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Finding talented candidates isn’t easy. It’s even more difficult when looking for highly specialized skills. Today potential candidates are screening the company just as must as the company is screening them. And it will only get worse because of the following:

1. the aging workforce; within the next 10 years for every 2 people retiring there will be 1 person to replace them.
2. immigration will have to increase drastically; with the looming global labour shortage this will be a difficult target to meet.
3. more high value jobs; require more years of training, experience, and education to keep up to date. (Shifting Demographics: The Search for Talent)

But if you use a recruiting system and measure its success your chances for sourcing the best person for the job improves. And the great thing is that a recruiting system doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg especially in comparison to not find suitable candidates, or finding and hiring someone who isn’t the right fit. All that time, energy, and money goes down the drain. When you develop a recruiting system, it means you  have a step by step process to increase the odds of success.

Often in small to medium organizations operating without an HR department, recruiting is handled by the owners, manager or administrative assistant who have had little or no training on how to recruit effectively. If you train your people to recruit effectively your chances of finding suitable candidates improves.

The term “recruitment”  is sometimes used to describe everything from sourcing candidates to hiring them when in fact the recruitment process stops when a pool of suitable candidates are found.

Recruitment is “the process of finding and attracting capable applicants to apply for employment.”

A recruitment system in its simplified form looks like this:

1. Identify job openings.
2. Conduct a job analysis; this determines what a qualified candidate needs to have in order to be successful in the job and more.
3. Create a job description (a list of functions, tasks, responsibilities, competencies and working conditions); and a job specification (a statement that explains what the job demands and includes knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics).
4. Create a compelling Employee Value Proposition; why would qualified candidates want to work for the company; recruitment is not only finding qualified candidates but it is also attracting those candidates enough for them to want to apply.
5. Determine the best recruitment methods & post the job; with online resources, there are more ways to reach candidates quickly and effectively.
6. Compile a of pool of qualified candidates.
7. Measure results; which methods bring the best source of qualified candidates!

Once you have a number of qualified candidates the selection process begins.

So if you don’t have a recruitment system in place, start today. Give us a call if you need assistance with recruiting – we can do it for you; we can help you implement a recruitment system; and if you need training – we can train you how to recruit effectively!

When I hear people complaining about their life or about their job, it makes me ask, “What are you doing to change that?” or “What specifically are you unhappy about?”  We spend way too many hours at work and need to enjoy it.  If you aren’t enjoying your work, think about what you can do to change it:  

1. Are you unhappy because your personality and interests don’t fit with the type of work you are doing? 
2. To make a change, do you need to upgrade your skills, qualifications, or education?
3. Do you need to change your thinking to become more positive about what you are doing?
4. Are your interpersonal skills lacking so while you can do the technical aspects of your job, you’re struggling with forming relationships and getting along with people?
5. Do you think your manager is terrible, but you don’t try to understand his/her perspective or adapt your style to fit with your manager?

These are some questions for you to reflect upon. If you aren’t happy, make some changes!  Don’t think, “It’s too late”  because it is never too late. Next year, you’ll be another year older, so just jump right in and make some changes today.  

I know of several people in the 1/2 a century club who have made major changes in their lives.    

Sandra, CHRP Candidate and Joanne

One just passed her NKE exam and is a CHRP candidate. (Congratulations Sandra!)    

Another is working on her PhD in Education.    

And another one, near and dear to my heart, started a new career and is almost finished his journey to become an electrician.   

These are just a few examples of people who didn’t complain, and took positive steps to change. Sure it’s scary, and it takes a lot of work, but if they can do it, you can do it too. So take the first step today and take control to change your life!  

A Gen Y professional writes that she went to a face-to-face networking event and she found it “quaint.” She said that the face-to-face networking event seemed like an excruciatingly slow way to network when she could connect in minutes to thousands of people on-line.  

Do you prefer the “quaint” networking event or do you prefer on-line networking? If you have a preference, you might be talking about your generation!

In Canada, Gen Y is typically thought of as being born between 1976 and 1999 and Boomers between 1946 to 1962 (Wikipedia). Gen Ys preference for communicating and networking on-line is understandable considering that they were brought up during the “digital age” where they interacted much more than previous generations through on-line channels. Boomers who currently hold the bulk of “management” positions prefer face-to-face interaction.

These preferences are evident in a poll of 315 small to medium business owners, that found that 48% were disappointed with the communication skills of Gen Y employees (SME Opinion Leaders Poll). On the other hand, because of growing up in the “digital age” many Gen Y are very comfortable with technology and on-line applications.

So do we point fingers or do we stand in another’s generational shoes and learn from each other? Social media can connect people and get the word out quickly, but face-to-face interaction is important for building deeper relationships.

The Gen Y professional who is a pro at networking on line, might become a mentor to help others use this tool to expand their own network and knowledge,  and the Boomer might mentor the Gen Y professional on effectively communicating face-to-face during the ”quaint” network event.

Can you be an “effective communicator” building enhanced relationships on line without face-to-face interaction?  Share your comments below.   

And if you are concerned about poor communication skills or generational conflict at work, what are you doing about it?

Book your Effective Communications and Generations at Work training sessions now.

Best regards,  Joanne

Past blogs that might be of interest.

Generational Communication Preferences

Generations at Work – Valuing our Differences

Effective Listening Skills  5 part series

Meeting Personal & Practical Needs for Effective Communication 2 part series

Happy Holsteins milk it in high-tech luxury barn
Mattresses, massages increase productivity of cows, farmer says

This headline (Toronto Star, Nov. 3, 2010) made me smile. Ralph Martin and his sons run a farm in Ontario and Ralph says that investing in ways to make his cows contented results in a huge payback. His cows produce more milk. “Want more milk?” tips to help make the Holsteins happy and more productive include:

• Name that cow: Farmers who named their cows and gave more one-to-one attention increased milk production by 3%.
• Let the cow push her own buttons: Milking robots let cows get milked whenever they want.
• Comfy spot: Mattresses covered in hay provide a comfy spot for cows to lay down and sleep. Comfy feels good and the cows like it.
• Massage: The cows can use an automated massage brush whenever they want. They love it. Makes them happy.
• Moozart anyone? Cows are more relaxed listening to classical music.
• Fresh laundry: Each cow has its own “linen” for wash down which are laundered frequently.
• Wellness: Nutritionists and veterinarians ensure cow wellness including formulating nutritional feed and portion sizes!

Contented cows really do give more milk. Now I’m not in any way suggesting that humans are identical to cows, but here is a farmer investing in ways to make his holsteins happier with the end result they are more productive. Seems like he’s on to something.

Invest in people. Invest in success.

How happy are your employees? Have you implemented initiatives in the workplace to build a happy, healthy, and productive workforce?

Contented employees impact your bottom line in a positive way. They give more results! Research shows that companies in the top most admired and best companies to work for also appear at the top of lists for the best financially performing companies.

So what can you do to get started? If you want more results, then consider the following tips:

Use names: Address employees by name and spend some one-to-one time finding out what makes them tick, what’s important to them. Connect with them.

Let people push their own buttons: Teach them and empower them to make good decisions and give autonomy in organizing tasks within set requirements and deadlines.

Comfy spot: Make sure you have a spot in your organization for employees to go to unwind, relax or recharge. This might be a lunch room area, outfitted with a couch or comfortable seats, or a lounge area that acts as a hub for people to unwind and recharge.

Massage: Book a corporate masseuse to come to your work during high stress times to provide neck and back massages.

Mozart anyone?: Create an environment that exudes calm. Water features, colours, lighting, and yes, classical music, will provide a backdrop for a calm and refreshing work environment from which creativity and innovation will spring forth.

Fresh laundry: Arrange for dry cleaning and laundry pickup and delivery. Save your employees time and effort.

Wellness: Start a wellness program. Get pedometers for your employees. Some municipalities are providing them free of charge. Develop a lunch and learn series on wellness with topics such as “Healthy Eating” and “Exercise at your Desk”. Build a wellness library.

Initiatives don’t have to cost a lot; they just need someone to make them happen! Each organization is different, but the common denominator in all successful organizations is happy, healthy and productive people! Want more results? Give us a call and we’ll help you create people initiatives that increase productivity and the bottom line!

Be happy,  Joanne Royce

Click here to read 50 tips to create happy, healthy, and productive people from the Top 100 Employers to work for in Canada.