Executive Recruiters Indianapolis

As I discussed in a previous blog, I entered that big scary job search arena last year and I had to remind myself of all those pointers that I had shared with Central Indiana job seekers over the past 17 years. It was time to see if they worked for me (which I am happy to say they did!).

First, Make sure your personal email address is simple and professional. If your email address is partyallthetime@xyzdomain, you should pick something else. You don't want an Indianapolis staffing company or HR Manager to disregard you before even viewing your resume.

If you are entering an Indianapolis job search while still employed, do not submit your resume or correspond from your work email address. This tells prospective employers that instead of working, you are searching for jobs on your current employer's dime.

Make sure your resume is free of any grammatical or spelling errors. Check, double & triple check and then have somoene else review it. It is a red flag if you are searching for adminstrative jobs, accounting jobs, or HR jobs in Indianapolis where companies are looking for individuals with atention to detail, professional communication skills or maintaining databases only to receive a resume with errors.

Clean up your social networking pages. HR Managers and Executive Recruiters in Indianapolis do check Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc. for information about the person applying for their company's open position. Think about what you have posted. If you have Spring Break-Daytona Beach pictures from college, think about if that is the impression you want to give to a prospective employer.

Make sure the voicemail message on your phone is professional. If your message is currently intended for personal use, revise it. If your message says "It's me and you know what to do" or "Leave a message, I'll call ya back", that does not instill confidence in hiring managers that you will be portray a professional representation of their company.

Finally, be sure to check voicemail and email messages frequently. It's important to respond in a relatively short amount of time to prosective employers. When Indianapolis staffing companies, Executive Recruiters or any prospective employer contacts you, they likely want to discuss your skills and how they may be a good fit for their company!

I am a natural born cynic.  No, I take that back...I am sure I was not born that way, but my environment and experiences over time have shaped my outlook on life to be a little bit more on the "verify" side of Ronald Reagan's signature phrase "Trust but Verify".  Now, don't get me wrong, I am not one to actively seek out the bad in all situations.  Quite the opposite, actually.  I am typically very upbeat and easygoing.  My friends consider me fun to be around. (You might want to verify that one).  Over time, however, I have moved away from blind trust and "taking your word for it" when navigating through day to day situations. 



This is actually a very good trait to have and I am not just telling you that because of my own awareness of my level of cynicism.  It is important to weigh your options and ask specific (and sometimes many) questions before you simply accept things for what they appear to be.  This is something many of us do when making big decisions like buying a house or a car.  I challenge you to "pause" regularly to consider your options or to "verify" the facts with any transaction that has an impact on your life, your year, your day or even the moment if it is important enough. 

For example, when you meet someone for the first time, you don't know if they will have an impact (good or bad) on your life in some way.  Take a moment to learn about them, peel back the layers of the onion and genuinely be interested in something about them before you pass judgment.  A wise man (my dad) once told me that very rarely is something exactly what it appears to be.  Perhaps that was my first lesson in "trust but verify" but it has served me well.

Take your Indianapolis job search, for another example.  This impacts you significantly.  It is very necessary to have a job and the process of finding a job (particularly of late) can be overwhelming.  So what do we do?  We move as quickly as we can through the process of identifying and applying to Indianapolis job openings and away we go.  I challenge you that this is the perfect time to pause, even though the situation of not having a job or being in the wrong job makes it very hard to consider moving more slowly.  The "trust but verify" approach here will serve you well.  I promise.

Instead of the scatter approach to your job search, take the time to filter your options to those that you "trust" are the best match for you.  Rely on your personal and professional networks to educate you on current hiring trends in your field of interest and to offer you insights to the good, bad and ugly of the local marketplace and in your chosen career track.
Once you have your list, it is time to verify.  Do your research on the company, the industry and the specifics around the position.  The first two are easy to do with all of the research options at your virtual fingertips.  The position details will take some more work.  Engage in social media outlets that connect you to others who work in the industry, for that company or in a similar role.  If the opportunity to interview presents itself, use that initial engagement to verify that your understanding of the position match the expectations of the supervisor or the company.

Once you advance in the interview process, it is time to verify the cultural fit.  A  big shiny building with cutting edge technology might have nothing within the structure of the building to support what is important to you.  Going with your gut has it's place and time and but nothing can take the place of asking questions in different ways to get to the answer you are really looking for.  Just be prepared that the risk is that it might not be the answer you want.  Most of the time we don't dig deeper because we fear that our perception will be shattered for a reality that we no longer want or like.  Better now than later, I say.

Verifying can be uncomfortable, even in the most basic of situations.  I was shopping in a local jeans establishment the other day and when the clerk rang up my total it sounded a little high for me.  I mentioned that and the clerk brushed my concern aside.  I paid, left and still felt something was not quite right.  I looked in my bag and compared my purchases with the receipt and discovered that I had been charged for the same pair of jeans THREE times.  I went back to have it corrected and was surprised when there was no apology for the error, only the comment "I am so glad you caught that".  The only thing "Lucky" about that experience was that I trusted for a moment and then verified.

I encourage you to do the same. 

At That's Good HR, Inc. we are acutely aware of the need to trust your choice in Indianapolis recruiters.  The job search process is not the place to trust until you verify.  Once you do your verification, your chances that you will have the right guidance and support throughout your process increase exponentially.

As an experienced recruiter and in the Indianapolis staffing industry I'm seeing a trend recently of candidates we are interviewing not being able to provide solid references.  Frankly, I'm shocked!  As a headhunter who knows a great reference can put you head and shoulders above your peers in the final selection process, I'm left wondering why professionals would feel this is no longer important.  Let me address below why you want to have strong references:

• Great references set you apart from your competition.
• It makes the company you are interviewing with feel more comfortable with their hiring decision.
• Job offers come much faster if references are completed during the interview process.
• Most job offers are contingent upon reference checks, so why sweat it out once you have made it that far!

Now you are probably wondering, "How do I get a great reference?".  The first part is in your control.  You have to do a good job for the company, leave on good terms and treat managers/peers with professional courtesy.  Once you accept another position or you get the dreaded "We are downsizing/eliminating your position/outsourcing this department/laying off due to lack of work" then the first step is to secure your references.  To do this, follow these steps:

1. Ask, ask, ask - you don't get what you don't ask for.  Never assume your manager will give you a reference if you did not ask them to. 
2. Get their personal contact information - you want their personal information (phone, address and email address) because if they leave that company or the company closes, you will still need that reference and that means calling them on their personal phone.  I also ask for their home address and send them a holiday card every year.  They won't forget about you if they see your smiling family on a card each year.
3. If you are on LinkedIn, ask for a recommendation on your work and return the favor for your reference.
4. Keep in touch - reach out to them a couple times a year to keep good contact information.  Don't be afraid to disclose some personal tidbits as well and make it a friendly touching base email. 
5. Make sure you call your references by the time you reach the 2nd interview with a company.  If they know to be expecting a call, chances are they will return the reference call much quicker.  This will also give you the heads up if someone is going to be unable to be reached due to a travel schedule, vacation planned or just being out of the office for an extended period of time. 
6. Know what they are going to say about you.  If there was an attendance problem at that time, or if you are like me and are notoriously late to everything then make sure the company you are interviewing with knows this so they don't get any surprises during the reference check process.  If you give good reasons for the issue and how you have learned from your mistake this will only make you look better.  If you don't mention it and they do, rest assured you probably won't get the offer you are waiting on.  As all football fans know, the best defense is a good offense.  You want to get all their possible reasons for objections out of the way early on, not during the reference check process.

Obviously, this is the best case scenario, so what do you do if company policy prohibits your manager from giving a reference?  This depends on the level of trust between you and your supervisor.  I have always been close with mine so I wouldn't feel uncomfortable asking them if they would talk "off the record" to the company I'm interviewing with.  If you aren't close then chances are they won't be comfortable with this.  You will need to alert the company you are interviewing with when they ask for references that this will be the response they get.  Offer additional references from other companies, volunteering activities, or external customers you worked with at that company. 

To address the question I get from new graduates, "I don't have any work experience so how do I get a reference?".  Use professors for a reference.  This will take extra work on your part but I'm a firm believer in the advantages of staying connected to professors after graduation.  If you have a professor more than once for your area of study - Ex.  Accounting professor for accounting students then they would be the most optimal reference.  You also have many other potential reference resources that you might have considered during your time at school. Summer jobs, volunteer opportunities, extra-curricular activities, student leadership posts and many more. To get them to give you a reference, make sure you follow the 6 steps listed above. 

Now go add your references to your holiday card mailing list!!!  Happy Holidays from That's Good HR!!

Hiring, branding, workplace culture, health insurance and "a partridge in a pear tree". So many balls in the air, it can be a challenge just to choose which to catch first and which to just let fall for the time being. Can you catch them all? Not alone. This is the time of year when many companies review their human capital strategies and determine what changes to make for the coming year. It is important to make sure that all of the non-tangible aspects of your business are considered (like managing your brand or keeping up with social media) along with the obvious. This week there were some good news articles focusing on some of these key issues. Grab a cup of hot chocolate and read on....
________________________________________________________________________

Health Insurance plan Choices Confusing for Many: As another open enrollment season comes to a close, millions of consumers are finalizing their benefits packages for 2012. Unfortunately, more than half of insured adults are confused with several important aspects related to choosing a health insurance plan, reveals a survey released Monday. (benefitnews.com) 

The Importance of Paying Close Attention to Social Media: Imagine your company announces a major change to its service offering and suddenly, the company is being bombarded by negative social media comments about the change. Further, the leadership of the company ignores the negative comments thinking everything will simply blow over. In today’s world, things don’t blow over. Problems tend to spread virally in short order. (forbes.com)

Hiring Top Talent with Limited Resources: When clients that operate small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) ask for help recruiting, hiring and retaining top talent, they often start the conversation by highlighting a huge human resources challenge: How can they compete with larger, deeper-pocketed competitors to recruit their industry’s best performers? (financialpost.com)

What Motivates Employees more then Money? The ability to motivate employees is one of the greatest skills an entrepreneur can possess. Two years ago, I realized I didn’t have this skill. So I hired a CEO who did. (linkedin.com)

Let's Agree to Drop these Worst Corporate Jargon Offenders: Hey!  It’s mission-critical that we circle back on this very important matter of corporate jargon in the workplace. Let’s focus on the low-hanging fruit with a small group first and then loop everyone in. Being proactive about our learnings will really incentivize the group to focus on the most critical action items and value-add for maximum impact. Let’s start high level, drill down from there, and circle back after lunch to figure out next steps. (thehiringsite.com)

Talent and skills shortage-one of the top business risks for 2012: Despite high levels of unemployment, U.S. business leaders say one of the biggest risks they’re facing is a talent and skills shortage, according to the 2011 Lloyd’s Risk Index. (benefitnews.com)

How to Manage workplace culture: The Christmas season is here. Many non-Christians participate in the commercial aspects of Christmas. Some non-Christians are offended by its religious foundations and any reference to Christmas in the workplace, at school or in the stores. Many employees have no strong opinion. (newsobserver.com)

Employer Branding - Spread the Word: “I heard that’s a great place to work.” When employer branding efforts are successful, any mention of a company should trigger that exact statement. And when a company effectively communicates its brand internally and obtains employee buy-in, “Yes, it is!” should become the automatic response. (recruiter.com)

11 Favorite recruiting strategies for hiring new college grads: A new report from Michigan State University gives college students a road map on how to connect with employers. The survey, which was completed by roughly 3,300 employers across the country, clearly indicates that internships are the No. 1 recruiting strategy. (cbsnews.com)

With the first snowfall of the year we are reminded of the importance of being prepared as the weather takes a turn for the worse. I thought I was prepared, as I pro-actively purchased yet another snow scraper for my car well over a month ago. This is a fancy one with a retractable handle and double brush. This would be the shining star of my snow scraper collection. Yesterday, upon emerging from my warm office at the end of the day to brave the snowy drive home; it occurred to me that while was proactive in the purchase of the snow scraper, my failure to leave it in my car rendered it useless to me in my time of need. Lesson learned.

My hope for you is that  my weekly news updates contribute to your ability to be prepared for HR and legal issues and challenges as they develop. Preparing for a storm is one thing, but staying on top of the daily maintenance of small issues before they become big ones is just as important (if not more important). Here are some of the top HR and legal news updates I came across this week.
______________________________________________________________________________

20 States to See Tax Hike on Employers: Federal unemployment taxes will rise for employers in 20 states and the Virgin Islands. Those employers are losing part of a credit on federal unemployment taxes in 2011 because their state governments have unpaid balances for two or more years on federal funds borrowed to pay state unemployment claims. (Staffing Industry.com)

Checking Social Media on a Potential New Hire? Here are some Tips: According to this recent SHRM survey, only 18 percent of companies have used social media to screen job candidates. Most cite the legal risks of screening candidates as the reason for not implementing a social-media background check. (tlnt.com)

Bill to extend payroll tax cust to be introduced by Democrats: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Monday that he plans to introduce legislation this week that would extend the payroll tax cut that is due to expire at the end of the year. (benefitnews.com)

Why more folds are waiting to Retire: A recent Wells Fargo survey of 1,500 Americans between the ages of 20 and 70 reveals that 20% of them believe that they will “need to work until at least age 80” to live comfortably into retirement. (recruiter.com)

A current snapshot of the Indianapolis/Marion County economy is now available for you to view.  Inside you will find current economic indicators including: Employment Statistics, Current Real Estate Statistics , Recent Jobs Announcements (developindy.org)

Good Tips here on How NOT to fire someone: 5 common mistakes: Unless you're a natural bully, firing someone is never fun. It is, of course, a necessary part of being a manager, and it's a skill that can be honed. (cbsnews.com)

Employer Reactions to Internet Use at Work: Though it’s expected that workers will use the Internet for non-work purposes during breaks, lunch hours, and in moderation, Web activity spilling into work time is when many employers put their collective feet (adorned with 50 percent off Black Friday Blowout shoes, thankyouverymuch) down. (thehiringsite.careerbuilder.com)

Do you Measure Performance? Some: Management gurus like Peter Drucker have long since put to bed the idea that measuring performance really does improve performance significantly more than if you don’t measure. But this isn’t the reason driving most people’s participation in performance measurement. Let’s look at a few of the most common reasons, and see how compelling they are. (staceybarr.com)

Office Distractions - 6 of the Biggest: When productivity is high, your business provides better service and you are most likely making more money. But when it is low, or there are distractions among your staff, it can have a big impact not only on productivity, but on customer service, team morale and the overall state of your business. (openforum.com)

Free Guide by the NLRB Teaches Employers about Social Media Policies in the Workplace: A new employer guide entitled, “Can I Fire This Twit Over That Tweet?. Theisguide will assist HR managers in understanding social media labor laws and what behaviors at work constitute employee misconduct. (recruiter.com)

Emotional Intelligence, Title-only promotions, liars, remote workers, the impact of positive attitudes and upcoming Macroeconomic trends all caught my eye in the news this week. Seems like the rule is to keep your employees happy, healthy and informed about what to expect and what is coming next. Some of these concepts are fairly new and some have been around for awhile but we are just now understanding them. Remember when the HSA was new? Seems that there is still a lot about HSA's that your employees still may not understand. What is not new is that the Obama and the healthcare law are still making headlines. Next week, I will be taking a small break from the weekly news update to spend time with family and enjoying a certain turkey. I hope you will be doing the same.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Many Benefits to Tapping into Employee Emotional intelligence: The concepts of emotional intelligence (EI), self-worth, authenticity and employee meditation rooms might conjure up thoughts of new age healing centers. But the benefits of tapping employees' emotional happiness mean the ideas are now being picked up by mainstream corporations. (CNN.com)

Navigating Legal Aspects of Title-Only Promotions: Experts say that cash-strapped companies are increasingly rewarding employees for their strong work ethic and performance with a change in title, but no bump in pay. While this may be a morale booster for the worker, small business owners can find themselves in legal hot water for giving promotions without any monetary benefits, according to experts. (foxbusiness.com)

Beware, You are Surrounded by Liars: Don’t look now, but the person reading this over your shoulder is a liar. So is the barista who just served you coffee. So are you. We’re all liars. In fact, studies have shown that we’re regularly told anywhere from 10 to 200 lies each day—up to 12 an hour. From white lies to whoppers, more than three-quarters of these go undetected. (smartblogs.com)

Highs and Lows of Unemployment in the Midwest: Over the past year, the Midwest has exhibited a range of divergent unemployment rates, with many metropolitan areas experiencing unemployment far above or below the national average of  9.0 percent. (recruiter.com)

Why it is a Good Idea to Tell your Employees to Take a Hike: It’s good for them (and your company, too!). Be careful how you tell your employees to take a hike, though. This article is not about employee termination but rather wellness and good health. (rockethr.com)

Supreme Court to take on Obama healthcare law: The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to decide the fate of President Barack Obama's healthcare law, with an election-year ruling due by July on the U.S. healthcare system's biggest overhaul in nearly 50 years.

The Importance of Proper OnBoarding for Remote Workers: It’s more important than ever to ensure that new hires become engaged immediately upon entering their new place of employment through a well-designed onboarding process. Successful onboarding programs aren’t just a paperwork-filled orientation: They create a connection between employees, their work and the goals of the organization. Here are a few best practices from companies that effectively onboard remote workers. (mashable.com)

The Upcoming Decade will bring these 5 Macroeconomic Trends: How Will the Workforce be Impacted?: The following are five major macroeconomic trends that are going to play out within the workforce within the next decade; by being aware of these trends and shifting one’s talent recruitment strategies to work in coordination with them, an organization stands a better chance of taking on the talent it requires to succeed. (recruiter.com)

How Positive is Your Attitude? Did you know it can be linked to work success? Five ways to improve your happiness quotient:  Predicting an employee's future success at a company has traditionally stumped experts, and relying on metrics, such as IQ level, only tells 25% of the story. What makes up the other 75%, according to Shawn Achor, Harvard researcher and positive psychology expert, is the belief that your behavior matters, a positive social support system, and whether you view a challenge as a stress or an impetus to improve. (ebn.benefitnews.com)

Growth Prospects Not Clear for 2012: U.S. and global growth prospects for 2012 are “muddled,” with decelerating consumer spending, a rollback in government spending and weak export growth as key factors in the uncertainty, along with volatile economic conditions in Europe. (staffingindustry.com)

Educate Employees about the benefits of HSA’s to bolster participation: Consistently encouraging employees to contribute to a health savings account (HSA) will only go so far. The best way to max out HSA participation rates is to stress its effectiveness as a retirement tool. (hrmorning.com)

Important tips on creating great internship programs: The quantity of internship programs may be skyrocketing, but the same can't always be said about their quality. From complaints about the low or non-existent pay and lack of mentorship to reports that recession-rattled staff are too busy to shepherd interns, internships often fail young people, the company or both (and many of them even manage to be illegal). (CBSnews.com)

This week focuses on Talent. Don't think I am crazy giving away trade secrets here. Engaging a staffing resource to support you in these efforts will always give you a leg up, but we are also here to support and educate our clients on how to find the best talent. While we are at it, we are also here to support them in their efforts to retain the top talent. Some might think that is counter-productive to our business, but I beg to differ. The more value we provide to our customers around the investments they make in talent acquisition that will stick around, the more loyal those customers are. Besides, some of our best customers have been some of our best placements who moved up to become hiring managers. I also threw in at least one hard core HR news article just to give you some variety. With open enrollment coming up, we could all use a little advice. Have any questions or ideas about what you read in this week's news update? Send me a comment, would love to hear from you!
_______________________________________________________________________________

Look for These Five Signs to Retain Your Top Talent: Highly skilled engaged employees are invaluable to an organization’s bottom line. With the costs to hire and train new workers soaring through the roof, it’s important for businesses to retain valued employees. (recruiter.com)

Don't Overlook Veterans in Your Talent Search: New research by RightManagement, the talent and career management experts within ManpowerGroup, suggests that many employers largely disregard the unique skills and experiences of military veterans when considering a candidate for a position. This unfortunate oversight leads to missed opportunities in acquiring top talent. (Recruiter.com)

Monthly Expenses keeping Employees up at Night more than retirement savings: Keeping up with monthly expenses was the biggest financial worry, cited by 21% of those surveyed, followed by saving enough for retirement, which was cited by 18% of employees as their biggest financial concern. (Benefitnews.com)

Picasso never went to meetings: You're going to way too many meetings.:  And yes, I do mean you. In fact, I'm thinking about you as I'm writing this. It's exactly 5.27am and I can picture your schedule for the rest of the day. All those meetings - in your office, in their office, in meeting rooms, 'conferenced in', synchronous, asynchronous, vital, tedious, overlapping and running long...always running long. (Predictablesuccess.com)

82% of Recruiters, Hiring Managers, HR, Find Evidence Of Discrimination Against the Unemployed: “I am very disturbed when I hear that employers don’t want to even look at resumes of people that have been out of work for 6 months or just (are) unemployed,” said Department of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis at Facebook’s announcement for their Social Jobs Partnership with the US Department of Labor, N.A.C.E., State Work Force, and Direct Employers. “It’s as though people have created this problem themselves, and that’s just not true.” (Recruiter.com)

18 of Your Burning Social Media Questions, Answered: Great follow up questions following a webinar all answered here. Valuable insights for any company engaged in social media...or even those just thinking about it. (The Hiring Site)

Wondering Why you are not able to Hire Effectively?: The problem might be you. To be sure, not every candidate is a rock star. But if you keep turning up dud after dud, the problem may not be the applicant pool. In a quest to find the best workers, entrepreneurs sometimes wind up adopting hiring practices that are actually detrimental to their companies. (inc.com)

Open Enrollment making you Sick?- Seven lessons this benefits pro has learned about staying healthy at the most stressful time of year: Open enrollment is often one of the busiest times of the year for most benefit professionals. After finishing all of the plan updates, budgets and the communication strategy, we have the open enrollment meetings. With any luck, you won't find yourself in a crowded room of people at the height of flu season. (Benefitnews.com)

Think you Know What Job Seekers Want? Think Again.: Is your recruitment process based on what you know about job seekers…or what you think you know about job seekers? (thehiringsite.com)

Tips for a new hire’s first 90 days on the job : The first 90 days are crucial when it comes to a new hire. If the fit is right, it can be the beginning of a successful long-term work relationship that benefits both employee and employer. If the fit is wrong, it can cost a company a great deal – both in time and money. (theglobeandmail.com)

Careerbuilder’s Q4 Hiring Forecast: Caution and seasonality are influencing hiring expectations for the fourth quarter as employers assess ongoing barriers to economic growth and wrap up 2011. Consistent with trends typically seen in the tail end of the calendar, employers anticipate a moderate slowdown in hiring. Twenty-one percent of hiring managers reported that they plan to hire full-time, permanent employees in Q4, down from Q3, but on par with 2010. (Careerbuilder)

This week, I bring you all kinds of secrets and insights around finding, hiring, maintaining and retaining employees. I am even bringing up the "E" word (Engagement) because although it may be one of the annoying buzzwords that needs to be eliminated (according to one article below), it remains an important aspect of talent management (as mentioned by another article below). I am also sharing some great insights around working with staffing services from the American Staffing Association. What would a news week be these days without something being "Occupied"? Lastly, I included some good old economic news, as you can never have enough of that.
__________________________________________________________________________

Thinking about engaging a Staffing Service? Here are Five Tips you should know: According to the American Staffing Association, there are over 17,000 companies in the United States offering staffing services.  Services include a variety of temporary, contract, permanent placement, and HR consulting services. (recruiter.com)  

What HR Professionals Need to Know if your Employees decide to "Occupy Wall Street": The “Occupy Wall Street” protests are gaining steam across the country. Could employees who participate risk losing their jobs? Recent events show that the answer to this question is “yes,” at least in certain circumstances. (shrm.org)

October 2011 Economic Briefing: In September, Marion County’s unemployment rate decreased by 0.3 percent from 9.3 percent in August to 9.0 percent. (Developindy.com)

Employee Engagement still a Concern in : Seventy-one percent of American workers are "not engaged" or "actively disengaged" in their work, meaning they are emotionally disconnected from their workplaces and are less likely to be productive. (Gallup.com)

Working with Employees that are just not nice: Insubordinate behavior, such as refusing to carry out a direct order, is grounds for termination. But before any action is taken, HR leaders should ensure that company policies explain what constitutes insubordination and make sure incidents are well-documented. (hreonline.com)

What The C-Suite Wants From HR: I don’t have a secret window into the world of executive leadership, but I do have a strong opinion on what the C-Suite wants and — more importantly — doesn’t want from Human Resources (weknownext.com)

7 Business Buzzwords That Need To Die: Once we’re bothered by something, we tend to notice it more. So it could be that the business buzzwords that make me cranky are no more significant than the guy who bumps my chair when he walks past--which, on second thought, isn’t a big deal, he’s been doing it for years. (fastcompany.com)

You May be Surprised About What is holding back your Wellness program:  What is it? Nope, not your vending machine/cafeteria options. Not employee engagement (or lack thereof). It’s your desk. (benefitnews.com)

Conducting Winning Interviews: Although more emphasis tends to be placed on the interviewee rather than on the hiring manager, both roles are equally important. As the interviewer, the employer is looking to you to hire the right person for the job and sometimes sell the candidate on the position. (recruiter.com)

Job Seekers Require Employers to be more Forward-Thinking: A recent study conducted by CareerBuilder and Inavero indicates that over the past several years, job seekers have developed a highly complex, multi-faceted approach to the job search, in which they utilize today’s sophisticated technology to their advantage. (thehiringsite.com)

Healthcare costs will rise for some smokers, obese: In recent years, a growing number of companies have been encouraging workers to voluntarily improve their health to control escalating insurance costs. And while workers mostly like to see an employer offer smoking cessation classes and weight loss programs, too few are signing up or showing signs of improvement. (reuters.com) 

You Might be Missing our on exceptional talent: In retrospect, the biggest blunders often seem inexplicable. Four different book publishers, for instance, passed on J.K. Rowling's first Harry Potter novel. A weird story about the adventures of a juvenile wizard and his friends just didn't seem worth a $5,000 advance. Oops. (fortune.cnn.com)

I don't know about you, but I am confused. FOUR separate articles in the news this week about jobs and the economy. One talks about increased unemployment in September, the other is about more jobs than expected in September and a third discussing a slowdown in hires in October. Follow that up with an article telling you why you should stop debating the recession and get on with life. Read them all and come to your own conclusions. In a word, things seem to be looking up, looking down and looking flat all at the same time these days. While the economy decides what it wants to do (see blog post from earlier this week about the recession and the staffing industry), this is a good time to stay on top of the key HR issues that will effect your business either way. Attracting key employees, providing benefits and of course, dealing with difficult people are all in the news this week.
______________________________________________________________________

Give your employees time to consider benefit options: Employees need time to make big benefits decisions. Most benefits managers know this; what might not be known is more communication methods are needed to allow for the best decision making. (Benefit News)

Leveling Pay on a Global Scale: Multinationals are increasingly trying to use global leveling to standardize pay and facilitate talent-management strategies throughout the world. But, experts warn, it's easy for such levels to become overly cumbersome as well as bump up against some cultural issues. (hreonline.com)

U.S. and local governments crack down on employers who pay workers as contractors: If your independent contractors clock in and follow your instructions for completing their tasks, maybe you’re requiring too much of them. Maybe they should be considered employees and not independent contractors, government labor experts say. (washington post)

Increase in Unemployment in September: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has recently reported that total non-farm payroll employment has increased by 103,000 positions in September. While the gains are significantly higher than last month’s dismal numbers, the increase in employment is partially inflated by the return of 45,000 telecommunications workers who were on strike in August. (recruiter.com)

More Jobs Than Expected Added in September: From zero to 103,000 in 30 days… What sounds like the tag line of a lame Nicolas Cage action movie (redundant?) actually describes the change in the number of jobs created since last month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which released September’s Employment Situation Report this morning. (thehiringsite.com)

Dealing with Difficult People? Here is the Secret: It's About You: Our core emotional need is to feel valued and valuable. When we don't, it's deeply unsettling, a challenge to our sense of equilibrium, security, and well-being. At the most primal level, it can feel like a threat to our very survival. (hbr.org)

Hiring managers expect a slowdown in new hires: The Society for Human Resource Management's quarterly Jobs Outlook Survey says 34 percent of HR managers surveyed have some confidence in the economy and expect job growth in the fourth quarter, down from 57 percent in the second quarter. (bizjournals)

Critical-skill employees are becoming more difficult to attract: With the U.S. economy still unsteady, many companies are finding it relatively easy to attract or retain workers, with one major exception: critical-skill employees. A new survey from Towers Watson and WorldatWork shows that for the second consecutive year, the number of U.S. companies having difficulty finding and keeping critical-skill workers has increased. (benefitnews)

Are you still debating the Recession? It is time to Stop.: These days, with a 24/7 multimedia mega-wired world and lots of space and airtime waiting to be filled, there's an obsession with two questions just as unanswerable as angels-and-pins: "Are we in a recession?" and, "Are we in a bear market for stocks?“ (fortune.cnn)

I recently participated in a Webinar presented by the American Staffing Association (ASA) on the topic of "The Economy". I know, who isn't talking about the economy these days? As a matter of fact, who has not been talking about the economy since it began to tank in December of 2007? This presentation was unique, however, because it discussed the economy in terms of the staffing industry being a key economic indicator and provided examples of past recession and recovery cycles to support that theory.

We started with a grim look at the sheer impact of the recent recession in comparison to the previous recessions. Basically, they described it as " the worst recession since World War II; some say worst since Great Depression". Wow. We survived a cumulative decline of 5.1% in GDP. The previous worst decline was -3.7% in 1957. The charts and graphs to illustrate this story really put things into perspective to me. 8.7 million jobs disappeared and 44% of unemployed people have been without work for more than 6 months. I was happy to still have a job, my car, my house....many others did not fare so well.

So, are we out of it? Hard to tell. The American Staffing Association reports that "at the pace of job growth in the first half of 2011, nonfarm employment will return to its 2007 prerecession peak at the end of 2016". They also report that the Wall Street Journal estimates that - at the current pace of job growth and labor force expansion, the unemployment rate would still be near 9% in June 2012, 3 years into recovery and would remain above 5% until December 2024.

So, what is the current view of Staffing and the Economy? According to the ASA, the staffing and recruiting industry is "hyper cyclical" meaning its business cycle tends to be exaggerated during economic expansions and contractions. They also state that "Staffing employment is a conincident economic indicator and a leading employment indicator". What does all of this mean? Based on the extensive research and data collected by the ASA for their reporting, the trends show that changes in temporary help employment precede changes in nonfarm employment by one to two quarters and overall, is a solid indicator 3 to 6 months forward of where the economy is headed.

Now the good news. The Staffing industry is currently demonstrating and projecting steady growth through 2012. Not huge growth, but at least it is not a decline. As a leading indicator, this is much better news than looking at the graph with a line that continues to decline. Does this mean we are out of the grip of the recession? Not yet. There are many realizations that employees and employers need to stay focused on to ensure that as jobs grow, we are ready with the right skills and education required to fill these needs. Currently, job growth is concentrating in high-skill, high-wage jobs and low-skill, low-wage jobs. Those with college degrees are earning 95% more than high school graduates. Middle-skill white and blue collar jobs were hit the hardest. The sectors with the greatest potential for job creation appear to be consulting and business services, constructions, health care, leisure and hospitality, manufacturing and retail.

Staffing companies will play a key role in the future of economic growth by helping businesses identify and secure talent when needed in an efficient and economical way. Good information to have and important information to consider as companies develop their long term strategies on where and how to get the skills they need when they need them. Read more about this topic on the ASA website here.

Fall is officially upon us. As the days get shorter and the air cooler, we all just want to pick some apples, carve a pumpkin or wrap up in a blanket by a fire and take a big nap. My job is to free up some time to allow you to do just that by boiling down the news of the week to a few pertinent items that will make you sound like a genius. This week I have focused on some interesting HR recruiting, interviewing, on boarding and development tips. Of course, there has to be some social media focused news in there too. So, get out those marshmallow roasting sticks because this will be a great weekend to use them.

Are Prospective Employers Looking at your Facebook page? You bet they are.. Creativity, Well-Roundedness, & 'Chastity‘: We all know that employers Facebook stalk us before hiring us (or before deciding not to hire us). In an oft-cited survey released by Microsoft Research in 2010, 70% of recruiters said they’d rejected applicants based on info they found online. (forbes.com)

The Importance of Social Media from the perspective of Richard Branson: Where most corporate blogs still house formal announcements, the Virgin Group website hosts a blog written with Branson’s first-person flair. Many of them read like diary entries. (mashable.com)

How Companies Utilize Telecommuting as a Retention Tool: Companies that allow or encourage their employees to telecommute rather than come to the office are more interested in maintaining a happy workforce than achieving any direct cost savings, experts and corporate executives say. (cnbc.com)

"Pay For Performance" May not be what Generation Y is Looking for: Many money-motivated Millennials (and they do exist) will bolt to new opportunities as soon as the great recession of 2007-20?? eases up...unless you happen to be an organization that recognizes their potential. (fastcompany.com)

The Best Recruits May Not Be Who You Think: When I hired him, Shaq was barely qualified to use a computer, let alone conduct detailed forensic examinations on hard drives that later had to stand up in court and pass the rigors of cross examination. (wsj.com)

Job Interview putting you to Sleep? Try asking about their Dreams: Sometimes all it takes is one question to spring the lid open and let the personality fly out.  As someone who interviews people for a living, I have a few favorites.  And this one is my all-time, absolute, works-every time, ace up my sleeve: “What dream came true for you when you said ‘yes’ to your last job offer?” (hrcsuite.com) 

Helping new hires adjust to your unique culture: New hires may fail because of unrealistic expectations. But there’s another big reason some don’t make the grade: They just can’t grasp your organization’s culture, so they never learn to operate successfully in it. (rapidlearninginstitute.com)

HR Needs To Be The Department of Errors and Corrections...: To be successful HR needs to move from the department of enforcement to the department of corrections.  I’m cereal folks, super cereal. (fistfuloftalent)

US Labor Department launches economic and employment statistics app: The most up-to-date employment data and economic news releases from the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics and its Employment and Training Administration now can be viewed using a new mobile application. (dol)

October Employment Outlook from Simply Hired: Today, SimplyHired.com released its October employment outlook highlighting national and local market forecasts, and industry and employer trends. (simplyhired.com)
 
Problem Employees: Keep them or Kick them to the Curb? We call an unmanageable employee (UE) an employee who exhibits constant, repeated, unproductive behavior. Everyone has a bad day, a bad week, sometimes even a bad month, depending on what’s going on in their life. But we’re talking about someone who’s constantly, repeatedly – on a fairly long-term basis – unproductive. This book is about helping managers uncover what they need to put UEs back on track. (thehiringsite)

Social networking and technology tips continue to dominate the news this week. As a seasoned Executive Recruiter, I find myself always looking for ways to become more efficient without sacrificing quality service delivery. This is a fine balance and as we all become more active in social media circles, it becomes critical to understand how to behave online. Whether I am talking to candidates about their Indianapolis job search or talking with clients about their Indianapolis job openings, the subject of social networking always comes up. It is important to balance this with what it going on with employees inside your organization. As you are building your strategy for next year, make sure you understand how emerging technology and social platforms will impact the way you do business in the future. Follows are some relevent articles on all these topics and more. As a matter of fact, there were so many interesting news articles that came across my screen this week that it was difficult to keep this post brief. Enjoy!
___________________________________________________________________

Navigating the tricky waters of Facebook policies for employers, workers: In the age of instant tweets and impulsive Facebook posts, some companies are still trying to figure out how they can limit what their employees say about work online without running afoul of the law. (CBSnews.com)

Demographic Trends for HR: Eldercare: The New Childcare?: SHRM’s research shows that members feel two key demographic trends are the growth in the number of workers with eldercare responsibilities, and those with both childcare and eldercare responsibilities. (weknownext.com) 

Global Trend that Could Leave Unsuspecting HR Pros in the dust : Does your open position or call for performance feedback have a better shot at being acted upon if it's emailed or texted? (hrcapitalist.com) 

Success at work influenced by Positive Attitude: Predicting an employee’s future success at a company has traditionally stumped experts, and relying on metrics such as IQ level, only tells 25% of the story. What makes up the other 75%, according to Shawn Achor, Harvard researcher and positive psychology expert, is the optimism that your behavior matters, a positive social support system, and whether you view a challenge as a stress or an impetus to improve. (benefitnews.com)

Don't Have a strong Growth Strategy? Might be hard to hold onto your Best People: Growth is one of the most critical currencies your company trades with its employees. In some cases, employees see it as even more important than the salary they receive–-particularly younger workers looking to advance. (fastcompany.com)

Protecting Unemployed Against Hiring Bias-What Obama thinks: Mr. Obama’s jobs bill would prohibit employers from discriminating against job applicants because they are unemployed. (nytimes.com) 

Get Ahead of Workplace Stress: Although a certain amount of job stress is to be expected, stress in the workplace can be costly because it affects not just individual well-being but also organizational performance. (forbes.com)

How to Behave in an Online Community: If you have spent time above ground in the past few years, you have heard about the business value of participating in online communities. Participating in any online community can be hard to do right. (recruiter.com)

Losing Sleep over the High Cost of Sleeplessness: Insomnia is creating expense and danger for employees and employers alike, and it's up to HR leaders to train their own staffs, as well as all managers, on ways to deal with it. Communicating information on EAPs, providing some quiet areas for power naps and offering suggestions on ways to de-stress and relax at home are some options. (hreonline.com)

Provocative Interview Questions one Professional Swears by: Here are my all-time-best, surefire, weed-out-the-losers-and-pretenders interview questions: (businessnewsdaily.com)

Health insurance costs surge in 2011: The cost of employer-sponsored health insurance surged this year, snapping a trend toward moderate growth, but experts say these increases may slow again in 2012. (washingtontimes.com)

What the C-Suite wants from HR now: Last week while working with a client I was fortunate to attend a business briefing where a panel of 4 CEO’s talked very specifically about what they want from HR.  The focus of the conversation was how they define a “strategic HR business partner” and “what they want and need from HR now.” (passiononpurposeblog.com)

Thoughts from Seth Godin on The forever recession (and the coming revolution): There are actually two recessions: The first is the cyclical one, the one that inevitably comes and then inevitably goes. The other recession, though, the one with the loss of "good factory jobs" and systemic unemployment--I fear that this recession is here forever. (sethgodin.com)

So, I just had to put the article in here about the "Love affair with your office chair", as we are currently going through an office chair upgrade in our offices right now. The work-life balance issues are getting more scrutiny lately so there is some of that in this week's update as well. Technology and specifically social media are continuing to change at lightening speed and this week it seems there was more news around technology issues than usual. Read on to make sure that you are not a social media jerk. We were just talking about the mobile phone topic in a meeting today so I have included an article on tax implications. Fall officially begins on Friday so get those pumpkins out and dust off the s'mores sticks, bonfire season is upon us!
_______________________________________________________________________

Is There Really Such a Thing as Work-Life Balance?: More than two decades and countless discussions after the term “work-life balance” entered the workforce lexicon, we don’t seem to be any closer to figuring out how to achieve it. Author Matthew Kelly believes he knows why. (thehiringsite)

Tips and Tricks for Developing an Online Reputation Management Strategy: Online reputation management (ORM) has become a critical component to many corporate branding campaigns in 2011. With all of the online conversations happening today, the ability to replace positive sentiment with the negative is a primary goal of any reputation management strategy. (clickz.com)

Make Sure you are Ready To Hire Generation Z: Just as companies have adjusted to the demands of generation Y, a new generation is set to graduate from college: generation Z. (openforum)

Coaching Tools for Managers...Stop Talking and Start Listening: Coaching for better performance.  Most managers think they're great coaches.  Most aren't. (hrcapitalist.com)

Hiring for Cultural Fit – Making it Tangible: When it comes to hiring, it’s easy for recruiters, HR and hiring managers to focus on a candidate’s technical qualifications and skip right over the things that are harder to quantify – like cultural fit. (unbridledtalent.com)

IRS publishes guidance on tax treatment of mobile phones: The Internal Revenue Service has released guidance aimed at clarifying the tax treatment of mobile phones provided by employers to their employees. (benefitnews.com)

Several HR-Related Provisions in the Obama Jobs Bill: When the Obama administration rolled out the much-anticipated American Jobs Act (S. 1549) on Sept. 12, 2011, the $447 billion proposal presented the classic good news/bad news scenario to HR professionals and their organizations. (SHRM.org)

'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' repealed: It's official: Gay soldiers can finally say so. The repeal of the 1993 law that banned gay military personnel from serving openly went into effect Tuesday at 12:01 a.m. after years of fierce debate in both Congress and the armed services. (nydailynews.com)

You Know you are a Social Media Jerk When: For the first time, your online profile can determine, in part, the outcome of your business and the success of your job search. It’s time to make sure you don’t look like a social media jerk. (Recruiter.com)

Love Affair With An Office Chair: The office is a popular place for forming friendships and even finding lovers. But these days, some people’s deepest office attachment is to their chairs.

It has been a big week for gathering great HR information if you were fortunate enough to attend the Annual Indiana HR Conference held in Downtown Indianapolis. If you were unable to participate in this educational and social event, be sure to get it on your calendar for 2012! I decided to mix it up a bit this week with some business news as well as some articles that might be personally interesting to you. We have to lighten it up a bit here and there and as we are heading into a holiday weekend, here is some reading material to keep you sharp. Happy Labor Day!
_________________________________________________________________________

Is Less Really More? It Seems Some Think so: How keeping things simple can bring success. (fastcompany)

Look out for these LinkedIn Mistakes you should not make: I see many people making fundamental mistakes as job seekers that actually work against them in this aspect. If you’re going to spend time putting together a LinkedIn profile, I assume you want to maximize your chances of being contacted by the right people, right? (New Grad Life)

NLRB Sides With Unions In Three Cases: The National Labor Relations Board sided with unions in several cases involving rules for organizing workers, in a set of decisions likely to further rile business groups and Republicans. (Wall Street Journal)

It is Good For you to Work with People you Like:  Social support at work leads to a longer life, according to a new study. HR can help facilitate that by adding a little levity to the workplace and allow people to socialize with one another -- within reason, of course. (hreonline)

The Best Opportunities You Aren’t Taking Advantage Of: Job seeker behavior has changed remarkably in the past few years. So why hasn’t your recruitment strategy? (The Hiring Site)

How To Handle the Grumpy Employee: In a volatile world, anxiety and uncertainty make people a little testy. Cranky people can drag everyone else down by spreading negativity and sowing seeds of doubt just when leaders need commitment. (Harvard Business Review)

Employment, training & the economy: At a briefing Monday, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis spoke about the need for more employment opportunities for the 9.1% of Americans out of work and the role government can play in facilitating job creation. (Benefit News)

Social Networking and Retention: Staffing Industry Analyst Blog: Here is what we know; people are using social networking sites, meaning your employees are on those sites regularly. (Staffing Industry Analyst)

What Perks Do Employees Really Want?: Making us all more productive at work can be hard for employers—but perks and benefits often ease the battle. (Forbes)

Organize Your Inbox In 10 Simple Steps: Be honest. Are you ruled by your e-mail inbox? How many minutes a day do you spend a checking your e-mail, sorting your inbox and deleting spam? (Open Forum)

Healthier Workplace = Lower costs: Creating a culture of health in the workplace isn’t easy, but the results that can be obtained — both a personal benefit to the individual and a cost and productivity benefit to the organization — are making value-based health care an appealing initiative for employers across the country. (Benefit News)

The Quiet Worker should not be Ignored: There's an unnoticed population of employees in business today. Strangely enough, they're also the majority. (hbr.org)

If you have not seen at least 600 articles about Steve Jobs this week than I am sorry to disappoint, but you will not see one here.  I assume you are up to date on the "Jobs" topic, but there was a lot of other important business and HR news out there this week that you might have missed. I hope you consider this news update your "apple a week" to keep the mind healthy and strong. Health care (always in the news), Social Media, Economic news (not so good), EEOC (interesting stuff), local business updates and of course some cool stuff about staffing and recruitment are all hot this week.  Speaking of "jobs", things have been exceptionally BUSY here at That's Good HR this week so if you have any friends or family seeking employment, be sure to send them our way.

Have you said those words recently?  I know I have!  Whether its sharing an app that tracks my exercise for the week or discussing the new CareerBuilder app which gives Indianapolis employers and recruiters a chance to review resumes on their smart phones, we are all talking about our smart phones.  It seems that every company is coming out with an app for something!  With the new technology it seems that we can't do anything without our smart phone in our hand...let's face it according to this survey taken by Career-Builder, we are using our phones everywhere...and I do mean everywhere! 

The beauty of the smart phone is that most of us can stay connected and take care of any issues that arise at any time without actually being in the office.  But what happens when we are in the office?  If you are like most, you are not only getting your work email on your phone but also your personal email, Facebook and LinkedIn updates, Tweets and text messages from friends and family that don't talk to you much any more because of the hustle and bustle of daily life.  So the question arises, how do we resist the urge to look on our smart phone at that hilarious status update your best friend just posted on Facebook while sitting in a boring meeting with your boss and co-workers?  Or maybe CareerBuilder just sent you a notice about a new job in Indianapolis that got posted today that is just the job you have been looking for?  No one will know what you are looking at, right??  The truth is they may not know for sure but once doubt is created it's very difficult to overcome!  The last thing you want is your boss to think you are playing on Facebook or looking for a new job on your smart phone...especially if they are footing the bill (partially or completely).  So while smart phones may make it easier to find a job than ever before, follow these tips to make sure your smart phone doesn't land you in the unemployment line!   

• Keep your phone in your desk drawer, purse or pants pocket to avoid the temptation to pick it up and play with it.  Chances are once you pick it up and start one thing, you will be on it for 15 minutes without even blinking an eye!  Trust me, I've done that one before!

• Let's face it - life happens and sometimes you have sick kids (or parents) to worry about so if you are expecting an important call or text message give your boss a heads up.  They will appreciate your honesty and this should eliminate any doubt that might be created if they catch you on your phone (talking or texting) during work hours. Just don't take advantage of this tactic.

• Use your lunch hour to catch up on your smart phone via social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, etc) and text your family/friends back about where to have dinner that night at that time.  The wonderful thing about smart phones is you can use them anywhere, so while you are waiting in line for your lunch or munching down by yourself you can get your daily mental check out without being tied to your computer. Just don't slow down the drive through lines at the local fast food restaurant so you can finish a call!

• Take direction from upper management and follow cell phone usage policies put in place by your employer.  Most policies are outdated and still only include personal calls but with smart phones the policy could include anything from checking personal email, looking at Twitter updates or even checking out www.thatsgoodhr.com for a new job in Indianapolis!  If you aren't sure about the policy then ask HR or management before picking up your phone the next time the green light is flashing with an update you just 'have' to know about.

• Last but not least... if it is brought to your attention that you are using your smart phone to an extent that your employer is not happy or comfortable with, correct it immediately!  The worst thing you can do is to become defensive.  Employers will doubt your sincerity about correcting the excessive smart phone usage if you don't own up to your mistake and promise to take corrective action immediately. 

Don't let your smart phone make you look stupid...use common sense and while at work, make sure you are working. Your long and successful career will thank you.

It has been a week of frustrating computer challenges and it is amazing how dependant we have become on the speed and efficiency of technology. When we cannot skim pages and pages of news articles in the blink of an eye we actually start to feel the stress of not being fully informed. Scary but true. It may just be a personal issue that I need to get some professional help for, but I am guessing it is not just me who feels this way. We want the news and we want it now and we want it fast. We want to read it and digest it quickly so we can move on to the next set of information to consume. Am I right? That said, here is a snapshot of some important news items from this week. Hopefully you can skim and consume quickly and glean some information of value so you can get on with your weekend!

__________________________________________________________________________

How Google keeps up with the Quality of search results: SEO.com has released an infographic on Google’s efforts to provide quality search results high. It’s an interesting look back at the key initiatives that Google has undertaken to combat sites from undeservedly dominating search results. (marketing tech blog)

Federal agencies issue clarifying PPACA guidance; The one-year anniversary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has come and gone, and federal agencies continue to issue clarifying guidance on several of its provisions. (Benefit news)

Surprisingly High number of People live Paycheck to Paycheck: A new survey released by CareerBuilder - a major job board and global leader in human capital solutions, suggests that the number of workers living check to check has returned to pre-recession levels. (Careerbuilder)

Finding Finance talent a challenge: Nearly half of U.S. finance executives say it is somewhat or very challenging to find skilled talent, according to a recent study. (StaffingIndustry)

Recruiting and Hiring on the Increase - Get ready: The quarterly CFO Outlook Survey from Financial Executives International and Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business found that 57% of U.S. CFOs plan to hire additional employees at their companies in the next six months. (Benefit News)

Performance Reviews - the Perfect Place to Improve your Coaching Skills... Had someone ask me yesterday how they could eliminate the performance review at their company. Really? Really. It's trendy to say that performance reviews are broken and must be eliminated from corporate life. (FistfulofTalent)

5 Things To Know About The ADA : The Americans with Disabilities Act has been around for more than 20 years. Still, small businesses continue to be uncertain about what they are or are not required to do in order to comply (OpenForum)

Benefits Trends in U.S. Organizations:  An overview of the latest findings from the SHRM 2011 Employee Benefits Research Report (SHRM)

Employers Value Emotional Intelligence Over IQ: a majority of employers are listening their hearts when it comes to hiring, and placing a higher emphasis on candidates’ emotional intelligence than their IQ’s.

New Affordable Care Act proposal to help consumers better understand and compare benefits and coverage: the U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury proposed new rules under the Affordable Care Act that will enable consumers to easily understand their health coverage and determine the best health insurance options for themselves and their families. (dol.gov)

It is always exciting to work on placements that you feel you have a personal connection to. As recruiters, placing another recruiter in a job is almost like placing a friend or a peer.  While we have been following the news about the economy and have closely reviewed the latest staffing statistics circulated by Staffing Industry Analyst, the climate in our office has been optimistic. We have seen an upswing in staffing needs on both a temporary and direct hire basis and most recently we have had a marked increase in requests for talent acquisition and recruiter candidates. When the need for these folks starts going up, that can only mean good things. You only need a recruiter when you need to recruit, right?

That said, here at That's Good HR, we are pretty excited about the opportunity to recruit and place our own kind. These are positions that we understand above all because that is what we do everyday. While the recruitment categories might be different and the business model may vary from our own, at the end of the day, recruiters across all disciplines and industries have certain common threads. One of those traits is a high goal orientation so as a recruiter you know that the candidate you are placing is seeking an opportunity to grow and excel in their field.

If you are a recruiter, you know what I am referring to. If you know a recruiter, just ask them about it. Working with the human element day after day may seem to some uninteresting, but to recruiters, it is what we thrive upon. Meeting new people, working with them on one of the most important aspects of their lives - their career. Making the right match, staying in touch and networking along the way.

So...if you are one of these crazy recruiter folks, be sure to get to know us. If you are looking for your next more or you know someone who is, pick up the phone, send us an email, tweet us (@thatsgoodhr) or just show up. We would love to get to know you and perhaps be part of your next career move.