to most effectively on-board them.  Survey newly hired employees and ask them to evaluate their recruiter and hiring manager based on their communication during the hiring process, how the process could be improved and how your organization compares with that of your competitors.  By honing in and optimizing your hiring process, you’re paving the way to properly on-boarding employees and extending their tenure as well as having them recommend your organization to colleagues and friends.

Filed under: Uncategorized

Firing A Leader

Firing a leader is never easy.  It’s someone who is well-liked, popular with their co-workers, their direct reports and members of management.  They are highly visible and have traditionally been a decent employee with outstanding achievements in their past. This person doesn’t have to be in a high position of authority or have a large staff reporting to them, they simply are seen as a leader by their peers.  In terms of getting laid off or fired, often times this staff member is perceived as untouchable by fellow employees.  For whatever reason, it’s time for their termination.  People will notice their absence.  This will be a sticky situation for you and for everyone employed by the company.  How you handle the firing of everyone’s favorite co-worker will greatly affect the workplace in the aftermath.

The decision to dismiss a leader should not be taken lightly as there most assuredly will be unfavorable repercussions.  To best prevent these repercussions from spinning out of control, have a plan in place for the process of dismissal and the handling of events after the employee has left before you fire them.

Operations
This should be obvious.  Decide how the favored employee’s tasks will be completed after their termination.  Will you fill the role immediately?  Will there need to be an interim plan until a replacement is hired?  Regardless of how and when or if a replacement is brought on board, detail a careful plan of action to ensure these job responsibilities are adequately covered..  Without it, your remaining staff members will suffer.  Don’t put your employees in the position of having to scramble to get tasks done, take on responsibilities for which they have no training or overwhelm them with an increased workload.  Be fair and realistic when mapping out how business will carry on.

Announcement To Remaining Staff
Scope out what you will say (and not say) to inform your remaining staff members of the leader’s dismissal.  It’s imperative to tell them in a timely manner.  If employees are left in the dark to wonder what happened, they’ll speculate… resulting in rumors and misunderstandings.  There’s no reason to sacrifice your employer brand to gossip around the water cooler.  Communicating this sensitive subject matter is best handled face to face.  Don’t be a chicken!  It will be an uncomfortable conversation and could be intimidating to face the masses; after all, the remaining employees may potentially see you as the bad guy.  However, meeting in person will allow you to show genuine sensitivity as opposed to a cold hearted email.  By respectfully referring to the terminated employee and treating them with dignity, some of the remaining staff may not hold a grudge.  By delivering the news in person, you can control the message and you can also determine what kind of feedback you’ll receive by the looks on their faces.  Be prepared for initial anger and remember that it will most likely pass.  Face to face meetings also serve as an opportunity to clear up any rumors or points of concern immediately, before they get any worse.  Be sure to inform your employees of an organized plan for operations going forward.  Employees should not have any questions as to who will now be responsible for the favored employees’ duties and how/if their role is affected.

Prevent Fruit Basket Turnover
Be prepared for morale to drop.  Clear communication will prevent rumors from spreading and spooking your remaining staff into leaving your company for a competitor where things seem more stable.  Engage in initiatives to ensure a positive work environment and experience for remaining staff members.  Boost recognition for top performers.  Reward employees who are doing an excellent job and look for opportunities to reinforce good work habits.  Use this sensitive time to explain more clearly and reiterate what you expect from your employees.  Also call upon poor performers to improve and don’t be afraid to take disciplinary action if performance or behavior warrants it.  If underperformers are given a free pass during this sensitive time, it may appear as if the leader was unjustly terminated.

Announcement To External Audiences
In some cases, it may be necessary to issue a press release for an employee in the public eye.  As in addressing your internal audiences, be sure to handle the terminated employee with respect and dignity.  Not doing so will be damaging to your employer brand and may pave the way to backlash from the terminated employee.  Be ready with a draft announcement targeted toward external audiences when the termination takes place.  Afterward, make any appropriate adjustments before issuing a statement to the public.

Crisis Management
Treat this employee fairly in their termination to minimize the chances of any backlash. Have all of your ducks in a row regarding just reasons as to why the favored employee is going to be dismissed.  Hopefully, this person will not pursue legal action, but be prepared in the event that they do.  Be mindful that the terminated employee and/or current employees may react negatively and could publicly bad-mouth your company. With the prevalence of social media, everyone now has a free platform to voice just how they feel about your organization.  Plan to call upon your brand evangelists to combat any negative sentiments.

Remember, in sticky situations like this, there is a silver lining.  The favored employee will land another job as they’ve proven in the past they are a capable worker.  They’ll begin down a new path, with a new company, which is most likely a better fit for them. Though letting go of a favored employee is an unpleasant task, it can create opportunities for company growth and positive change.

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A Gen Y Perception on the Great Recession

There is no question the economic downturn is adversely impacting most Americans.  But, the recent recession serves as a severe wake up call for those of us under the age of 30.  Generation Y was brought up during the height of American prosperity.  Our teachers taught us the United States is the best country on Earth, with more opportunities than any other land.  We were powerful. We learned about The Great Depression and that we lost the Vietnam War, but those things were just in history books, assuredly just flukes; they wouldn’t happen again.   In general, our parents were more successful than parents had ever been before, resulting in our more privileged childhoods than previous generations experienced.  Such prosperity prompted our teachers, parents and grandparents to instill in us that we could grow up to be anything we wanted – the choice was ours.  All of this led Gen Y to develop a false sense of security.  It never dawned on Gen Yers that the world wasn’t our oyster.  It was a foreign notion that America was vulnerable to economic struggles.

But it happened.  The recession took off our rose-colored glasses and smashed them.  It’s got our full attention, affecting our work behaviors and attitudes regarding employment most drastically.  But it’s not breaking our spirit, 50% of Gen Yers feel our job outlook is still positive.

Rocking our sense of stability, we endured our friends, coworkers, bosses, parents and perhaps even ourselves being laid off or receiving a cut in pay.  Often Gen Y employees are spared because of our much lower salaries compared to Gen Xers and Boomers.  Fortunate Gen Yers evading a job loss are absorbing the responsibilities of these former staff members.  If we’re smart, we’ve accepted the challenge handed to us and we’re mastering the tasks performed by Gen Xers and Boomers who were let go, performing their jobs just as well as they once did.  Our motivation is selfish. It’s not for the benefit of our employer; it’s to expand our skill set in preparation for our next job, perhaps in-house but more likely for a competitor.

While the capable of us have taken on the roles of Gen Xers and Boomers, we’ve likely done it without a raise, or at best, a minimal one.  Put simply, this infuriates us.  Gen Y was given constant positive reinforcement. We had piggy banks full of allowance earned just for making our bed or cleaning our own room.  The worst player on the team was awarded a “Most Improved” trophy.  When the economy changes for the better, we expect to be compensated, handsomely, for our efforts. Or we’ll leave.

But for now, we’ll stay put; 67% of Gen Yers are likely to stay in his or her current job.  Prior to the recession, Gen Y employees were in high demand.  We didn’t think twice about quitting a job that wasn’t quite fulfilling because there were employers waiting in droves to interview us.  But now, we empathize with our unemployed friends and family agonizing over their unsuccessful job search, ourselves learning that sometimes a paycheck from a mind-numbing or demeaning job beats depending on Mom and Dad and the government.  For now, we’re thankful for employment and have temporarily stopped job hopping.

One would think that a recession would force maturity on Gen Y and we would begin to take on the characteristics of previous generations, but this isn’t so.  If anything, the recession is reinforcing our attitudes on employment, affirming to us we’ve been right all along.  We’re gaining even more confidence and becoming more self-assured from taking on the job responsibilities of Xers and Boomers.  This is falsely perceived as arrogance by our elders.  A true Gen Y employee will always crave learning and additional training. We understand we don’t know everything, though we will rarely publically admit it.

If you thought we had no employer loyalty before the recession, you were right.  In 2008, 70% of recent grads left a position within two years of being hired.  As a result of this recession and how we or our friends have been treated, our employer loyalty is declining.  Depending on the extent of how unfairly your Gen Y employees perceive they are being handled, they’re likely looking for a job now (and have been for quite some time), even before substantial growth in the job market.  We’ve learned to be more selective in choosing our next employer, lest we get “stuck” somewhere again.  We’ll do our research and turn to social media, friends and family to get the inside scoop on working for an organization.  Our decision to accept an employment offer will heavily weigh on the manner in which the organization treated its’ employees during the recession.  Gen Y won’t settle next time: they’ll only accept a meaningful job, with flexibility, a decent salary and at a stable company that treats them with respect; allowing them to grow and advance in their career.

When the economy does rebound, to retain your current Gen Y employees, make sure your organization makes it up to these individuals for all of the cutbacks endured or risk them leaving.  Give them the raises, promotions and office perks they deserve for a job well done and for sticking it out during tough times.  Assuredly, many of them will find new jobs anyway.  However, these offerings will be seen as good faith efforts for other Gen Yers seeking a new employment home.  To replace exiting Gen Yers, you’ll need to prepare your organization for the surge in recruitment and include Gen Y candidates in your recruitment strategy.  Gen Yers like to be pursued.  To maximize your appeal to younger candidates, give them individual, personal attention and make them feel needed.  We like to be the star of every show.  Ensure your work environment and corporate culture are attractive: implement work-life balance initiatives, allow us to network via social media, embrace a culture of learning and sharing to keep us constantly engaged and improving our skills, allow us to utilize new technologies to complete our tasks and publically recognize and reward us for our accomplishments. Create philanthropic programs for us to participate in, develop a structured career path for us to advance ourselves and provide adequate coaching and feedback on our performance.  Love us or hate us, most all organizations need Gen Y employees to succeed.

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Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures

It’s an interesting time in my household. My geek of a husband was recently promoted from Awesomeness Engineer of Superb Versatility (no seriously, that was his actual job title) to Chief Technology Officer. Now, he’s actively trying to hire a few junior developers for his company. And for once, I get to be the know-it-all in our family! Because my husband knows nothing of recruitment advertising or HR practices in general, I’ve been coaching him every step of the way. He’s gotten a great response to his job posting and has been able to source local candidates through GitHub, a social network for developers. Obviously due to my superb expertise, he has quite a pool of candidates to select from. One such candidate has been able to distinguish himself from the pack by sending the below email:

After reflecting on the phone interview last week, I’d like to offer to work for free for a week as a “trial run” of my skills. I’m confident that I’ll be a good fit, and I’m willing to prove it on my tab. Is this a possibility? If so, how would we go about making this a reality? I’m hoping to be a productive and contributing member of the [redacted] team in the near future.

Thanks,

[Redacted]

Wow! He’s offering to work for free to prove he’s the right candidate for the job. This struck me as such a unique way to make yourself stand out as a job candidate. It also conveys confidence and a true desire to earn the position. However, I hope this guy can walk the walk. Otherwise, this genius plan could blow up in his face. What other unique tactics have you seen candidates use to differentiate themselves?

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I Have To Praise You Like I Should

Before there were T-Mobile and Trident viral videos featuring choreographed dances in public places… there was Fatboy Slim and their wildly popular (at the time) video “Praise You”. Employers facing retention issues and high turnover rates should pay special attention to these deep, thought-provoking lyrics: “I have to praise you like I should.”

While most companies are aware that they should praise and recognize their employees, many don’t prioritize employee appreciation initiatives. When done correctly, praising an employee will boost their morale and motivate them to work harder and achieve loftier goals. It’s a proven retention technique! Mark Twain said, “I can live for two months on a good compliment.” Employees feel the same way when their manager recognizes their superior performance. Staff members are much more likely to stick around an organization if they feel appreciated.

Be prompt. It’s crucial to recognize an employee in a timely manner. Don’t let praising an employee slip your mind. Make this practice a priority on your to-do list. If an employee puts in four extra hours one night to go above and beyond for a client, make a point to thank them the very next day. Praising them for their efforts two weeks later does not have the same effect as immediate recognition. They’ve most likely already gotten annoyed that their efforts have gone unnoticed. However, it’s better late than never!

Say thank you and mean it. People aren’t stupid. Well, most people anyway. Employees can tell when you’re going through the motions without sincere feelings behind your actions. Your employee recognition efforts should be genuine, not hollow. Staff members will see right through a form letter or email. Take the time to be personal. Say, “Susie, I really appreciate you working overtime on the XYZ account last night. I hope you still had enough energy to read little Tommy a story when you got home.” Don’t say, “Hey, thanks for your hard work.” Can you see the difference? If you offer praise on a personal level, employees will understand that you are genuinely thanking them and that you sincerely care about them as a person.

Go public. Let other team members know how much you appreciated Susie staying behind to get the job done. This will make Susie feel great while proving to your other personnel that you’re not a heartless jerk.

If you are a heartless jerk who doesn’t praise staff members, here’s something to think about: what comes around, goes around. If you appreciate and recognize your employees, they’ll do the same for you. Everybody wins!

Filed under: Uncategorized, retention

The Scarlet Letter Of Unemployment

What will they think of next? Now, for only $3, you can purchase one of these high-fashion bracelets to advertise your unemployment. LAIDOFFNEEDAJOB.com (that’s seriously the name of this organization) was started by two really sweet looking, middle aged women. So, I’m trying not to be too critical. But, at the risk of inviting bad karma in my life, these strike me as utterly ridiculous.

What’s even more disturbing is that they offer bulk pricing. Who would need more than one? Perhaps you might offer them to your employees as parting gifts? I would imagine they wouldn’t be well-received by those who just got sacked.

But seriously, there are much better ways to market yourself.

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Retention on the set of Grey’s Anatomy

Well, hopefully we’ve all recovered from the sobfest that was the Grey’s Anatomy season finale that aired last week. If you haven’t seen it, grab a box of tissues and prepare to bawl your eyes out… don’t read past this sentence because I’ll spoil the ending for you.

 

For those of you who aren’t avid fans, Grey’s Anatomy is a dramatic television show set in Seattle Grace Hospital with a plot revolving around several young residents, doctors and their patients. George, played by T.R. Knight, and Izzy, played by Katherine Heigl, are two of the young residents who are members of the original cast. In the last few moments of this season’s finale, both George and Izzy’s lives hang in the balance while their friends/co-workers desperately work to try and save them. So, why such a dramatic, tear-jerking end to the season? Rumors have been swirling that both Heigl and Knight wanted off the show. I can’t help but wonder if the scripted ending is purely coincidence. These rumors have yet to be confirmed and it’s possible that in true soap opera fashion, both George and Izzy pull through or… they both die. As viewers, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens next season.

Assuming the rumors of Heigl and Knight’s impending departure are true, this would indicate that the show is suffering from a retention problem. Admittedly, I know nothing of retaining highly-paid celebrities in Hollywood. However, I diagnose retention issues and provide retention solutions for enterprise organizations every day. What follows is my advice to ABC and other companies on how to retain top-talent.

 

Katherine Heigl made her debut on the Highest-Paid Actresses List last year. She earns $13 million for her role on Grey’s Anatomy, making her the highest-paid TV actress. She’s even won an Emmy for her work on the show. It’s clear that she is a crucial team member, a key player, a star. And based on her salary, we can see that she is fairly compensated and recognized for her efforts. So why do employees who are making the big bucks and who are highly appreciated leave their employers? There are a host of reasons! But I personally believe Heigl feels she’s outgrown television is ready to make more appearances on the silver screen. She’ll have more opportunities to enhance her career with more prestigious roles.

 

Employees will simply jump ship if they feel an offer from a competitor is a better career opportunity. When employees feel they have limited advancement opportunities with their current employer, they often perceive a competitor’s job opening as a better opportunity. To reduce the likelihood of staff members seeking alternate employment, retention efforts should not solely focus on retaining employees in their current roles. Companies should strive to cultivate an environment in which employees want to not only extend their tenure in their current position, but grow and advance their careers within their current organization as well. Consider your top employees as free agents, not fixed assets. Meet with them individually to help them map their career paths within your organization. Create training programs and courses to enhance employees’ skills needed for their current role. It’s also important to offer additional training courses to assist employees in gaining the skills needed for a promotion or for moving from one department to another. When companies invest in their employees and give them the opportunity to acquire new skills, employees’ enjoy increased job satisfaction and are more likely to extend their tenure.

 

T. R. Knight has reportedly been unhappy with many aspects of his employment, including his reduction in screen time on the show. It’s true. George has been noticeably absent this season even despite his (stellar, in my opinion) performance last year. Who can deny that it was riveting to watch his marriage fall apart? (Am I a terrible person for saying that?) Perhaps Knight feels he isn’t getting quite the recognition that he deserves. Knight just may be shopping around for other roles that will allow him to hog the spotlight, sparkle and shine.

 

Employees want to be recognized and thanked for their efforts. A verbal or written thank-you goes a long way! There are a million ways to recognize your staff. One proven solution is the implementation of a Recognition Awards Program. This will serve as a platform to show appreciation for employees who go above and beyond their normal call of duty. The program must contain the following three components: fairness, high visibility and consistency. Offer rewards that will actually motivate your employees. Keep in mind that every employee may not be motivated by the same thing. One employee may be elated to receive a gift card for an upscale steak house. But, that same gift card will not be highly-prized by an employee who is a devout vegetarian. A perfect example of a finely tuned recognition program is TMP Rewards. The program allows for TMP employees to award their co-workers points, called Peer Reward Points, for a job well done. The points may be redeemed for almost any kind of merchandise imaginable… fine china, outdoor furniture, DVDs, jewelry etc. But at the end of the day, employees feel valued and appreciated just by receiving Peer Reward Points.

 

I’m unsure if ABC will be able to retain Knight and Heigl. Would it be too much for ABC to write George in the script more? Maybe, I don’t know. But if they honor his request, he’s more likely to stick around next season. If Heigl is determined to appear in more movies, perhaps ABC could offer her a part-time role. She’d have more time to film movies but would also have guaranteed work and income from ABC. She might be thrilled with that option. I feel ABC’s best retention tactic is to meet with them individually and pinpoint the factors that are making each of the actors unhappy. It’s vital that companies listen to their employees. How will you know if your employees are happy and engaged if you don’t take the time to ask? Find out what each staff member likes best about their job, what they’d like to change and how they are feeling about the organization they work for. Try to meet each employee’s needs individually. Even if you can’t, they’ll feel more fulfilled just having that conversation with their manager.

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Social Media Exposes Who You Really Are

Which, is amazing if you’re awesome… not so amazing if you aren’t. You can get a true sense of who a person is by looking at all of their social networking profiles. What someone updates on Facebook may speak to how they engage with their friends and family. Their LinkedIn profile will give you a feel for their professional side. Their Flickr page may help you discover what their typical day is like, vacations they’ve been on and if they have an artistic side. Their tweets let you know what’s on their mind right this second and their blog can give you a sense of what they truly care about. Of course, this peek into their life only truly works if they are active in social media. But, on the flip side, if someone isn’t engaging in social media, that gives you an insight to their personality as well.

 

The same theory holds true for your organization as an employer. It’s of the utmost importance to manage your reputation online. By engaging in social media, you are able to monitor and influence your organization’s presence on the interwebs. There is a conversation about your organization taking place on social media sites and online in general whether you like it or not. It’s best to join the conversation and spread your overarching message rather than letting your brand become vulnerable because of trolls on the internet. For every negative blog post, comment, video and tweet you must combat it with 10 times as many positive blog posts, comments, videos and tweets.

 

Just as you stalk a potential candidate via social networks before extending an offer, rest assured, potential candidates are stalking your organization back! Current and former employees are able to sound off about what they love and hate about working for your organization on their social network profiles and on sites like JobVent. This site allows current and former employees to rate their company on pay, benefits, work/life balance, career potential and other variables. It also contains a comment field for the employee to specifically share what they love/hate about their employer. The ratings are averaged to give employers an overall score that can be used for comparison against competitors. Negative ratings and comments could be the deciding factor in whether a candidate accepts your job offer. Managing your online reputation can be broken down into two phases:

 

Monitor Your Reputation – First, be aware of the conversation regarding your organization. Find out what real people are actually saying about you as an employer. This knowledge will empower you to combat any negative messages being spread online. You can easily continually monitor the conversation about your organization by using the following tools:

 

Google Alerts- Sign up to receive email updates every time your company is mentioned online.

 

Technorati – Monitor the blogosphere by using this blog search engine. It also provides each blog post appearing in your search results with an Authority, the number of other blogs linking to the website within the last six months. The Authority helps you gauge how much influence each blog post has so you can react accordingly.

 

Twilert – Use this service to receive email updates with tweets pertaining to your organization.

 

Preach Your Brand and Overarching Message – Although you can’t control what is being said about your organization online, you can influence it! If there’s no positive content regarding your organization and only negative content shows up in search results, what are googlers supposed to believe? They’ll eat up the damning comments with a spoon. However, you can control what’s on your own website, blog and social media profiles. Turn them into opportunities to spread your brand’s overarching message.

 

Start a blog – Ensure the content posted adheres to your branding message. Update your blog as frequently as possible to boost your page rank within search engines. Demonstrate to your past, present and future employees that your organization is engaging in thought leadership in your respective industry. They’ll gain respect for your organization.

 

Keep your website updated – Make sure your site contains the freshest information regarding your organization. Let candidates know why it’s great to be your employee!

 

Join Facebook, LinkedIn or any and all other social networks – Use social media to engage with potential, current and former employees. Boast about current happenings and job openings at your organization. This will keep your audience engaged and might even land you some boomerang hires.

 

But most importantly, when engaging in social media, be true to yourself and your organization. Don’t lie or exaggerate to make your work environment and values look cooler/different than they actually are. Otherwise, you’ll be attracting the wrong candidates who will come in with different expectations as to how your company is actually run. It’s best to be transparent and honest when engaging current, potential and former employees online. Besides, the truth will come out anyway… it always does.

 

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Talkin’ Bout My Generation

 On December 22, 1982, sheer greatness entered this world. Actually, upon further reflection, I’d describe myself as an utterly average redhead. Growing up, I was obsessed with Care Bears, wore jelly shoes and my first favorite song was “Hungry Eyes”. I was in middle school during the O.J. Simpson trial and when Kurt Cobain died. I was in high school for Y2K and I watched the Twin Towers fall from the Beta Theta Pi house my freshman year in college. I’m too young to remember Jessica falling down the well, The Challenger tragedy or the fall of the Berlin Wall. I know Paul Newman for his salad dressings – not his movies. That’s right! I’m a proud, card-carrying member of Gen Y. Let’s get one thing straight, Gen Y seems to be under constant criticism from our elders. Of course there are some bad apples, but for the most part we really are not all that bad. You old farts could even learn a few things from us. Because I’m disturbingly average, I feel my opinions and views most likely represent the masses of twenty-somethings out there. I feel I’m qualified to give you the inside scoop on our thoughts and feelings and I’d like to take this opportunity to give us Gen Yers a chance to explain ourselves. Maybe if you saw it from our point of view, you’d see that we aren’t just irresponsible, spoiled, slackers.
 

I’ll even go the extra mile and let you in some secrets to help keep us engaged in the workplace.

We Seek Personal Meaning In Our Jobs

Don’t be jealous that we have the guts to quit our meaningless jobs to find something more fulfilling. Why wouldn’t you? I have never understood why Gen Y is criticized for that. Isn’t it a good thing? I changed jobs twice before I was 24. If you do the math, that puts me at each of those jobs for under a year. They just weren’t for me! But now, I’m happy and kicking butt (in my opinion at least). It just doesn’t make sense to work ‘till the grave doing something that you aren’t passionate about. I quoted Gary Vaynerchuk in a previous post and again, his words of wisdom apply, “If you live for the weekends and vacations, your s*** is broken.” If you do something you’re passionate about, you will undoubtedly rock at it. So you should be doing something that makes you happy. Bottom line, if Gen Y doesn’t wake up excited to go to work, they’re most likely looking for something else. That doesn’t make us irresponsible, it just means we want to suck every drop out of life that we can and we aren’t interested in hanging around a boring, dead-end job. Isn’t that beautiful?

If you’re seeing that glazed over look on the faces of the Gen Yers in your office, you need to shake things up. Make sure your younger employees feel they have a future with your company. Ask them what their career goals are and let them shadow the suit in the corner office. We’re more personally fulfilled, motivated and loyal if we feel we have a chance to advance within your organization.

We Aren’t Afraid To Be A Free Spirit

I have had several friends that have put off applying for grown-up jobs to go travel the world. I also have two more friends that do have grown-up jobs (really awesome, stable ones) that are thinking of putting their careers on hold to trek through South America this summer. Just because older generations don’t have the guts to throw caution to the wind, doesn’t mean they get to pass judgment. Chances are, when we’re all on our deathbeds, we’ll have wished we had lived more in the moment, taken more chances, explored Argentina and Thailand, ridden an elephant, watched more sunsets, floated in the Dead Sea, swam with sharks, marveled at the Egyptian pyramids, gone on more picnics, petted a kangaroo…..I could go on and on! The point is, Gen Y has figured out that life is short and we are living more in the present than our parents did. We’re willing to flit about the planet while we don’t have kids and our responsibilities are minimal. What’s wrong with that?

Be somewhat flexible with vacation time, but don’t let yourself be taken advantage of. If a younger employee would like to take their alloted two weeks of time off to lounge in the Italian vineyards, find a way to make it work. You’d be surprised by how many people are willing to take unpaid vacation as long as they have a job when they get back. If we feel boxed in, we’re willing to find another job that offers more flexibility.

We’re Entitled

There’s no debate about it. Twenty-somethings are entitled and have been our entire lives. But aren’t all Americans to an extent? Older generations have no right to complain about our strong sense of entitlement. You made us this way! If it wasn’t for your helicopter parenting, we might’ve turned out normal. Too late now! I am no exception to this stereotype of my generation. On my 16^th birthday I was handed the keys to a brand new, cherry red mustang. Obviously, I was too cute for words! There’s a silver lining to the entitlement that we all feel. Entitlement, to some, means setting goals and working hard towards them. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with having lofty goals. If you believe you deserve something, you will find a way to get what you want. Isn’t that better than having no ambition or goals? If we weren’t entitled, we wouldn’t have the drive to compete for what we believe we are entitled to. I truly believe I belong in a six bedroom house with coffered ceilings, a crystal chandelier and a pool. And, I WILL GET IT. But my husband and I will have to work our butts off to get there. However, I know now that it will feel even better having earned it rather than my parents stepping in and offering it. For instance, it really did make me feel proud of myself when I purchased a car for the first time two years ago. It was much more rewarding than being given one (like when I first learned to drive). This is something Gen Y will eventually learn, some quicker than others. We’ll realize that our parents won’t be around forever to hand us whatever we’d like. But, give us a break, we’re still working on it.

We’re achievement-oriented, so challenge your younger employees. Throw us a curve ball! Do anything to break up the monotony that our entry level jobs most likely entail. Even asking us to silently sit in on a higher-level conference call will delight Gen Y. We hate repetitive, mindless tasks that leave us feeling like robots.

We Can Multi-Task Like Crazy
Because our exposure to computers and technology started in infancy, we’ve basically never known a time without the internet at our fingertips. We’re tech-saavy and we’ve grown up with constant stimulation. This does not mean that we have a short attention span! The constant stimulation has only enabled us to finely tune our multi-tasking skills. It’s not uncommon for a Gen Yer to be reading email, writing a report, IMing their coworker, participating in a conference call and updating Facebook all at the same time. In fact, I feel that I’m more productive while multi-tasking. I feel I am slacking off and not performing my best when I’m not working on five things simultaneously. There’s researched proof that tweeting and watching YouTube increases productivity. Don’t judge us and label us as slackers if you see Twitter open on our computer screens. We’re most likely reading the most recent tweets while we wait on a report to finish running. And, we’re most likely engaging in professional development and networking via social media. That’s not to say we aren’t looking at our sorority sisters’ wedding pictures on Facebook too. But, like I said, we’re fantastic multi-taskers.

Don’t freak out and implement strict policies banning social media and internet browsing. If your Gen Y employees are successfully performing all of their job duties to your satisfaction, there shouldn’t be a problem with them taking a five minute mental break to shop for shoes. If they aren’t, talk to them individually and express your concerns. But, don’t punish the whole company because of one bad apple.

We Love Transparancy
What’s wrong with being open? It’ll only prove that you’re being honest and fair. I truly believe the world would be a more just place if we were all more transparent. Quit with the secrecy already! We Gen Yers admire President Obama for calling for transparency in our government. I understand that not all matters of the government can be exposed to the general public for national security reasons. But, if it doesn’t pose a threat to the country, why not put it all out there? I’m predicting that the longer Gen Y is in the workplace, the more transparent companies will become and I’m a huge fan of this. We will have more faith and trust in you if we believe you are being honest with us, even when it’s not what we want to hear. We believe in telling the truth, it’s just the right thing to do. In the end, we are such proponents of transparency in the workplace because we like to feel like we are being treated fairly. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.

Be honest and open about the going-ons of the company. Inundate your employees with communication, even if it’s bleak. We’d rather hear bad news than no news at all. It’s almost impossible to overcommunicate when it comes to Gen Y. We don’t like to be kept in the dark.

We’re Opinionated
(Note my hand on my hip in this photo. My mother tells me that I was instructing my father on how to lay out cookies and raisins for Santa Claus and Rudolf.) I love to tell you what I think. As do most people my age. We’ve been taught to freely express ourselves and we typically don’t hold back. We don’t keep our mouths shut when we feel our superiors are wrong. We challenge them (hopefully with respect) and let them know what we think and why. Wouldn’t you rather be corrected than go around believing incorrect/outdated information? Gen Y is team-oriented. We especially feel that we’re all on the same team when it comes to the workplace and we want to play for the best team. Not speaking our minds for what we believe in will not better the team. We may be inexperienced, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have industry knowledge or can’t think for ourselves.

Encourage an environment where open discussion is acceptable. Praise your younger employees for tossing their two-cents in and let your elder employees know that our opinion counts too. We’ll feel much more appreciated and gain more personal fulfillment if we feel we’re able to express our opinions.

If you’re curious about other Gen Y beliefs and attitudes, please let me know. I’d love to tell you what I think!

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Stats for March ’09 and Q2 Job Forecasting

 

Remember when jobs were plentiful?  So much so that you were able to try a different job every day?  Things were so much easier in kindergarten.  (Obviously, being weather person was my favorite!)  Now, we’re adults in the midst of an economic crisis.  I hate to be a downer, especially on a Friday.  But, the news about the number of Americans suffering unemployment and the lack of job opportunities is only getting worse.  This week, two more bleak reports were released showing no signs of a potential economic upswing in the near future.  I’m afraid we haven’t hit rock bottom yet.  I think we’ll be hearing depressing statistics for at least a few more quarters.  But, don’t get discouraged.  It’s time to get excited and make things!

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released a report this morning summarizing the employment situation for March of 2009.

- The unemployment rate rose from 8.1% to 8.5%.

- Since December of 2007, 5.1 million people have lost their jobs. Almost two thirds of these people have lost their jobs in the past five months.

- The number of unemployed workers increased to 13.2 million and the number of long-term unemployed people increased to 3.2 million last month.

- Nine million people are working part-time for economic reasons. There are almost twice as many people who are unemployed and are completing temporary jobs today then there were a year ago. The number of people working temporary jobs increased by 547,000 to 8.2 million in March.

- 8.8% of adult men, 7% of adult women, 7.9% of Whites, 11.4% of Hispanics, 13.3% of Blacks, 6.4% of Asians and 21.7% of teenagers are unemployed.

- In March, the Manufacturing industry lost 161,000 jobs. 126,000 jobs were cut in the construction industry.  The number of jobs in professional and business services dropped by 133,000. 48,000 jobs were eliminated in retail.  Financial jobs fell by 43,000.  Leisure and hospitality employment opportunities were cut by 40,000 jobs.  The transportation and warehousing industry lost 34,000 jobs.

Also this week, CareerBuilder and USA Today released their Q2 2009 US Job Forecast. It highlights six employment trends for employers and job seekers.

1. Trimming Perks And Benefits – 42% of employers cut benefits and perks last quarter and 31% of employers believe they will cut perks and benefits this quarter. The most popular benefits to nix are bonuses, 401k matching and healthcare coverage.

2. Upgrading Talent Rosters – 23% of employers are taking advantage of the surplus of job seekers and are replacing under-performers with more talented employees. Industries where this practice is most common are Sales, Retail, Accounting/Finance and Customer Service.

3. Postponing Retirement – 60% of employees over the age of 60 are postponing retirement because of the down economy’s impact on their long-term savings. Most of these employees say it may take up to six years to recover their lost funds.

4. Transferring Skills – 71% of laid off employees that haven’t found work are looking for employment outside their chosen profession.

5. Relocating – 39% of laid off employees who have not found employment claim they are willing to relocate for an opportunity. 28% of hiring managers say they would offer a relocation package for qualified candidates.

6. Going Back To The Classroom – 21% of workers are going back to school for certifications or formal degrees to make themselves more attractive to employers.

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