Why Your Organization Needs to Create Employee Personas ASAP

Your marketing department has created detailed customer personas. They know your organization’s target audience better than they know themselves. They know exactly who they are marketing your product or service to, and, just as importantly, who they are not trying to reach.

This level of detail and clarity guides your organization’s communication strategy at the highest level and impacts the bottom line in the most profound ways. But unfortunately for the majority of companies, they don’t go to the same length internally when it’s time to hire.

And this is a shortcoming of the highest magnitude.

The standard practice for hiring companies is to create job postings stating what the open positions are, the requirements to be considered for the role, and the responsibilities expected on a daily basis. These job postings are necessary for organizing the scope of the search to one detailed page, but they are not enough on their own.

Your company’s hiring managers should also be armed with employee personas to guide their search; much like the marketing department has customer personas to guide every campaign. Here’s why this is important:

Ensure Cultural Fit
Skills and talents are obviously important in candidates, but so is their cultural fit in your organization. A highly talented but difficult to work with individual won’t add as much value to the team as you’re looking for. In fact, they could be a net-zero addition or even a detraction to the company.

This is why you need a clear persona in place that can provide guidance on the cultural aptitudes needed to fit within the organization. For example, is your company’s culture quirky, collaborative and close-knit? Put that down on paper as part of the persona. A reclusive, hyper-competitive person likely isn’t going to fit well here, regardless of how talented they are.

Separate Passions From Employment Record
It can be tempting to only rely on a candidate’s resume and cover letter, but many people aren’t truly passionate about what they’ve built their careers around. It’s possible to have a long resume without actually ever viewing a job as anything more than collecting a paycheck.

If it’s important to have a passionate workforce, make sure your employee personas capture this. For example, the persona could read “Our employees are passionate about XYZ and exemplify this even outside the workplace.” Not including passions in the persona will lead to an incomplete picture of your ideal hire, making it harder to peg the right person during the interview process.

Hire the Right Strengths, Not Just the Right Experience
Does your org chart operate with an employee strength tracking system in mind, such as CliftonStrengths? If so, include the exact metrics in your personas. Two candidates may have nearly identical resumes and experience, but their strengths could be total opposites. For example, if it’s important for a new hire to rate high in strategic thinking, you can use the strengths assessment to help determine this.

Hiring without employee personas is akin to playing billiards blindfolded. Sure, you know your way around the table well enough to hit a few good shots but the entire process is shrouded in mystery. Take the blindfold off. Get detailed.

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.

Are Your Job Descriptions Meaningful Enough?

Spend five minutes browsing any job board in the world.

I’ll wait.

Notice anything? It’s almost as if there were one person—or robot—out there writing every job description for every company.

They’re all painfully dry and repetitive.

Why?

Shouldn’t companies be more excited and proud of their openings? Most of these descriptions make it sound like they’re trying to lure someone from a job they’re unhappy with into one that they’ll eventually feel the same way about in a year.

And this is a big miss.

Companies should invest in writing more meaningful job openings and descriptions. Jazz them up. Get people excited for the opportunity to apply! If that means hiring a copywriter, so be it.

In today’s climate, candidates no longer want to simply settle for a paycheck. Millennials and Gen Z are looking for meaning. For a chance to be a part of something bigger than themselves.

If your company has a unique product or mission, own it! Write your job descriptions with your company’s own unique tone of voice. Don’t settle for the repetitive droning you’ve seen everywhere else all your life.

Writing job descriptions that stand out will do the following:

● Generate more candidates.
● Create a more competitive applicant field. Rather than receiving generic, form cover letters and resumes, applicants will take the time to try and impress you. They’ll tailor their resume for your eyes only. They’ll write individualized and engaging cover letters. They’ll reveal themselves more fully all because they want to impress you more than anything in the world.
● Subliminally communicate your company’s culture. If your company is a quirky and fun place to work, writing your job descriptions in a matching tone of voice will help weed out people turned off by such cultures, saving you precious time having to do this yourself during the hiring process.

Don’t be afraid to turn job descriptions into creative writing projects. You’ll strengthen your applicant field and make your company stand out amidst a sea of sameness.

And you’ll have more fun along the way.

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.

3 Hiring Mistakes You Must Avoid

What’s the number one warning issued to growing companies by business owners, CEO’s, and managers the world over?

Hire carefully.

It’s been said that one bad hire added to a small or growing team can be enough to sink the ship. If not handled smartly, hiring could be the kiss of death for your organization. So to help you stay safe from this pitfall, we have uncovered the three biggest mistakes to avoid.

  1. Not Assessing Strengths During the Interview Process

It is entirely possible to have two candidates with nearly identical resumes and experiences who have wildly different strengths and weaknesses. And unfortunately it is extremely difficult to get to the bottom of this with cliche interview questions like “what are your biggest strengths/weaknesses?”

Instead, incorporate a strengths assessment into the hiring process. These tests have been scientifically validated over many decades, making them a more reliable and quantifiable indicator than an interviewer’s notes. There are a ton of strengths assessment tests available online for little to no cost, so the barrier to implementing this step immediately is virtually nonexistent.

  1. Hiring Too Fast

Slow. Your. Role.

Growing companies are eager to add to their workforce so they can continue growing. But if you’re hiring too fast you’re bound to make mistakes and add a few bad apples to the team. Make sure, no matter how tempting to complete the hire and move on, you do your due diligence. This means going beyond reference and background checks. Screen their social media profiles, have them meet the people they’d be working with, give them test projects or even hire for a 30 day trial period before offering a full-time job.

The costs of bad hires are simply too high to risk moving fast.

  1. Poorly Written Job Descriptions

If your job description is written haphazardly or someone in HR is responsible for drafting one outside of their expertise, you are bound to attract the wrong applicants. Too many companies don’t think about this, so they end up with an HR professional writing job descriptions and screening applicants without any domain knowledge. For example, if you’re hiring a Public Relations and Social Media Marketing Specialist, you better have someone from PR and Marketing owning the search in its entirety. Otherwise, how is an HR professional supposed to know the lingo, skills and experiences that actually matter?

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.

Individualize Your Hiring Process With Ninja Gig

Your organization is unique. It’s different than the competition. Shouldn’t your hiring process reflect this?

Unfortunately for many HR professionals and business owners, the start of their hiring process looks exactly like the competition’s in the eyes of the applicants. And if making a great first impression is the first step to landing a great candidate, it’s time to differentiate your process.

Read on to learn how Ninja Gig makes it easy to create an individualized hiring process with customized tools to meet your needs.

Create Your Own Website Portal with a Custom URL

When you register with Ninja Gig you will automatically get your own Ninja Gig portal. You choose your own domain name (yourcompany.ninjagig.com) and you will use that link to point applicants in the right direction.

The simplicity of a ninjagig.com domain name makes remembering much easier for your applicants!

Create One-of-a-Kind Application Templates

You’re free to choose to use our default application template if you’d like, but to truly create an individualized hiring process we recommend making your own.

We don’t limit the number of questions you can add to your templates, so you can go into as much detail as you’d like. And unlike other software options out there, we do not limit the number of fields or text characters you can use, so you’re free to let your company’s tone of voice shine!

Manage Everything From One Easy to Use Dashboard

Creating an individualized hiring process doesn’t have to come with more administrative effort. After you’ve created your own website portal with a custom URL, we make it easy to manage all of your applications and job postings while tracking applicants.

Each Ninja Gig user is given a secure login where you can review and organize everything on our software. You can edit and refine all your customized materials in just a few seconds.

Wondering what your peers are saying about Ninja Gig? Check out the testimonials they’ve given here.  

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.

Pros and Cons of Working From Home

We’ve all heard the cliches about what it’s like to work from home. You wear pajamas, sit on the couch and watch TV while periodically checking your email to make sure your boss isn’t pestering you.

While the pantless, pejorative view of working from home may ring true for some, let’s take a look at the real pros and cons of substituting your kitchen for the conference room.

PROS

  1.   No commute. A recent survey result taken across 28 major U.S. cities found that 23% of workers have quit a job because of a bad commute. That means nearly 1 in 4 Americans are leaving their employers because they’re working too far from their home.

    But when you work from home this is never an issue! Not only does this add up to more “you time” in your day (the average American spends over 4.3 hours per week commuting to and from work) but it also saves you a lot of money on car maintenance and gas.

  1.   More freedom. When you don’t have to report to an office everyday, you have more freedom to choose your work environment. Many people with “work from home” jobs opt for a nearby coffee shop or outdoor cafe instead. The flexibility of working remotely frequently means you can get your work done anywhere with an internet connection. Which, in 2019, is just about anywhere.

  2. Peace and quiet. While the jury is still out on open office environments, one thing is clear about working alone from home: it’s quieter.

    For those who do their best work in a quiet setting without distraction, you can’t beat home sweet home. Offices mean sharing the space with others, and because you can’t control what other people do (or how often they interrupt your work to talk about the latest Game of Thrones episode) it can be hard to work a day without being interrupted at least a couple of times.

    And because it takes nearly 24 minutes to fully recover from an interruption, your productivity can skyrocket when left to your own devices in the confines of your home.

 

CONS

  1.   It can be lonely. The flip side of the “peace and quiet” coin is that it can get too quiet for some. Having other people around to bounce ideas off or collaborate on projects together can be stimulating. And if you’re the type of person who thrives on human interaction and watercooler talk, working from home may be too isolating.

  2.   You are ALWAYS bringing work home with you. Out of sight, out of mind can be a beautiful thing. The physical separation of the home–a place for relaxation and rejuvenation–and the office creates a mental separation as well. When the line blurs and your home becomes your office it can be more difficult to recharge at night because your work is never fully out of sight.

  3. There’s less structure. If you’re the type of person who needs a boss or colleagues to keep you motivated and on track, working from home may not be for you. Instead of reporting to the same cubicle or desk at the same time everyday, you’ll have to decide for yourself when, how and where you do your best work. Without others around to reinforce your behavior, it’s up to you to create good habits and routines.

 

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.

How Ninja Gig Streamlines Your Hiring Process

As a business owner or HR professional, there’s not a better feeling in the world than hiring a talented candidate who propels your organization to the next level.  But as anyone who has ever hired people knows, the process of getting there is never easy.

Until now that is. Thanks to Ninja Gig’s hiring software made easy, you can streamline your hiring process from the start. Here’s how.

 

  • Ninja Gig Removes the Technical Hurdles

 

Ninja Gig’s software is extremely easy to use. As part of your registration, you will automatically get your own Ninja Gig portal. We let you choose your own domain name (yourcompany.ninjagig.com) and you will use that link to point applicants in the right direction.

And we didn’t stop there!

We enabled our software to make accepting employment applications from a mobile device a piece of cake. While some job portals are nightmares to use on mobile devices, your mobile visitors will automatically be redirected to a mobile-friendly website and still enjoy your fully-functional employment application.

 

 

  • It Slashes Your Pre-Screening and Review Time

 

In traditional recruiting there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to review and pre-interview every candidate that crosses your desk. So we created the tools to fix this dilemma.

  • Create custom questions on the application to save you time on the phone later. It takes a lot of time to both schedule and take screening calls with applicants. What if you could combine the application and the screening questions into one step? With Ninja Gig you can add unlimited, customizable screening questions directly into the application. By utilizing this tool on the application, some of our customers have slashed the review and pre-interview time for an applicant from roughly an hour per applicant to only a few minutes.
  • Do away with the time-consuming paperwork. Hiring teams can rank applicants directly in the Ninja Gig portal, saving time when it comes to deciding who to invite to an interview. There’s also an electronic auto-save feature and we offer automatic downloads of each applicant and resume, so you can spend more time hiring and less time dealing with physical paperwork.  

 

 

  • Post Once, Ninja Gig Does the Rest for You

 

There are too many job boards out there to manage posting on them all. With Ninja Gig your jobs are automatically published to many job boards, including Indeed, Google Jobs, Zip Recruiter, and more.

You can turn this feature on and off at will, per job. Not only does this integration save you money on additional advertising costs, but it also saves you a ton of time, as you only have to create your jobs in one place and we do the rest!

 

 

  • Bilingual Applications

 

The world is getting increasingly global. As diversity grows in the workplace, organizations need to be prepared to respond with more diverse hiring processes. With your Ninja Gig website you can easily translate all applications into Spanish, opening the door to many more potential applicants without having to spend the time working on translations.

And no need to stop at Spanish! If you require additional language support, we are happy to add those other languages thanks to Google Translate.

 

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.

How to Win the Resume Game

Ahh the resume. The single document at the heart of the job search. Never has writing one page caused so much strife. From the infinite layout possibilities, to the key information you need to decide to include or not, it can be overwhelming for stressed job seekers.

But fret no more, we’re here to teach you how to write a resume with ease. In fact, when following these tips, most of the writing will be done for you before you even begin.

Tip 1: Reframe Your Entire Approach

As a job seeker, you need to find a job. Sometimes in a hurry. But if you approach your job search merely through the lens of your needs, you are already putting yourself at a disadvantage.

Instead, you should focus on the hiring manager’s need to find the right person. Reframing your search in this way will help you write a resume tailored to your audience.

 

Tip 2: Write a New Resume For Each Application

It’s tempting to think of a resume as a static, “one size fits all” document. This is how most job seekers approach their resumes. And it’s why over 80% of resumes get ignored.

Instead of writing a single resume and blasting it out to anyone and everyone, tweak each version according to the needs of the job posting. Think of your resume as akin to an audition tape; an actor would never submit a comedy sample to film directors seeking to fill a serious role, so why would you submit the same resume to dozens of companies all seeking different skills and experiences?

 

Tip 3: Use the Job Posting to Write Each Version of Your Resume

Ok, tip number two sounds like a lot of work. But here’s the thing: tweaking your resume dozens of times per day is actually quite easy when you let the job description write it for you.

To get considered for an interview, your resume needs to match the requirements and skills listed in the job description. Busy hiring managers will only have enough time to skim all the resumes they receive for matches to the job description. So you should rewrite your resume using the same words used in the job posting, word for word. This doesn’t mean you should say something about yourself if it’s not true, but it does mean you should describe yourself verbatim to the company’s description. Write “good written and verbal communication skills,” not “I’m a good writer and I communicate well with colleagues.” Write “possess strong leadership skills,” not “proven leader.”

 

Tip 4: Trim the Fat

It’s tempting to list EVERYTHING you’ve ever done on your resume. We think this depth will be viewed favorably by companies, but, in reality, it often leads to resumes landing in the rejection pile. Because your resume needs to focus on what you can do for them, not on why their job opening works for you, you need to write a hyper-focused resume that only contains relevant information for your audience.

If you worked as a marketer for the first five years of your career before becoming an IT professional, your next application for an IT opening doesn’t need to include five bullet points on what you accomplished in marketing. The hiring manager simpy won’t care because it has no bearing on whether you have the skills and experiences necessary to become their next IT wizard. Feel free to keep the job on the resume in order to fill any voids in your timeline, but it can just be a single line. Save the precious space to expand upon your success in IT.

The job search is hard enough. Don’t let a weak resume stand in your way. Follow these four tips and watch the interview invites roll in.

 

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.

Explode Your Recruiting Reach With These 4 Hacks

Spend some time on any job site on the internet and you’ll quickly notice something: big companies are spending a fortune to promote their openings.

But what are you, as a small business, to do? You’ll never have the same recruiting budget as the big boys, but that doesn’t mean you can’t achieve the same reach to find employees. We’ve compiled our top hacks for exploding your reach with Ninja Gig using free (or low cost) online tools and social media best practices.

Read on to learn how to reach more candidates starting right now!

 

1. Build a direct link on your homepage

The first tip is the easiest. After you’ve created your Ninja Gig portal and chosen your custom domain name (yourcompany.ninjagig.com), you’ll be ready to promote the link anywhere and everywhere. But too many companies forget to start with the low-hanging fruit first.

So, start at home–literally. Your organization’s homepage is the most widely visited page on your site, so why would you bury your job openings on another page? You can provide potential candidates with an easy apply through the Ninja Gig link as soon as they land on your site.

2. Create a Social Media Video with Link

All the major social media platforms use algorithms to determine reach. Which means that in order to get your content out to as many candidates as possible, you need to create content that the algorithms favor. And video posts can average 50%+ more reach than any other form of content!

Most companies simply post a boring “We’re Hiring” post with a plain text link to the opening. Not only can you reach more candidates with video, but you’ll also garner more applicants by sharing an engaging video that shows why your organization is a great place to work. The video does not have to be high-end (you can even shoot it on your phone) but it must be authentic and inspire candidates to want to apply.

Be sure to include a “Apply Now” link on the post to your beautiful Ninja Gig portal so candidates can easily swipe/tap/click their way to the application.

3. Embed a “We’re Hiring!” Link to Your Ninja Gig Portal in All Company Emails

Whether there are a handful of employees at your company or thousands, the reach from current staff adds up. Turn your entire workforce into a recruiting army by embedding the Ninja Gig links in all company email signatures. Use a tool like HubSpot’s or Gimmio to implement with ease.

4. Create a Social Media Post For Current Employees to Share

References are the most powerful recruitment tool, which is why most organizations offer referral bonuses to current employees. Use your employees’ motivation to land the bonus in your favor by creating a social media post that they can simply swipe and post to their personal accounts. Not only are you amplifying your reach for free by tapping into their personal networks, but the message itself means more when it comes via word of mouth from a current employee.

Use a tool like Canva or Pablo by Buffer to create a stunning visual that employees will be proud to share with their networks along with your company’s Ninja Gig link.

 

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.

5 Qualities Companies Look For When Hiring

Job searching can be a lonely process. Rejections, ignored applications and long days of scrolling online job boards will make you feel like you need a vacation before you’re even hired.

But, job seekers take heed, there are specific qualities all companies look for in their new hires. Maybe you already possess some of them, maybe not, but all can be learned before you land your next opportunity.

Currently Employed
Let’s get this one out of the way first. While it is true that companies prefer to hire candidates currently employed elsewhere, you don’t necessarily need to hold official employment status to demonstrate this quality.

For example, if you’re currently unemployed and on the job hunt, consider taking an unpaid internship or volunteer position with a company. You’ll learn valuable skills and you can list it on your resume just like you would any other job. You’ll find that many hiring companies don’t care if you’re working for free; they may even applaud the go-getter initiative this displays.

Strong Work Ethic
It can be tempting to turn your resume into nothing more than a list of roles you’ve held. But companies want to know what you’ve accomplished, not just what seats you’ve occupied. Make sure you can demonstrate how your hard work has translated into tangible results and success for current/previous employers. If you can’t paint a picture in the employer’s mind of how hard you work, they’ll never know.

Loyal
Are you looking for your next temporary landing spot, or a long and fruitful career? While the modern world has reshaped what is considered an acceptable tenure with an employer (the average person now changes jobs an average of 12 times during his or her career), hiring managers are still on the lookout for someone who wants to grow with the company long-term. Make sure you can demonstrate why you are looking for growth opportunities.

Collaborative
Do you play well with others? There are very few jobs in the world where being a team player is not a prerequisite. When job-seeking, you should demonstrate that any prior success was due in large part to the team around you. Employers want to know that you will not cause any team dysfunction if they are to bring you on board, so do not leave it as an unknown question mark in their minds.

Culturally Balanced
While your strength as a candidate should depend first and foremost on your skill set, employers are also looking for certain cultural qualities to fit their company. Before getting too far along in the application process with any company, do your homework on what the culture is like there. A company’s website and their LinkedIn and Glassdoor pages are a great starting point to do a little reconnaissance. You don’t need to be a social butterfly, but companies want to know what type of person you are as a whole (you’ll be spending a lot of time together should they hire you), so share a little about what hobbies and interests pique your interest outside of work.

Ninja Gig makes hiring super simple for companies of all sizes.  Ready to simplify your hiring process and find great candidates?  Sign up now for a 30-day free trial and start accepting job applications online immediately!

 

Full-Service Restaurants Trends

Several new restaurant trends are kicking off 2019 with a bang. Whether you’re looking to reinvent your restaurant or want to start a new eatery, check out these restaurant trends.

Cuisines

Peruvian food is making a big comeback in 2019, as well as regional Russian, Italian, Mexican and Asian. Additionally, down south, experts expect to see more Creole, Cajun and Floribbean tastes expanding along the East Coast. If you are looking into delving into these new cuisines, look for a chef or kitchen staff with experience to help implement inspiring dishes.

Seasonings and Sauces

Sauces, such as South American chimichurri; African harissa, berbere, dukkah, zhug, tahini and baharat from the Middle East; sambal, adobo, chaat masala from Asia; fermented foods and sweet and sour tastes from Eastern Europe; and pepper sauce, varietal citrus and jerk seasoning from the Caribbean are expected to be big flavor profiles over the next several months. Gone are the days of only using salt and pepper, so bring in the big spice guns!

Health

As the Baby Boomer population ages, there will be more menus focusing on health trends to help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and other harmful medical conditions that may be controlled by diet. Additionally, younger generations are turning to more plant-based foods and restaurants are going to be incorporating foods that have the same taste and texture of meat, but are plant-based.

Beverages

IPAs are the hottest beverage of the moment, and with the gluten-free trend making headlines, varietal apple and pear ciders from the Pacific Northwest are rapidly winning more awards and becoming more in demand in restaurants.

CBD-Infusions

As legalized marijuana gains popularity in several states across the nation, cannabis will begin being incorporated into several different drinks and menus across restaurant concepts.

Vegetables

Dark green vegetables, such as cabbage and chicory are coming into the spotlight, and we anticipate they may be bigger than the star center of attention – kale – that has hogged the restaurant trend limelight for many years. Cabbage and chicory are easy to flavor, and they’re very versatile, which will make them a welcome addition to many menus.

Delivery

Delivery will be a central trend that helps to drive restaurant sales this year. Delivery-only items will have higher profit margins and will need to travel well, which means that experts predict the rise of more delivery-only storefronts that do not feature in-store seating.

Technology

With there being more jobs than employees right now, restaurants may start to limit the number of servers touching tables and begin using tablets to help streamline more routine ordering processes. Restaurants can easily use technology to alter menu options and provide a customizable platform for diners.

Smart Equipment

As rents increase and kitchen spaces decrease, restaurants will be relying on more “smart” equipment that is Bluetooth-enabled to program settings, reduce errors and improve efficiencies.

Are you interested in finding the top, brightest talent to help run your kitchen and restaurant? 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.