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

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.

What to Know When Hiring Teens for Restaurant Jobs

The U.S. Department of Labor has a Wage and Hour Division that provides advice and guidance to employers so they can comply with child labor provisions. Many young adults and teens have part-time jobs, but it’s important that employers comply with federal regulations.

Many teens have part-time restaurant jobs. Here are some questions that restaurants need to consider when hiring young adults under the age of 18. If you answer yes to any of these questions, you may be out of compliance.

  1. Will they operate or clean power-driven meat processing machines and slicers?
  2. Will they clean or operate any power-driven equipment, such as bakery machines or dough mixers?
  3. Will they operate, load or unload any compactors or balers?
  4. Will they drive any type of motor vehicle on the job?

Here are some questions that employers need to consider that relate to hiring minors.

Do any workers 16 and younger do any of the following?

  1. Cook? If yes, 14 and 15-year-olds may not cook over an open flame, but only over an electric or gas grill. They may not use pressurized fryers.
  2. Bake? Minors 16 and younger may not perform any baking duties, including weighing, mixing or assembling ingredients or operating convection or pizza ovens.
  3. Handle hot grease or oil or clean cooking equipment? If yes, 14 and 15-year-olds may do these tasks, but they cannot repair power-driven equipment. They may only perform these cleaning tasks if the equipment or liquids are below 100°F.
  4. Load or unload items from a conveyor or truck? If yes, 14 and 15-year-olds may not load or unload items from trucks, tanks, railroad cars, conveyors, boats, planes or any other types of transportation. They may, however, load into motor vehicles items that are light, non-power-driven and are personal related items, such as jackets for job sites.
  5. Working inside a meat cooler or freezer? 14 and 15-years-olds may not work in meat coolers or freezers, but they may momentarily retrieve items from them.
  6. Operate power-driven equipment? Minors may not operate, adjust, setup, repair or clean any power-driven equipment, which may include bread slicers, bagel slicers, lawnmowers, golf carts, trimmers, weed-whackers, etc. They may operate vacuum cleaners, basic office machinery, and devices that relate to serving food, such as dishwashers, popcorn poppers, toasters, coffee grinders and milkshake blenders.
  7. Work on or from ladders? Minors may not perform any work that requires scaffolds, ladders or window washing that requires working from windowsills.
  8. Work during school hours? Minors cannot work during school hours, which are determined by public schools in the area. Even if the minor is homeschooled or attends private school, they cannot be employed during the times when public school is in session. Outside of school hours is acceptable and is defined as before or after those hours, summer vacations, holidays, Saturdays or Sundays. They however, cannot be employed before 7:00 AM on any day.

The U.S. Department has many more requirements that restaurants must comply with when hiring minors and children under the age of 18 to work part-time. An excellent reference, complete with specific tests and requirements is located at https://www.youthrules.gov/for-employers/compliance/restaurant/

 

Ninja Gig is a convenient way to offer online employment applications to help reach teens, especially on social media sites. Most of today’s youth have Smartphones and having online job applications is a great way for restaurants to reach part-time workers.  Sign up now for a 30-day free trial of our applicant tracking system, and see just how easy our software makes the process.

How Small Companies Can Attract Top Talent

Big business, such as Amazon, Microsoft and Google woo job candidates with remarkable benefits, perks and brand-name recognition. How can smaller employees compete with corporations for top talent?

 

Instead of having corporation envy, let’s consider all the things that small businesses have that corporations don’t, which will help you put together a plan of attack to recruit the top talent for your organization.

  • Small business is less bureaucratic than corporations, which means there’s more one-on-one interaction with management.
  • Employees have broader job descriptions in small organizations because larger companies define roles that are more specialized.
  • Entrepreneurs treat employees as if they’re an extension of a large family, instead of just a documented number.
  • Flexibility is paramount in small companies, which is something that some employees strongly desire.
  • Smaller companies can tailor positions to candidate’s strengths, especially if they see the potential for growth in someone.

When posting positions, appeal to these traits to attract people that want to work for smaller companies.

  1. Executives will want equity in exchange for the risk of coming on board a smaller company. Consider profit and revenue sharing plans.
  2. For mid-level management, explain that the company has staying power and they have more ability to influence their team.
  3. Entry-level workers will want an opportunity for growth.
  4. Remember to highlight how individual employee’s skills contribute to the success of the business overall.

Ninja Gig makes it easy for companies of all sizes to manage their online job applications. A unique feature of Ninja Gig is that companies can sign up and pause their contract at any time, which makes it an ideal advertising vessel for small companies to use to post online employment applications. Don’t wait, sign up now for your free trial and get your online job applications in front of potential candidates now.

Improve Your Recruiting Process NOW

It’s a New Year, which means it’s an ideal time to evaluate your current recruiting process. Many companies struggle to find qualified candidates and then retain them, and while some of this is attributed to a buzzing job market, there are ways companies can improve their chances of keeping candidates long-term.

Job Postings

Your job posting is the first step in the recruiting process. Companies need to explain the position to attract qualified candidates. Instead of only listing experience, training and education, highlight day-to-day activities of the positions, including setting forth 90-day goals for new hires. This will help attract and retain the right fit for the position. Instead of being vague, include the exact types of experience needed to grow in the job successfully.

Get Several Opinions

Instead of only relying on one opinion for a candidate, ask several different key players in the company to weigh in. First, ask them to review the job description and when interviewing the top candidates, ask them to actively participate. The more opinions, the better able each person can under the candidate and see if they are a match for the position.

Test Candidates

Instead of only relying on resumes, test candidates for technical skills. For example, if interviewing for a copywriter, ask them to write a press release or article about a specific topic or if the test is for a salesperson, set up a quick mock sales call. If the test is spontaneous, you can easily see and measure who responds quickly, and who delivers under real-world pressure.

Consistency

Every candidate needs to experience the same recruiting process to avoid discrimination claims. While candidates can undergo different phases of the recruiting process, like only conducting tests or in-person interviews for highly qualified applicants, it’s best to make sure that everyone goes through the process. For example, one applicant shouldn’t have an in-person interview that focuses on work-related questions, while another focuses on personal questions. Consistency is critical when trying to find the right fit for your company.

Growth and Development

It is essential to be open-minded during the recruiting process, as someone can look excellent on paper, but another candidate could have the potential for more growth and development, which would make them a more viable long-term candidate.

 

Ninja Gig can help your business grow by attracting the best talent for your organization. If you’re looking to hire and implement a thorough recruiting process, check out Ninja Gig’s customizable online employment applications. For an all-inclusive flat monthly fee, you can use Ninja Gig to customize unlimited online job applications, which makes it easy to post on popular job boards, on websites and social media sites. Sign up now for your free trial and start getting your online job applications in front of potential candidates now.

Most in Demand Jobs for 2019

The latest list of in-demand jobs for 2019 is here! Here are some of the top highlights and jobs that will dominate the workforce this year and into the next several years.

  1. Home Health Aides – With an aging baby boomer population, it’s becoming more important for home health care. Whether someone is disabled, cognitively impaired or chronically ill, home health aides can assist in allowing people to stay in the comforts of their homes, bathing and dressing clients and even do light errands or housekeeping.
  2. Medical Assistants – The healthcare industry is one of the fastest growing job markets, and experts anticipate that by 2024, medical assistants will grow by 138,900 jobs. Medical assistants are responsible for examining and treating patients that are under a physician’s care, which may include interviewing patients, getting their vitals and documenting information.
  3. Computer Systems Analyst – In our computer and technology filled age, it’s no wonder that IT jobs are still among the fastest growing industries. Computer system analysts are responsible for researching, analyzing and modifying any necessary programming systems, which may include debugging or offering support for companies’ computer systems. This position may also help assist technical writers in writing manuals for installation and operating systems.
  4. Medical Secretaries – Different from medical assistants, medical secretaries provide pre-authorization and certifications from insurance companies for patients, support clinic staff and provide patients with information about procedure costs. They may also type dictation notes, screen callers, answer telephones, greet visitors and relay messages.
  5. Software Developers – Software developers help to design, create and develop software applications, which is a significant market for computers and phone apps. This position usually requires a degree and related area experience.
  6. Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists – These careers are increasing in demand because they help analyze and evaluate programs or products to see if there is a market share. It also requires pouring over data to understand customer trends.
  7. Nursing – This field includes nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses, licensed vocational nurses and registered nurses. Nursing as a whole is an expanding profession, especially with Baby Boomers needing age-related care. The only position that doesn’t require a degree and advanced training is nursing assistants. The remaining fields require an associate’s or bachelor’s degree.
  8. Restaurant Cook – The market expects to see 158,900 new jobs for restaurant cooks by 2024 alone! The restaurant business continues to boom, especially with apps such as Yelp, Open Table, GrubHub and Uber Eats gaining traction in the marketplace.
  9. Electrician – As we invent new electrical equipment, electricians are in increasing demand. Electricians are responsible for installing, repairing, inspecting and maintaining electronic systems, electrical, circuits and related equipment.
  10. Construction Laborer – Constructor laborers perform repairs and maintenance for carpentry, plumbing, painting, machine servicing, plastering, electrical and even vehicle servicing.

To help your company stay on top of the latest hiring trends, you want to attract the best and brightest talent for the position. Ninja Gig specializes in custom online employment applications. For a flat monthly rate, you can use Ninja Gig and customize UNLIMITED online job applications. Sign up now for your free trial and start getting your online job applications in front of potential candidates in this New Year.