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.

The Latest in HR Trends

Every year seems to have a different focus on the HR industry, so what trends are going to be present throughout 2019? Ninja Gig weighs in with what they are seeing kick off this new year.

Personalization

In the past, many companies have focused on a “one-size-fits-all” approach to standardizing businesses. Employees have different work styles, and some employees work better in a collaborative work environment, while others prefer more isolation and silence. Tailoring specific office design settings to employees’ work styles helps to produce more productive employees and a personalized work environment.

Trust

Trust is a big one. Do people trust the companies that employ them? If not, then it makes it difficult for employees to be loyal and stay with a company long-term. I mean if someone doesn’t trust their employer, why do they still work there? If a company says they’re going to do something, they should try their best to do it. Broken promises and smoke and mirrors all contribute to a poor work environment, which leads to higher turnover rates.

Paternalism

While traditionally companies have been taught that leaders and managers should be good coaches, this isn’t necessarily true. In reality, many managers aren’t good, motivating coaches. It’s essential that managers undergo training to help them understand the process of becoming a good coach. If you invest in helping managers to become good coaches and teach them how to enjoy their jobs more, you’ll have long-term employees that are more productive and happy.

Doing Less

Management needs to make an impact by doing less because it produces more significant results in the workplace. If there are an overwhelming number of rules and regulations, work can feel more like going into court than a positive working environment.

Focusing on People

Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in semantics, but in the end, all employees are people. Sometimes the expectations of the workforce can be too high. Understanding the psychology of people, what motivates them and how they are driven to succeed will significantly help to improve company performance.

Salary Calculators

In a market where there are more jobs than candidates, how does a company stay competitive with salaries?

In looking at several different salary calculators online, Ninja Gig has compiled a list of the top tools to use this year.

Indeed

Ninja Gig posts jobs to Indeed because it’s the largest online job posting site on the Internet. Indeed has an extensive database from which it pulls job ads, worker reports and employer information. Free to use, it gathers information from a number of organizations, which makes it a useful tool for analyzing competitors.

Salary.com

An exclusive employer-reported information site, the basic service for Salary.com is free, but subscriptions can vary from $29.95 to $1,200 a year, depending on several factors, including industry, company size and geographic location.

BLS Salary Survey

The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) uses quarterly employer surveys that rely on geography, industry, organization size and job characteristics, to allow companies to analyze salaries. As a bonus, this is free because it’s a federal organization and receives funds from tax dollars.

PayScale

PayScale relies on employee-reported information that is regularly updated as more people visit their salary information. The first comparison report is complimentary, but after that, pricing varies on a case-by-case basis.

LinkedIn Salary is a new feature that uses employer-reported data and is free to Premium subscribers. It allows for easy comparisons for salaries with similar titles in other companies.

Staying competitive on wages is an essential component to attracting high-quality candidates to your company. If companies offer salaries that are too low, you’ll miss out on quality candidates that won’t apply for fear of being unappreciated. On the flip side, if they’re too high it might seem too good to be true, and then you’re also leaving money on the table.

With Ninja Gig, companies can rest assured that their online employment applications make it in front of qualified candidates. Sign up now for your free trial and get your online job applications in front of potential candidates now.

Employment Screening Trends

More employers are starting to use social media screening for applicants, combined with real-time employee monitoring. With more job openings than employees to fill positions, employers are beginning to consider applicants with criminal records.

Social Media

This year, more employers will use background check providers to search for candidates online and in their social media profiles. However, employers need to make sure these searches do not violate the Fair Credit Reporting Act or Equal Employment Opportunity Commission standards.

Additionally, many people post about problems with their jobs online, which can give employers insight into why applicants are really leaving their current positions. While many employers may think that they’re legally screening online for candidates, in many ways, it’s best to leave social media screening to background check companies to ensure there is no discrimination. If an employer makes a decision about an employee’s post that relates to race, color, religion, sex or national origin, that’s when legal problems abound. Companies that specialize in these types of checks won’t leak information about someone’s sexual orientation veteran status or race, which helps offer employers necessary protection should any discrimination claims arise.

Ongoing Monitoring

Continuous monitoring is also important and is rapidly becoming a new employer trend. Monitoring existing employees for illegal behavior is just as important after the hiring process. It can indicate illicit drug use, embezzlement or illegal activities. This also includes looking for court records, which is important for companies that rely on employees to drive for business. As long as new information notifies the employee that a full background check is triggered, it’s legal to have companies subscribe to services that provide ongoing monitoring.

Criminal Records

Many employers find a minimal difference in the quality between hiring applicants with and without criminal records. With the current labor shortage, many employers have turned to an underutilized source of labor: former inmates and ex-offenders, which compromise nearly 20 million Americans.

Criminal records, such as misdemeanors, or people that have served their time and are rehabilitated, can give people a second chance at a career or job. Industries that may consider hiring those with past criminal records include warehousing, transportation, construction, manufacturing, retail and call centers.

Ninja Gig makes it simple for companies to manage their online employment applications. Additionally, Ninja Gig posts to a range of job search sites, making sure that companies get the necessary exposure needed to help attract top quality candidates. Sign up now for your free trial and get your online job applications in front of potential candidates now.

Hot Restaurant Trends

What restaurant trends are anticipated to dominate 2019? Sit back, kick up your feet and take a walk on the wild side of the restaurant industry.

Old-School French Techniques

French cooking techniques are classic and this year will see a significant return of old-school methods.

Smaller Restaurants

This year we will continue to see elevated, cozy restaurants that feature open kitchens, counter dining, tasting menus and creative menu options, proving that bigger is not always better.

Fast and Casual

One movement is combining high-quality, luxury ingredients with a fast, casual environment that caters to American’s busy lifestyles.

Dining In

More on-the-go luxury meals, meal-prep packages and a return to home cooking will be a comfort this year.

Latin American Fusion

Miami is seeing many chefs from Central and South America opening Latin American restaurants. Latin American flavors and cuisine will continue to spread across the country, which means that the foods of Cuba and Venezuela will have a far-reaching impact on our culture.

Plant-Based Entrees and Proteins

Instead of entrees just having a substitute for meat, chefs will work to create plant-based options that are complete stand-alone dishes. This will help with a lot of dietary restrictions that people may face, especially with diabetes and other weight-related illnesses playing a significant role in eating more plant-based foods.

Kelp

Sustainable and healthy, more chefs will incorporate kelp into their menus this upcoming year.

Transparent Sourcing

More Americans want to know the origins of their food, which is forcing restaurants and chefs to look at where they source their ingredients.

Is your restaurant looking to expand? Consider embracing some of these delicious food trends, while also hiring the best, brightest talent for your kitchen and staff. Even the freshest ingredients fail to shine if a kitchen can’t work together to create a cohesive dish. Furthermore, if the wait staff aren’t memorable in a positive way, this can spread like wildfire, affecting your restaurant’s bottom line. Invest in Ninja Gig and easily tap into a wealth of experienced applicants that can help you take your restaurant to the next level and achieve your long-term dreams. Sign up now for your free trial and start getting your online job applications in front of potential candidates now.

Employee Success: Why Everyone Wants to Work for Chick-Fil-A

Chick-Fil-A is one of the best fast food restaurants to work for according to their dedicated employees. How does a company create an environment that fosters team building and pride in what they produce? Let’s take a glimpse into the success behind Chick-Fil-A.

The Employees

Chick-Fil-A has a good policy to hire polite, intelligent and hard-working employees. When companies focus on recruiting quality talent, they tend to have employees that get along better and work well as a team. This can also foster long-term friendships, in addition to happier employees that enjoy their jobs. It’s about creating a sense of family on the job.

The Food

This one is more obvious. Why does someone want to work at Chick-Fil-A? Well, the food is a big reason! Not only do they give employees food discounts, but their food is really good! Delicious food, great friends – this combination begets a positive culture that attracts good people.

Customers

The company is big on delivering top-notch customer service and promotes kindness towards one another. Additionally, many Chick-Fil-A locations have regular customers, and when employees and customers enjoy the atmosphere, it creates a better, stress-free working environment.

Growth

The one thing about Chick-Fil-A is that they value their employees and want them to grow and succeed. That’s why the restaurant offers many opportunities for employees to test their leadership skills and earn valuable promotions. Whether an employee starts as shy and learns to find their voice as a team leader, or someone offers emotional support to help create a better team environment, the restaurant is all ears and eyes when it comes to fostering growth amongst its employees.

The Day-to-Day Work

While Chick-Fil-A is a very fast-paced environment, staying busy helps the time fly by. Additionally, the restaurant has different positions, which means that monotony and doing the same repetitive tasks day in and day out are eliminated, helping to keep employees interested and engaged in their work.

Sundays Off

Of course, having Sundays off also helps employees. It’s an excellent way to give everyone a break to focus on their homework, studying, church, families or just decompressing and enjoying a day away. And while many of us moan about not being able to get our Sunday Chick-Fil-A craving fix, the company respects their employees, which speaks volumes.

Do you have a small or large restaurant and are looking to create a great working environment to attract employees? Ninja Gig can help! Use our UNLIMITED online employment application software to advertise to teens and young adults on social media channels and websites. Sign up now for your free trial and start getting your online job applications in front of potential candidates now.

Top Recruiting Trends

The art of recruiting is taking a turn, and the focus is on treating candidates more like customers. Companies want to groom and entice applicants because studies show that our current job market is 90% candidate driven. This indicates that companies are not in charge of picking top talent, but good employees will choose the company where they want to work.

This year will see several new recruiting trends. To draw candidates to your organization, consider the following recruiting techniques.

Recruitment Marketing

Recruitment marketing helps companies nurture and attract employees by using recruiting tactics and methods. This includes companies following the latest market trends and being proactive to find solutions to overcome new employment challenges.

Inbound Recruiting

Inbound Recruiting involves a company taking a proactive and continual approach to help attract new candidates into choosing them as their next employer. The primary goal when utilizing inbound recruiting is to attract, convert and engage candidates. Many companies use social media to help accomplish these goals, which are excellent strategies long-term.

Employer Branding

Building an employer brand is an essential component in attracting top tier talent to an organization. Employer branding refers to several different aspects, including a company’s reputation, their overall popularity as an employer and how they value their employees. Research shows that nearly 75% of applicants research a company’s reputation before applying for a position. Companies that have poor reputations can often struggle to attract and retain quality candidates.

Social Recruiting

Social media channels are a popular way to boost job recruitment. This can include Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs, job boards, forums and websites. Staying up-to-date and advertising upcoming or open positions, and using a job management board such as Ninja Gig, are excellent recruiting strategies.

Employee Referrals

One of the best ways to find top talent is to have a company program that supports employee referrals. Employees that are referred to a company take the least amount of time to hire and usually will accept less money, especially if friends boast about a healthy work environment.

Need help managing online job applications to help boost your recruiting and employment process? If so, Ninja Gig’s unique job platform allows you to customize UNLIMITED online employment applications. Sign up now for your free trial and start getting your online job applications in front of potential candidates this year.

2019 Workplace Trends

As 2019 gains full speed ahead, some new workplace trends will be popping up in companies across America. We want to highlight a couple of these important trends that will define the workplace over the coming several months.

Centralized Communication

Workplaces need a form of centralized communication to ensure that all employees are on the same page. While some companies have tried instant messaging to help curtail overflowing inboxes, reports show that employees feel pressure to respond to instant messages immediately. This also decreases overall productivity and may lead to employees having difficulty concentrating on tasks. While instant messages and other chat applications will not disappear, we anticipate they will take a backseat, and we will see a shift in overall communication within companies.

Work-Life Balance

With the advent of technology and digital tools, many employees can work remotely and set their schedules. However, the push for work-life balance will be a central theme for employees. Companies need to let their teams know that work-life balance is a priority to them to help boost employee morale. In fact, work-life balance comes in third when employees consider essential job security components, with salary and job security coming in first and second. Companies need to set clear expectations and boundaries, and not expect employees to be readily available for work around the clock to help accomplish this goal.

Fast Paced Environments

Just because employees want a better work-life balance does not mean that the pace at which companies expect their employees to work will slow down. In fact, with today’s collaborative work management platforms, templates, automation and other technology, employees can accomplish more in less time. This year will not be about robots and automation replacing employees, but about how these technological advancements can help improve workflow and increase business productivity.

Mentorships

While we focus so much on technology, the human element of business is not forgotten. Young millennials in the workforce define their success by rapidly growing their careers. However, employees that stay with companies long-term have mentors to help them successfully build their jobs. Businesses that pair up younger employees with experienced workers can help to implement a retention strategy that boosts morale and personal growth.

Gender Equality

A hot button topic last year, gender equality will continue to define workplace culture and personal interactions in 2019. One study conducted by Ernst and Young shows that increasing women in leadership positions by 30% helps to boost company profitability by as much as 15%. We anticipate that 2019 will make more headway implementing requirements and mandates to ensure that gender equality becomes an integral part of company culture.

Is your company interested in staying on top of the latest hiring trends for 2019? Ninja Gig offers custom employment applications so you can advertise that your company promotes work-life balance, mentorships, open communication and gender equality. For a flat monthly fee, you can use Ninja Gig to customize UNLIMITED online job applications. Sign up now for your free trial and start getting your online job applications in front of potential candidates this year.