Why Employers Should Consider Hiring College Grads

There’s always a certain risk when hiring any employee, regardless of his or her experience. Sure, there might be a greater chance to take with a less-experienced, college grad over a more experienced candidate. Yet, while it all depends on the role, there are substantial benefits in considering those who are fresh out of school and they shouldn’t be entirely disregarded during the hiring process.

The number of college grads looking for their first career job is vast. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, hundreds of thousands graduates graduate every year, ready to take on a new, challenging role in their field of study.

So, should they be considered for a job in your company? Certainly. Here are some reasons why.

Motivation and Dedication

As thousands of grads look for a job in their field every year, achieving an entry-level role can be competitive. According to LinkedIn, this can be a strong motivator to learn, be motivated and develop a deep commitment to a company. An added benefit is that managers can train new grads more easily to company policy and best practices, without dealing with prior work habits they developed from a previous employer.

Grads Have More Experience Than You Think

Even though a college grad may have little professional experience and training may be inevitable, it’s important to realize they have something to offer many companies. This includes being current with the latest software systems, best practices, and even industry trends, regardless of the field. While this may not be equivalent to say, 10 years of experience, a company can save costs, time and effort in training. College grads can even be a great source of new information and bring insightful, fresh ideas to the table.
Develop Talent for the Long-Term

According to LinkedIn, a college grad’s commitment to performance, development and advancement has many benefits for a company. This is good news for college grads as companies recognize these characteristics as valuable qualities. Also, by allowing those to learn and grow into their role could potentially mean future advancement and success – not only for the grad but for a company as well.

By signing up with Ninja Gig, companies easily promote openings using online employment applications. Online job applications make it easy for qualified applicants to apply. Sign up now for your free trial and get your online job applications in front of potential candidates now.

Should You Use Online Tools to Better Understand Job Applicants?

With all the latest developments in digital recruiting tools, are the days of sifting through resumes, conducting interviews, then making a final offer to a candidate over?
Not quite, but the times and hiring practices are certainly a’ changing.

So, with a plethora of new recruiting tools available to help provide a more selective and efficient hiring process, it never hurts to try new methods. Here a few online tools suggested from Hire by Google to help you better screen candidates and provide a more streamlined approach for your next hire.
1. JobPal
AI or artificial intelligence-powered chatbot-based systems are growing in popularity among hiring managers, especially when it comes to sourcing, screening and nurturing candidates. Tools such JobPal addresses simple questions from potential candidates, collects and screens resumes, recommends qualified candidates, and even schedules interviews. It also can also work across a variety of platforms to include your company’s website, Facebook Messenger, and Skype.

2. Maya
Imagine a tool than can ask an applicant questions right after they’ve applied for a job and move the potential ones through your hiring process? Maya and its AI tech can do this and a lot more. It can also request information about experience, previous or current roles, and even specific questions on topics and skills related to the job description.

3. Interview Mocha
Testing skill sets is common for any job candidate. It affords the ability to better examine knowledge and overall qualifications. With its vast range of functions, Interview Mocha has more than 1,000 tests available that cover many industries. Hiring managers or HR professionals can also customize and add questions or even develop new tests altogether with help from its support team.

4. My Ally’s AI assistant
This tool is like having recruiting coordinator, while not actually having one. This smart-assistant tool, again, utilizes AI tech that’s designed to schedule interviews, book conference spaces, reschedule meetings all via email, texting or online chat.

These are just a few of the digital recruiting tools available and are all certainly worthwhile to check out and try. While they cannot replace a face-to-face interview, they can potentially save time, effort, and provide more efficiency to your hiring process.

How to Offset Some Challenges of Remote Employees

In an age of remote technology and cloud companies, it only seems natural that companies are hiring more remote contractors or employees. While the thought of working from home may be a dream-job for many employees, with additional benefits for companies and employers, it’s still a relatively new concept that can present some challenges for managers and employers.

From securing a successful hire to ensuring productivity is always consistent, here are few key solutions to make the telecommuting concept work for your company.

1. Look for Experience and “Avoid a Gamble” When Hiring

Trust just might be one of the most important elements to recognize when hiring a remote employee. For instance, during the interview, positive answers to questions like “have you worked remotely before” or “how effective are your time management skills in a remote setting” may not be sufficient enough.

So, by taking a closer look at a candidate’s past roles, experience, and achievements can all help determine their work habits and how effective they can be out of the office. It’s even more positive if they accomplished certain goals in a remote setting. All of these aspects can result in an understanding that they’ll be responsible, won’t take advantage of their independence, and will be productive.

2. The Employer Must Clearly Understand the Job Role

This may sound like a no brainer, but knowing exactly what it takes to complete an assignment is vital to ensure productivity from a remote employee. It can also provide the employer with a clearer understanding of their skillset. For example, if a project is taking too long to complete or assignments are constantly late, they may not be qualified for the position; are not managing their time properly; or they are taking advantage of their independence.

3. Create Meetings for Idea Sharing

According to workopils.com, employers should arrange random group chats about ongoing projects or company objectives to encourage idea sharing and creativity, which is essentially in lieu of those random chats in an office setting. Many companies use Skype, one of the many group chat apps, or even the age-old teleconferences to hold these sessions. As a result, it’s not only productive, but it further helps meet deadlines and company goals.

According to an article in recuiterbox.com, it’s often best to avoid an employee who wants the position based on the sole fact that it’s a remote position (even though they may have the qualifications). It’s always best to determine why the candidate initially applied for the role, what interests them about the opportunity, and what ideas they can bring to the table to achieve your company’s goal.

How Managers Can Reduce Stress in the Workplace

Managing stress among staff is not an easy task for employers. Tight deadlines, adhering to strict budgets or difficulties between co-workers are just a few of the origins of stress in the workplace. Yet, just as there is no one cause, there’s no one solution either.

According to a report, Reducing Stress by the University of Washington with data sourced from The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), there are a series of methods employers can utilize to reduce stress for its employees and create a happier work environment. Here are three of their key finds:

Revise or Create Workplace Policies and Best Practices

The report states that heavy workloads that aren’t achievable can create all sorts of stress. So, by properly assessing an employee’s workload, managing their workflow, and ensuring their responsibilities are reasonable given their skill set are just a few methods that can alleviate stress. In fact, the report suggests employers or managers to:

Provide the chance for an employee (when possible) to have more control over their work pace.
Engage leadership to employees, as well as middle managers and supervisors.
Ensure employees use vacation time to “disconnect” from their work environment.
Create a zero-tolerance policy for harassment.
Arrange training for employees and managers regarding resolution issues after a conflict arises.

Create Support…and more Support

Taking on the blunt a project, picking up the slack of poor performers, or just having too much work or responsibility is a common cause of stress. To alleviate it, the report suggests introducing workplace wellness programs such as walking groups or physical activity challenges as they “have concurrent benefits of increasing physical activity, social interaction, and team-building.” As a result, these activities can all help an employee realize that co-workers or managers do care. In turn, when they see the added support, they are more productive. Additionally, stress can be reduced when an employee is recognized for achievements with verbal comments, monetary rewards, or even written acknowledgements.

Increase Communication

If all else fails, communication is always best. According to the report, getting employees involved in open discussions of work-related stresses can be very effective as it can result in achieving a better understanding of the employee’s concerns and causes of stress.

Recognizing and reducing stress in the workplace is an essential task for any employer, director, or manager/supervisor. It not only helps create a more harmonious work environment, but can increases productivity to effectively move forward and meet company goals.

Why Your Company Should Consider Referrals

In an age where online job postings are king, the age-old “referral method” is overshadowed as a means of finding that right candidate for a role. In fact, more often than not, existing employees can potentially be that key link to a successful hire, providing HR professionals with an efficient process of filling an available opening.

There’s no doubt that the standard hiring process is a tried-and-true practice with great results. However, in an article on Jobvite.com, organizations that use employee referral programs for potential new hires – as well as those using ATS software – reported “that these employees draw a higher volume of high-quality candidates.” Plus, the potential hires are more likely to be a better fit for a company than non-referral candidates.

According to LinkedIn, hiring a referral is also a method that can provide several benefits to a company as a whole including:

Time Savings: In a study conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management, the average time it takes to fill a given position is 42 days. A referral can offset this time considerably as the whole process of creating a job posting, screening resumes, and conducting interviews for a shortlist of candidates is often eliminated.

Offsetting Internal Costs: There are always several costs that can be endured during the hiring process. Staffing agencies, online Job boards/fairs, advertising, candidate travel fees, background checks, and drug testing are just a few of them. In fact, according to the same study by The Society for Human Resource Management, the average cost-per-hire is approximately $4,129. While it may still take some time and effort when considering a referral, much of these resources – and the costs that go along with them – are often not required.

Higher Employee Retention: According to an additional article on Jobvite.com, companies experienced a 46 percent retention rate after one year compared to 33 percent from career sites and 22 percent from job boards. Additionally, employee referrals resulted in a 45 percent retention rate after two years; more than 20 percent from job boards after two years; and 14 percent after three years.

Although the conventional hiring process is still a great way for companies to fill a position with highly experienced candidate, a referral is just one efficient method to consider when trying to hire the right employee for your team and company.

By signing up with Ninja Gig, companies easily promote openings using online employment applications. Online job applications make it easy for qualified applicants to apply. Sign up now for your free trial and get your online job applications in front of potential candidates now.

Three Great Ways to Find Top Talent for Your Company

There are many benefits of hiring top talent. Productivity, meeting company objectives, increased motivation among co-workers…the list of incentives go on. While attracting top talent to your team is one thing, finding an employee with the talent you require is certainly another.

There are presently many employment opportunities across all spectrums of the workforce in the U.S. However, finding ideal candidates with the same drive for success can often be time consuming and present all sorts of challenges. As there are many hiring methods used by hiring managers and HR professionals, here are three great starting points to begin your search of finding top talent for your company.

Network, Network …and Network

Attending trade shows, conferences or other industry-related events overtime can no doubt lead to developing a plethora of contacts and potential great hires. According to Fundera.com networking is a “tried-and-true-way” to seek out new employees. It also allows you to recognize the hiring atmosphere of an industry, establish stronger rapport with potential candidates and even recognize skill sets and experience more easily.

Networking is not just limited to industry-related events. Online business and employment-oriented services such as LinkedIn are great ways to source talent. Many offer a bevy of features including customized profile searches, the ability to connect with contacts directly related to your industry and allow you to join professional groups with like minded industry peers.

Get Creative with Job Postings

Any industry has its own required skill sets, specific roles and terminology. Fundera.com suggests that by including your business’s personality and values through job postings candidates can more easily understand if they would be a good fit within the company’s culture and/or the specified role.

Also, be very specific – rather than vague – in a job description. By including distinctive terminology, responsibilities and/or criteria only experienced employees would understand, it allows you to see if a potential candidate identifies with the role, if they understand the responsibilities, and have the desired experience.

Persistence and more Persistence

For some hiring managers and HR professionals, finding top talent is like finding a needle in a haystack. According to LinkedIn, thousands of resumes are posted on popular online job sites every day like Indeed.com. While this may result in searching through many profiles and online resumes, chances of success are far greater if this is a consistent practice.

It also means each new search presents new opportunities to find top talent. However, as not all employees are the same to all employers, searches can be simplified by using effective keywords or utilizing functions such as custom-tailored, daily Resume Alerts.

Finding an employee may not be difficult, but finding one with the talent you need might be. While there are many tried-and-true methods among HR professionals and hiring managers, these are just a few starting points that may lead to finding that top talent your company requires for long term success.

Consider These Steps when Terminating an Employee

Terminating an employee is never easy. It is a difficult situation for both the employee and the employer. There’s some criteria to consider when terminating an employee. Yet, despite the grounds, legalities, etc., there are certain criteria to consider that can make the process less strenuous for both parties.

1. Get to the Point

Terminating an employee is always disheartening. It’s best to arrange a meeting with the employee as quickly as possible and inform them right away. Employees easily detect bad news and it’s best to be clear and direct as possible. In fact, according to an article in the Harvard Business Review, by announcing the termination immediately, the employer will get the individual’s attention about what’s coming next. Additionally, it’s suggested to inform the employee directly, then state the reasons(s) clearly so they understand it’s a firm decision that has been determined prior to the meeting.

2. Listen to the Employee

As it’s not difficult to predict the reaction of an employee getting terminated, The Harvard Business Review also suggests that by taking time, seeing their reaction, and listening to what they have to say makes it much easier to clarify the reasons of their dismissal. Plus, rushing through the meeting may seem insensitive, callous and may create unnecessary irritated emotions.

3. Be Organized to Avoid Future Repercussions

Always have the proper documents completed, including a written notice of termination (or similar documents) and details on severance (if applicable). Geneviève Desmarais, the Assistant Vice-President of Legal Affairs for The Business Development Bank of Canada suggests that when an employee disputes their termination, it’s due to the lack of back-up documentation to support it. It then “becomes a question of ‘he said, she said’ and the burden lies on the employer to demonstrate the termination was made for a just and sufficient cause, and was properly conducted.”

Some employees may be surprised by being let go, while others may have predicted their termination by realizing their lack of performance or behavior. Regardless, showing courtesy, respect and overall professionalism can help make the process less strenuous and smoother for both the employee and employer.

Bullying in the Workplace and What Employers Can Do About It

Bullying was at one time just an issue in school yards and classrooms. Yet, in recent years, bullying in the workplace has become a major concern among employees, managers and/or supervisors. While having a tough, demanding boss is one thing, bullying is something different altogether. It can essentially undermine an employees’ performance, greatly affect their overall attitude and cause unnecessary stress.

According to The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, bullying in the workplace is not illegal in the U.S. unless it involves various forms of illegal harassment. The result of bullying is extensive and can even be the potential source of physical and mental health problems. So, what can employers do about bullying and how can they prevent it in their workplace?

Here are a few actions employers can take to fight against this age-old behavior in efforts to prevent it:

1. Identify Bullying

Unlike the school yard tormentor, bullying in the workplace goes way beyond stealing lunch money. The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries also states that bullying involves many behavioral patterns towards an employee(s) including (but not limited to):

Being shouted and sworn at or humiliated.
Deliberately excluded or isolated
Excessive mentoring and micro-management
Deliberately singling out an employee for no apparent reason

2. Educate Managers, Supervisors and Directors

Employers or human resource professionals may want to implement a zero-tolerance anti-bullying program (or policy) to ensure senior staff is aware of bullying and that they are provided with proper training on how to get involved constructively. In fact, The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries states that bullying will less likely take place if a company takes a strong stand and the tormentor is likely to be accountable for their actions.

3. Reporting and Investigating Bullying

Employers can also encourage staff to report any incidents. Although no employee wants to be known as a “snitch or a tattle-tale,” reporting about bullying should be handled quietly and confidentially with assurance that there won’t be any further consequences in the workplace.

On a final note, according to the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, if an employer, supervisor or manager doesn’t take action against bullying in the workplace, then they are accepting a share of the responsibility for future abuses.

Three Reasons Why You Should You Hire a Summer Intern Full-Time

With a robust economy, low unemployment rate and manufacturing at a steady pace, it’s no surprise the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), reported that employers projected to hire 3.4 percent more interns in 2017 than 2016. In fact, 2017 was the first year since 2013 employers revealed positive hiring projections for interns, co-ops, and full-time, entry-level hires.

The association also stated that over the last several years, most membership-employers with internship (75.2 percent) and co-op (65.9 percent) programs said the primary focus of internship programs is to recruit college graduates for full-time positions.

Summer internship programs are beneficial for the employer and intern. The employer receives added assistance with daily work tasks while the intern gains much-needed work experience. It’s often easy to spot the talent of a summer intern during a summer program, yet why should a company offer a full-time position?

1. They Can Bring Value to Your Company

Many summer interns are keen and enthusiastic. Consistently devising fresh ideas and concepts for projects on an ongoing basis is a sure sign of potential future development and progress. Plus, they developed experience within a corporation over the course of an internship, and can further build on their ideas and quite possibly bring something new and exciting to the table for the long term.

2. Smooth Transition

Hiring and training new employees takes time. It can be frustrating for an employer to make the time and effort with on-the-job-training only to realize the employee becomes unhappy in their role or the employer is disappointed with their performance. Summer interns, however, have already grown into a role, their work habits are recognized, and are well-acquainted with other employees and/or clients. Plus, they are current with company operations and upcoming or ongoing projects.

3. Cost Savings

In simple terms, hiring and training a new employee means revenue for a company. According to a report from the Society for Human Resource Management, the average cost-per-hire is approximately $4,129, while the average time it takes to fill a given position is 42 days. Whereas, an intern is already present in their given role and an investment has already been made in their training.

Offering a summer intern full-time employment has several more benefits and is an effective way to develop a great team and grow a company. Even if there are no immediate openings for another team member, it’s always wise to leave the door open for a summer intern in the event of future hires.

Why You Should Your Company Use Independent Contractors?

As the hiring of contract employees is on the rise among corporations, are the days of the golden handshake, class A office space, and water cooler gossip a thing of the past? Not quite and there’s no need to worry about losing your cozy, corner office just yet.

Even though full-time still reigns supreme among America’s employed, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in May 2017 that of the four alternate work arrangements, independent contract employment accounts for a leading 6.7 percent for total employment. On-call workers were a distant 1.7 percent, temp agencies were 0.9 percent and contract firms had a total 0.6 percent.

The big question is: why is contract employment so popular? You might be surprised with the many reasons, and just as many of the benefits. Here are four of them:

Cost savings

According to Nolo.com, having a full-time employee increases payroll expenses. Benefits, dedicated office space, plus contributions to social security, unemployment compensation insurance, etc. can inflate a business’s payroll by approximately 20 to 30 percent. Whereas recruiting a contract employee eliminates most – if not all – of these expenses.

Flexibility

Nolo.com also states that many businesses experience fluctuating work flow levels throughout the year. Rather than pay a full-time salary (or salaries) – even during less busier times – the cost of a contractor is discontinued when the project is completed. Additionally, any legal compensation in the event of layoffs is – in most cases – usually not required for contractors.

Specific skillsets

It’s common knowledge that “bringing someone in” for a project will be trained specifically for a particular project. This eliminates time, effort and costs in training. Plus, having “a hired gun” for a specific project allows existing full-time employees to concentrate on other business growth.

There’s always a good time to hire an independent contractor

In a recent article from The Balance Small Business, hiring an independent contractor is ideal for when a large project is not part of a core business, which in turn, allows the opportunity for a company to generate revenue from another business sector. Additionally, the project can be executed by a professional with little supervision. Also, as contract employment is sometimes only for short periods, the project will be completed and scheduled in an allotted set period of time.

Ninja Gig Blog

HR musings for your entertainment and benefit

How to Offset Some Challenges of Remote Employees

3. Create Meetings for Idea Sharing

How Managers Can Reduce Stress in the Workplace

Consider These Steps when Terminating an Employee

Three Reasons Why You Should You Hire a Summer Intern Full-Time