Hiring Trends

Rejection

Tuesday, January 31, 2012 by Stacy Rouse

Picture yourself in this scenario:

You just got back to your computer and are anxiously trying to get into your e-mail to see if you've received feedback yet from the company you interviewed with last week. As soon as you login the company's e-mail address instantly jumps out at you and you cannot click on the message fast enough to see what it says. You begin reading the words, "We enjoyed meeting with you and learning about your career path...." You then read a little further and you see, "...but at this time we have decided to pursue other avenues." You're not just devastated, you are mad. You can't understand why they didn't pick you. This is natural...we all want to understand why weren't picked for something we were so excited about. However, it is important that you not let the situation get you so down that you lose your confidence. Instead use this as a learning opportunity. Below, I have outlined for you some of the Do's and Don'ts of how to respond after receiving a rejection letter or phone call.

DON'T instantly pick up the phone and call the hiring manager to demand an explanation for not being selected for the job opening.
DON'T call all of your friends and tell them what a bad company XYZ company is because they didn't hire you for your dream job.
DON'T try to replay the entire interview back in your head and analyze every answer you provided.
DO ask politely for further feedback on your interview. Even if the company decided not to fill the position they may still be able to provide you with valuable feedback that you can transfer to future interviews as you continue your Indianapolis job search.
DO ask where other candidates more closely hit the mark and you maybe fell a little short. Maybe it is the computer skills needed for the position and you can easily take a couple of online courses to improve your skills and knowledge. Maybe other candidates had a certification that you do not, but have been contemplating going after. Not only will this help you further develop yourself for future opportunities, but it will also give you an idea of hiring trends in your industry.
DO write down the good answers that you provided to questions, along with those that you could have worded a little differently. This will help in your preparation for your next interview. Also, if you are working with an Indianapolis staffing firm, ask them if you can run some answers past them to get more feedback.

Rejection is never easy to deal with, especially when it pertains to your next career move. However, the way in which you respond to that rejection is what will set you apart in future interviews.

Job Seeker Do's & Dont's

Tuesday, January 24, 2012 by Lisa Minter

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!

Balancing Trust with Verification

Tuesday, January 10, 2012 by Karen Seketa

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.

Leadership Strengths - No Magic Bullet

Tuesday, January 3, 2012 by Karen Seketa

I a

m of the opinion that there is no secret recipe to being a great leader or identifying great leaders. There are many who study or have studied what makes a great leader and I too have been a student of this quest for knowledge. My studies have not been scientific, rather, I have held leadership roles in Indianapolis staffing in one capacity or another for nearly 2 decades. My focus has been leadership in the world of central Indiana jobs and local hiring trends for as long as I can remember. I have had the opportunity to lead teams both large and small, in large corporate and small private organizations, with paid employees and with volunteers and in good times and bad. I feel fairly confident that my exposure to extremes has only contributed to my development in a positive way.

Gallup is a research organization that holds a little (a lot, actually) more clout than I do on studies of leadership traits. Conveniently, their studies also seem to agree with my point of view. In conducting research for the book, "Strengths Based Leadership", Gallup researchers studied more than one million work teams, conducted more than 20,000 in-depth interviews with leaders, and even interviewed more than 10,000 followers. Their findings were vast, but just of few of them follow:

Of all the leaders surveyed, Gallup has yet to discover even one who has world-class strength in all of the four domains of leadership strength -- executing, influencing, relationship building, and strategic thinking.
Paradoxically, those who strive to be competent in all areas become the least effective leaders overall.

Further, their research found that the most effective leaders are not well rounded at all, but instead are acutely aware of their talents and use them to their best advantage. By focusing on those things that you know you do well and the areas where your strengths lie, you do not waste your time and efforts trying to be great at everything. Imagine the power of focusing on your strengths and developing true expertise in these areas. It seems that most people fail when they feel they have to be the best in everything they do and instead end up being mediocre at everything. Followers have four basic needs - trust, compassion, stability and hope. It is hard for people to follow mediocrity with enthusiasm and loyalty.

If you are not aware of what your strengths are, you should do some research and find out. Then take it a step further and identify the strengths of your team to ensure that you are working with a balanced team covering the four key domains of leadership strength.

Based again on Gallup's Strengths Based Leadership, here are the four domains of leadership strength - all of these are important in building well rounded teams. A great leader will surround themselves with team members who are strong in the areas where they are self aware that they are lacking.

Executing

Team members who have dominant strength in the Executing domain are those whom you turn to time and again to implement a solution. These are the people who will work tirelessly to get something done. People who are strong in the Executing domain have an ability to take an idea and transform it into reality within the organization they lead.

Influencing

People who are innately good at influencing are always selling the team's ideas inside and outside the organization. When you need someone to take charge, speak up, and make sure your group is heard, look to someone with the strength to influence.

Relationship Building

Relationship builders are the glue that holds a team together. Strengths associated with bringing people together -- whether it is by keeping distractions at bay or keeping the collective energy high -- transform a group of individuals into a team capable of carrying out complex projects and goals.

Strategic Thinking

Those who are able to keep people focused on what they could be are constantly pulling a team and its members into the future. They continually absorb and analyze information and help the team make better decisions.

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You will be amazed at the power that comes from a well balanced team of individuals who balance each other and perform within their greatest strengths. I have been fortunate to work with teams like this in my past and to this day I would work with that team anywhere, anytime, with confidence in our ability to succeed. In the competitive industry of indianapolis staffing it is crucial to have a sustainable competitive edge that comes only from a well balanced leadership team.

Think references are a thing of the past? Think again!!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011 by Amber Crosby

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:

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.
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.
If you are on LinkedIn, ask for a recommendation on your work and return the favor for your reference.
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.
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.
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!!

That's Good HR Weekly News Update - December 9, 2011

Thursday, December 8, 2011 by Harry Danz

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....
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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)

That's Good HR Weekly News Update - December 2, 2011

Thursday, December 1, 2011 by Harry Danz

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.
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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)

That's Good HR Weekly News Update - November 18, 2011

Thursday, November 17, 2011 by Harry Danz

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.

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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)

From Your Point of View

Tuesday, November 15, 2011 by Karen Seketa

Welcome to the first post in our new series titled "From Your Point of View". We are so excited about this project that showcases some of our most enthusiastic customers and candidates and provides insights into utilizing staffing services from their point of view. We thought we would give you a break from hearing our point of view and provide you with a new perspective.

Our first participant in this project is Steve K., Accounts Payable Manager at a well respected local medical facility. Steve has worked for this company for over 21 years and he has had experience working with contract staffing on and off for the past 18 years. Steve has become quite the expert on what to expect from his staffing partner and does not compromise when it comes to working with a vendor he can trust. This is why we thought he would be a perfect person to offer staffing advice with our readers.

Steve receives calls from staffing vendors all the time which can pose a problem because he has a very busy job to do and could not possibly take the time to field all of these calls. Talking to sales people is never fun for anyone, particularly for Steve, who was not a big fan of staffing companies. Then one day Steve received a call from Tiffany Moore at That's Good HR and things changed. Her approach was just different enough that Steve decided to meet with her. The meeting happened at a time when Steve was not in need of temporary staffing, but the impact of the meeting would stay with him and when the A/P function for his company consolidated, he knew exactly who he was going to call to help get the job done.

What is most important to Steve when working with a vendor? He sees the relationship as more of a partnership than a business transaction. He will only work with someone who is genuine and loyal and he has tested this over time to ensure that these qualities are consistent and real. What does Steve want from his staffing provider? It is easy - consistent delivery on what he needs and easy solutions to those problems that are bound to come up.

The differences that matter most to Steve? Follow up that is not just a phone call to see what else he can do for you. Rather, regular engagement with sincere concern about his satisfaction with the service provided. What turns Steve off? Calls that ask for more business, more referrals or to shove another resume down his throat. Pushy sales people with nothing new to say or to offer. Sounds like the same things that might drive other hiring managers crazy too, doesn't it?

We asked Steve for some sound advice for staffing companies from his perspective. Here is what he had to say.

"Conduct your business in a genuine, ethical manner. Don't pressure your clients to give you business. Don't make your customers deal with issues when it comes to the employees. The staffing company should take care of all of this for the client."

Steve is naturally a really nice guy. He does not like to hurt anyone's feelings or make them feel bad. When things don't go quite right with a temporary employee, it is important to Steve that the staffing service handles it for him. This is what has made him loyal to the vendors he uses, no matter what the need and I would venture to guess that Steve is not alone in his method of choosing who he works with.

We would like to thank Steve for his candid insights and for volunteering to be our very first participant in this blog series. Look for more customer and candidate interviews coming up each month and if you would like to contribute to our project, drop us a line, we would love to hear from you.

That's Good HR Weekly News Update - November 11, 2011

Thursday, November 10, 2011 by Harry Danz

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!
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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)

Attention College Students: Make your holiday break useful!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011 by Stacy Rouse

This post was written and published around this time last year. We felt like it was useful for many and therefore we have pulled it out, dusted it off and republished as a quick reminder and guide to all of the students out there who are anxiously looking forward to the upcoming holidays and the brief respite they may bring from your studies.

If you are a current college student it's probably your first week of holiday break and you are literally brain dead after cramming for final presentations, projects and exams. So you are at home in your sweats, propped up on the couch and your plan for the next 3-4 weeks is to be a couch potato while watching old episodes of "Jersey Shore" and to keep tabs on what your friends are doing all break through Facebook. Believe me, that sounds awesome...and I don't blame you for taking some time for yourself after a hectic semester. However, I would urge you to at least spend a little bit of your break focusing on your future career. In a time when internships and entry level jobs are scarce and your competition is getting more fierce, you have to be able to set yourself apart to employers. I have compiled a short list of items that you could do during break to make yourself more aware of current hiring trends and what Indianapolis job openings may be available after graduation.

Review the logs on file through the career center websites that list types positions held by alumnus in your field of study. Write down a few of the top positions that are of interest to you and do some research in order to get a better feel for where your strengths and interests would be best suited.

Schedule an informational interview. Talk to your friends and family to see if anyone can help you get an informal, informational interview with a company that has positions similar to the ones on which you have targeted your search.

Job shadow: This is very similar to the informational interview but a little more in depth. This is a great way to really see "A day in the life of______". There is no better way to figure out if a position is fit for you than to actually see the work first hand.

Give your resume some TLC and spend some time beefing it up a little bit. A good way to start is by translating your educational experince into relevant "work" experience. Add any organizational involvement onto your resume and detail out any skills that are utilized in the work you perform for those organizations. (If you aren't involved with any organizations, you better get involved quickly!) I would also recommend having a few HR Professionals or headhunters review it so that you can get the perspectives of a few different people within various industries. These conversations might also lead to potential Indianapolis job openings!

Again, I know it's not that exciting to think about doing "work" on your break, but if you spend this little bit of time and effort on preparing yourself for your job/internship search, the results will definitely pay off. At That's Good HR, working with new grads and college students is one of our favorite things to do so if you are seeking career advice, summer or seasonal work be sure to give us a ring!

That's Good HR Weekly News Update - November 4, 2011

Thursday, November 3, 2011 by Harry Danz

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.
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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)

Why you Should Never Stop Learning...

Tuesday, November 1, 2011 by Karen Seketa

This blog post is for everyone. It does not matter if you are a job seeker, a stay at home parent, an HR professional, a Headhunter or someone who has a great job and life is good. Nothing is a sure thing these days so no matter what your situation, you should always be seeking ways to improve your knowledge, your skills, yourself. I recently came across this video created by IBM titled "THINK" and in watching it, I was overwhelmed with the sheer scope of what we are capable of and how much more we can do. Take a peek at it when you have a chance.

Once you stop learning, you stop living. Status quo is rigor mortis when it comes to progress. Doing things the same way today because that is the way you have always done them simply means that you are not invested in learning and evolving with the rest of the world. Time to get out of your comfort zone and start learning and living.

Look around you, ask questions, challenge processes, debate the status quo, have provocative discussions about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. If you cannot find someone around you to have these interactions in a non-threatening and safe way, find new people to hang out with and talk to. No one says it better than Joseph Heller in his book "Catch 22" with this line. "“[They] agreed that it was neither possible nor necessary to educate people who never questioned anything.”

It does not matter if the economy is in the dumps or you have too much to do and too little time or if you are just too tired to learn anything new. Stop learning and this will be your reality forever after. Why am I so passionate about this? My strengths lie in teaching and providing. I thrive on engaging with others in way that makes me a better person or helps them to look at the world in a different (hopefully better) way.

Seth Godin does a great job illustrating this and other great points about "What Matters Most" in this slideshow. One of the things that this presentation talks about is the Ripple Effect of learning. On slide 23, one of the contributors, John Wood, says: "Education has a ripple effect. One drop can initiate a cascade of possibility, each concentric circle gaining in size and traveling further." If you have a few minutes I recommend that you read through this slide presentation - you will learn something of value.

In the Staffing industry, the way we do business is constantly changing. Every day, there are new laws, processes, interpretations, technology or products that require those in our business to be constantly learning. If we do not, we are behind almost immediately. As a candidate in the middle of your Indianapolis job search, you too have to keep learning to stay on top of who is hiring, why, how to apply, how to network, what skills to learn or improve and how to interview.

Get out there and find a way to constantly learn from the world around you. Even if it is just one small thing every day. Do this and you will find that while the world keeps moving and changing, you will not be left behind.

That's Good HR Weekly News Update - October 28, 2011

Thursday, October 27, 2011 by Harry Danz

Trick or Treat?

This question can apply to many of the hottest HR and employment issues I came across this week. Social Media, Social Security, Healthcare, Unions, Benefits, Hiring trends and Productivity killers. Tricky? You better believe it. Treats? Only if you mange them correctly. How to do it right? Back to being Tricky. Makes you want to just bury your head in a big bag of Halloween candy, doesn't it. Well, hopefully some of the news of the week will help you chase some of those HR ghosts away this weekend.

Happy Haunting!
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Make sure you Manage your Online Profile: Why do employers conduct background checks? Employers are concerned with negligent hiring practices. They confirm potentially false or inflated information, abide by federal and state laws and acknowledge the age in which we live – the ‘information age.’ (womenofhr.com)

Social Security Rigor Mortis - through the eyes of the Millenials: According to a poll of 642 18- to 29-year-olds conducted by the Strategic Research Institute at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wis., 50% don’t believe Social Security will exist by the time they become age-eligible for the program at 67. Another 28% think the program will be around, but will provide a much smaller benefit. Just 5% expect benefits to be the same as they are to current beneficiaries. (benefitnews.com)

Shifting Costs of Perks and Benefits: As the economy sputters and health-care costs rise, businesses large and small are eliminating benefits they consider nonessential and shifting more costs to employees for the benefits that are offered. (wsj.com)

Soon-to-be Retirees get some Good News: Social Security benefits to rise 3.6% next year: Social Security retirement benefits for about 55 million people will go up by 3.6% next year, the first cost-of-living increase since 2009, the U.S. Social Security Administration said last week. (benefitnews.com)

Indiana panel recommends right-to-work legislation: A committee of Indiana lawmakers is recommending their colleagues approve "right-to-work" legislation when they return in January for their 2012 session. (ibj.com)

DOL issues final rules on 401(k) investment advice: Defined contribution plans may offer advice from a third-party as long as that entity receives level fees regardless of their recommendations, or through a certified computer model. (benefitnews.com)

Hiring Activity for October Appears Weak: Continuing a recent pattern of weak job growth in the United States, hiring in October will be limited in the manufacturing sector and will fall in the service sector compared with a year ago, according to the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) Leading Indicators of National Employment (LINE) survey for October 2011. (shrm.org)

Hire With Purpose: Q&A With Small Business Expert Jay Goltz: “I’m not looking for great storytellers. I want to figure out what makes people tick and how they operate on the job.” (thehiringsite.com)

Skilled Worker Shortage or Training Shortage?: Even with unemployment hovering around 9%, companies are grousing that they can’t find skilled workers, and filling a job can take months of hunting. Employers are quick to lay blame. Schools aren’t giving kids the right kind of training. The government isn’t letting in enough high-skill immigrants. The list goes on and on. But I believe that the real culprits are the employers themselves. (tlnt.com)

Productivity Killers at Work: Americans may be spending more time at work, but they're also becoming much less productive. Workplace productivity dropped 0.3% in the second quarter, following a decline of 0.6% in the first three months of the year, according to the Labor Department. It was the first back-to-back decline in productivity since the second half of 2008. (The Street)

Rising Government Layoffs Overshadow Private-sector job growth: Crippled by plunging tax revenues, state and local governments have shed over a half million jobs since the recession began in December 2007. And, after adding jobs early in the downturn, the federal government is now cutting them as well.

Unemployment Discrimination: Monster.com Has It Right, People (Job Boards are PLATFORMS)...: Repeat after me: Job Boards are PLATFORMS, not arbitrators of quality, fairness or morality. What's a platform? A platform is where the masses can come and use technology in a variety of ways. Think Facebook, think Amazon. (hrcapitalist.com)

That's Good HR Weekly News Update - October 14, 2011

Thursday, October 13, 2011 by Harry Danz

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.
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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)

The Recession and the Staffing Industry

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 by Karen Seketa

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.

That's Good HR Weekly News Update - October 7, 2011

Thursday, October 6, 2011 by Harry Danz

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)

Have you noticed the Indianapolis job market changing?

Tuesday, October 4, 2011 by Tiffany Moore

First of all I want to apologize if you haven’t heard from me during these last few months. The reason? The market is changing and we have been extremely busy. I know this may come as a shock to you if you have seen the recent unemployment rates but it is true! We noticed the market changing at the beginning of the summer when the candidates who registered were getting positions quickly after registering and our contract workers started turning in their notice because they found permanent employment.

The industry information that we receive on a monthly basis shows that in April 2011, it became more difficult to find the candidate than the job. What that means is that it could be returning to a “candidate’s market.” There is no question from our perspective that hiring managers cannot continue to do the things they have been doing the past few years. As a hiring manager, you need to move quickly on candidates that you are interested in. You cannot wait as long as you have in the past to make hiring decisions. Also, now that you are up against competition, you will have to pay more competitive salaries because the candidates have more opportunities to choose from and often the highest bidder wins.

Let’s add some fuel to the fire. If you are targeting candidates that have a college degree, the unemployment rate is below 4.5% (see this illustration from the Bureau of Labor Statistics). There is a good article addressing this topic that states:

"To put it another way, more than 95 percent of college graduates in the United States are working – in the aftermath of one of the worst recessions in living memory." ibtimes.com

So even though you have probably heard that unemployment rates are close to 9%, that isn’t an accurate number when you are targeting a degreed Accountant. Inside Indiana Business reported last week that only 33 out of every 100 Indiana public college students graduate with a four year degree within eight years. This helps create the shortage of candidates in Indiana that have a college degree.

I have spoken to several of my HR hiring managers and they have communicated that they are seeing the things mentioned above. I would love to hear your thoughts, please sound in by posting a comment on my blog and let me know your thoughts!

That's Good HR Weekly News Update - September 30, 2011

Friday, September 30, 2011 by Harry Danz

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!
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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)

Filling a Chair or Positioning Your Company For Long Term Sustainable Growth?

Tuesday, September 27, 2011 by Harry Danz

This blog post is from an article posted on Inside Indiana Business this week. You can access the article here.

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I have long been a proponent and a fan of the Marcus Buckingham school of thought around building a productive team by focusing on the strengths of individuals rather than by simply matching people and experiences with specific roles.

For those of you not familiar with Marcus Buckingham or strengths based hiring the basic premise is that each of us has natural strengths and that more attention should be paid on leveraging one’s strengths versus spending time on or worrying about one’s weaknesses. At That’s Good HR, our whole staff participates in the Clifton Stengthsfinder assessment and our internal roles have been customized to focus as much as possible on the strengths each person has. I have found that when employees come to work each day and spend the majority of their time doing the things they like to do (or even things they don’t particularly like to do in a way they like to do them), the result is a highly productive and positive work environment.

Truth be told, this has not been easy to maintain over the past 24 months. The economy has been brutal to our industry just as it has to most others. When times are tough and companies must get lean, managing a business that allows employees to work within their strengths requires a whole new management strategy. The reality of our recent past is that you have to have a team that is willing to take on the crappy stuff now and then as you navigate the choppy and uncharted waters. Your short term strategy may very well include everyone working at whatever you need done to stay afloat, strengths or not. Now, if you do it right, you will always have tasks that can be distributed based on who does them best or likes doing them the most and the rest will simply require a divide and conquer methodology.

Notice I said this was a short term strategy. This is important because if you ask people to take on work that is in no way interesting or exciting to them for the short term, you will find people willing to take one for the team. If this turns into your long term strategy, you are going to end up with an all out mutiny or a quiet rebellion at a minimum. Once you begin to recover, you need to shift your talent back to focusing in areas where their strengths lie as much as you possibly can. Innovation and productivity will be your pay off as well as a workforce that is generally happy to come to work. Surround yourself with people who have varied strengths to optimize the outcome no matter what the task at hand.

Nearly two decades in the search and placement industry have taught me many things. One of the most important of these being that forcing the square peg into the round hole for short term personal gain is bad business 100% of the time. The pressure to fill critical roles in an organization leads to bad hiring decisions and costly mistakes all too often. You can build a very compelling business case for taking the time necessary to fill important roles with the right person rather than just filling it fast. Finding the right person requires time and energy focused on truly understanding the strengths of the individual and if/how they are compatible with the role you are filling. The success of your business depends on this kind of focus on your most valuable asset…human capital. Be sure to give it the attention it deserves, not only for high level critical positions, but for roles at all levels of your organization. If you teach your hiring managers how to do this correctly, the return will be well worth the investment to both your employees and your company.