Parker Keatin

5 Tips to Manage Talent Acquisition Effectively

July 26, 2018 by Parker Keatin

A lot has been changing since technology has seeped into almost all processes and changed the whole dynamics of how they function. Talent acquisition is no exception. The workforce demographics have changed, the demand for talent has increased, and the knowledge marketplaces have gone highly competitive. These changes have made talent management a highly discussed topic in the conference rooms of many organizations.

One of the major challenges the talent acquisition departments faces is ensuring that the right talent is hired for the right role. In today’s candidate-driven and resource-conscious market, to develop a competitive edge in talent acquisition, recruiting strategies have to be revisited to optimize them to bridge the skills gap. In order to stay at the top of the game, implementing a robust talent acquisition and management strategy is the key. Here are top 5 tips to help win the talent war, boost the recruitment process, manage the current talent and prepare for the future.

The Recruitment Process on Auto-mode

Manually screening through thousands of resumes is not only time-consuming but also a tedious task. Most of the valuable time is lost, leaving very less time to concentrate on other important aspects of the hiring process. The end result: the whole process becomes slow and the risk of losing a candidate increases. Embracing new and innovative technologies in recruitment through automation of time-consuming tasks can – lower the recruitment costs, filter better quality hires, free up resources – all at a faster pace. The new landscape of talent acquisition has brought in innovations, which are driving the evolution of automation in the recruitment process through the use of recruitment software. With automation, the recruitment process becomes simpler, faster and effective, thus saving a lot of time to carry out other important tasks. The software can screen resumes, perform low-level administrative tasks, recommend candidates on the basis of data, and make bias-free recruiting decisions.

The Use of Social Media

The largest pool of most talented, top quality applicants are on social media. Therefore, recruiters need to be present where the most potential candidates are. Social media presence is a must and the most effective marketing tool to attract and hire top talent. However, not all social media channels are great for social recruiting. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter harbor the potential talent. The key to use social media to its optimal potential is to be consistent and post regular updates.

The Complete Package Offer

Salary is not the only thing candidates look for while considering a job application. They’ll look at the complete package the company has to offer. The package may include salary, growth opportunities, responsibilities, bonuses, perks, reputation of the company, etc. If the candidate is a right fit, determine what they are looking for in a prospective job position and offer a complete package that meets their requirements, not just the salary.

The Boomerang Employee Advantage

In a talent starved market, a boomerang employee can be a boon. Hiring an ex-employee has its own set of advantages – the candidate is aware of the company culture and can easily settle in. However, the decision of hiring boomerang employees has to be taken with due diligence. The best way to decide is to treat boomerang employee as a first-time applicant through which an unbiased decision can be made and that will help in deciding whether the boomerang employee is a good fit or not.

The Power of Employee Referrals

An employee referral programs not only boost the morale of the existing employees, but are an excellent way to reach potential talent. Research says that employee referred candidates make better hires and stay with the company for long.

The Plan to Retain Employees

Recruiting new talent can be an expensive affair. A lot of HR activities, such as job posting, advertising, screening, interviewing, follow-ups, etc., demand investment of time, manpower and money. Training new employees also adds up to the investment.

The overall recruitment costs can be lowered, if a robust employee retention plan is in place. Usually, employee retention rates are influenced by salary, work environment, growth opportunities, benefits, etc. A great retention plan will offer great promotion opportunities, vertical as well as horizontal while enabling them to apply for them.

Author Bio: Kelly Barcelos is a progressive digital marketing manager specializing in HR and is responsible for leading Jobsoid’s content and social media team. When Kelly is not building campaigns, she is busy creating content and preparing PR topics. She started with Jobsoid as a social media strategist and eventually took over the entire digital marketing team with her innovative approach and technical expertise.

Why Your Mental Health and Physical Health are Equally Important

March 7, 2018 by Parker Keatin

Health practitioners always seem to remind their patients to exercise as well as eat healthy all the time to keep up a healthy body. Though this is great, they forget one more significant aspect that unless the patient is mentally healthy, physical health does not matter. The World Health Organization describes health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not the absence of disease. This brings us to the conclusion that mental health is as important as physical health. Without it, people are unable to live their lives to the fullest due to the mental health struggles.

Why is Mental Health Important?

Mental health is a critical part of a daily healthy lifestyle, because:

It is the very crucial factor behind the rational decision-making process that each person has.
It is equally as important as the physical health, but most people do not know or understand this.
It is part of what everybody uses for their daily lives without even recognizing.
It is good for business – mental health is associated with better performance, higher productivity, and lesser workplace accidents.
It eliminates absenteeism from ailing employees.

What Causes Mental Illnesses

Mental illness is caused by stressful conditions that the patient has been living under. All these conditions depend on how we receive them and the thoughts we build up in our minds.

These conditions may include:

Anxiety and stress
Addictions and compulsions
Panic
Anger
Loss, bereavement, and grief
Depression
Infidelity, divorce or marriage issues
Sexual problems
Domestic violence or physical abuse
Fertility issues
Insomnia
Life choices, e.g., career choices,
Phobias
Chronic pain or illness
Eating disorders

The Stigma behind Mental Illness

Mental illness is highly associated with suicide with many people not seeking treatment. This is because, in the 21st Century, mental illness and suicide attempt patients still face a lot of stigmas. The stigma is openly played both at home and in the workplace making it hard for the patients to get help.

In the workplace – Anxiety and stress in the workplace are commonly known to affect the physical health. This is physically evident with the patient losing or gaining weight depending on how they deal with this kind of stress. Stress and anxiety that affects the mental health are not visible until the adverse effects have taken a toll on the patient.
At home – Both younger and older adults are affected by mental illness. It is shocking to discover that younger adults are mostly the ones encouraged to seek a mental health professional compared to the older adults. Older adults are prone to committing suicide or living with the psychological illness condition because most do not get the attention or help they require from those around them. Older adults who are rejected by their close loved ones always feel ashamed to open up to strangers and speak about their mental health. Fear stops them from getting the assistance they require ending up destroying their lives.

How to Take Care of Your Mental Health

Most ordinary people have been ignorant of their mental health until something drastic happens that awakens them to the truth. Do we care about what we can do to keep ourselves mentally healthy? Just as we work out our physical bodies, do we work out our mind to ensure it remains healthy throughout? Doing so is important! But how would you work out your mind?

There are plenty of ways available to improve your mental health especially if you are already ailing. They include:

Meditation – in Yoga training is highly recommended for the better functioning of the brain making it an essential tool to deal with the mental health. Joining a Yoga center where you can be motivated by others can be of great help.
Counselling and professional help – When someone is going through a rough phase of mental health, it is essential to go for counseling. Such treatments can help those who are suffering from emotional and behavioral problems or even those with mental health disorder. This kind of professional help also known as talk therapy or psychotherapy.
Care and Concern – People dealing with mental illness have been hurt, rejected or physically harmed. It would be ideal to love them, care for them and show concern over their health. Be the one to encourage rather than stigmatize!
Medication – Though most do not want to be subjected to a daily dosage, it gets to a point where the patient cannot do without medication. At this point, the doctor prescribes something to help them come down. It is essential to follow the doctors prescription to get treatment.

For those who are not suffering from mental illness, the best way to take care of your mental health is by:

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle every day – A healthy lifestyle means eating well, sleeping enough hours, developing healthy coping skills, staying positive and connecting with others to keep the optimism.

How to Cut Down Workplace Distractions

February 28, 2018 by Parker Keatin

Employees can waste up to three working hours every day on office distractions. Personal messaging, reading the news, answering to emails, online shopping. There’s always something to draw your staff’s attention from their assignments.

Reducing workplace distractions is hard work, especially if you don’t want to make your employees feel like supervised kids. So, quit the “no phones policy” and don’t try to keep your staff away from social media during working hours at all costs. These methods will put pressure on your workers and will create unnecessary tension inside the office.

Instead, try these simple steps to cut down workplace distractions without pain:

Set Clear Rules About Social Media During Working Hours

Statistics show that people spend more than two hours a day on social networks. No wonder you always see your employees with an eye on their smartphones. Every time the display lights up, they’re ready to check notifications.

Yet, restricting access to social media isn’t going to increase productivity. Even if you set your computers to forget about Facebook, you can’t force your employees to turn off their smartphones during the day. Instead, come up with clear rules about how much time they can dedicate to social media while working.

Organize Less Meetings

Companies spend thousands of hours in meetings. Most of these meetings are unproductive and bring in additional stress for the participants. Unnecessary meetings are a waste of time. You lose important resources coordinating schedules to make room for another meeting. Then your employees use this time to work on other activities or to think about personal problems.

Call for meetings only when they’re necessary. Make sure you have a clear agenda and that you communicate it to all participants beforehand. This way, they’ll have time to prepare. Keep meetings short–no more than an hour to make sure employees remain focused.

Reduce Working Hours on Friday

Studies say, 40 percent of employers let their staff out early on Friday afternoons in the summer. It seems that most employees lose interest in their jobs mostly toward the end of the work day.

Letting your staff finish early on Fridays will motivate them to complete their assignments earlier. After all, employees achieve 80 percent of their goals in 20 percent of the time spent at work. In most cases, this friendly measure won’t bring any additional costs for your business. Most of your employees do small tasks or get distracted on Fridays, they don’t spend this time working on serious projects anyway.

Set Measurable Goals and Clear Milestones

Sometimes, distractions appear when workers feel overwhelmed. Working on large projects consumes a lot of energy and brings little results in the long run. Employees are frustrated and lack motivation. You need to set clear milestones, to be able to count progress and reward your employees for meeting deadlines. Smaller goals allow employees to feel satisfied with their work. This will help them stay focused on the objectives and dedicate more attention to new assignments and tasks.

Reduce Noises in the Office

Cubicles and open offices are a permanent source of noise. In time, this becomes one of the main distractions for office workers. So, you need to control the noise levels, if you wish to make your employees more productive.

One of the easiest way to reduce noise is by asking your staff to be silent while working. Or, you can organize a quiet corner where people in your office can work on their creative tasks.

Discuss with your employees to understand how the background noise in the office interferes with their work. Then decide as a group how to fix the problem efficiently. Some of the most used methods to reduce noise levels are carpets on the flooring, plants, and headphones.

Help Your Employees Stay Organized

When your employees work in a chaotic environment, it’s easier to get distracted by internet and small talk. Furthermore, disorganization causes stress and anxiety. Simple changes can help you organize working spaces to avoid clutter and increase productivity:

Give your employees storage boxes and containers to keep their desks in order
Leave room for your staff to move during the day
Bring more light in the office

Reduce the amount of papers by introducing apps in your daily routine. Apps and business management tools organize all the information your employees need in one place. This way, they don’t need to jump from one tab to another anymore.

Send Fewer Emails to Your Staff

Internal emails are consuming too much time and energy. Employees spend some of their most productive hours reading and answering to emails from their colleagues, instead of focusing on their creative activities.

In most situations, they could spare time and energy with something as simple as a phone call. Encourage your staff to think twice before sending an email. As an employer, you can start by reducing the number of emails you send to them.

Every time your employees answer an email, they waste around 25 minutes. Call them or engage them in face-to-face discussions to reduce the amount of emails going around inside your company.

Small Steps Lead to Big Results

Countering workplace distractions is a permanent challenge for managers and business owners. But, sometimes the simplest methods bring in the best results.

Something as easy as calling instead of writing an email can avoid interruptions and increase productivity. With small steps, you can help your employees make better working habits and lose less time on workplace distractions.