And there’s one more: automation. With the advent of generative and other AI tools rapidly populating the techsphere, automation in HR is becoming the next big technological development affecting your work.

The growing importance of automation in HR

So what exactly is automation in HR? It refers to the use of tech to automate manual and repetitive tasks, including recruitment, onboarding, employee data management, performance management, and analytics. Recent advances have made it easier and more cost-effective for companies to automate these processes, freeing up valuable resources that can be directed towards more strategic activities.

But you know what? The growing importance of automation in HR isn’t limited to just that – it goes beyond cost saving and resource allocation.Let’s look at two benefits for starters:

Greater accuracy

One of the key benefits of automation in HR is increased accuracy and consistency. Robots don’t make mistakes – humans do. Technology is simply designed to replicate what humans do at scale.

Think about the vast volume of manual processes that sucks up your day hours, such as resume screening, organizing interviews, collecting information from hiring managers, defining the ideal candidate profile, and more. All of that is subject to error and bias and it’s more so because we do get a little sloppy when we’re doing the same thing over and over and over again.

Automation helps eliminate all that by ensuring that tasks are completed in a consistent and standardized manner – even in the wee hours of the early morning when humans are just completely checked out of the system.

So… automation makes for smoother, more consistent and accurate processes.

Increased compliance

Here’s something that keeps people up at night – especially those whose heads are on the chopping block if their company gets in a legal bind when managing employees. Your in-house counsel can only do so much to protect you in your HR processes that are subject to numerous laws.

Those laws include the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), and much, much more.

Compliance with these laws can be a complex and time-consuming process, but automation can help to ensure that all processes are in compliance with the relevant regulations – including automatic reporting, data monitoring and so on.

Streamlining recruitment and onboarding processes

One of the key benefits of automation in HR is the ability to streamline recruitment and onboarding processes, which can be time-consuming and often require significant resources. Automation can help to make these processes more efficient, less error-prone and more engaging for candidates.

Efficient Applicant Tracking Systems

Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are a type of software that help organizations manage and streamline their recruitment process. With an ATS, recruiters can easily advertise job openings, receive and filter resumes, track candidate progress and more.

An ATS can also help to eliminate bias in the recruitment process by automatically screening resumes for specific keywords, qualifications and experience. This ensures that all candidates are evaluated on the same criteria, making the recruitment process fairer and more objective.

Furthermore, an ATS can provide valuable insights into the recruitment process, such as the effectiveness of job postings and the sources of the most successful candidates. This data can be used to refine and improve recruitment strategies, leading to better hires and a more efficient recruitment process overall.

Automated interview scheduling

The automation of interview scheduling can save recruiters a significant amount of time by eliminating the need for manual scheduling. Advanced scheduling tools can even find the best available time slots that work for both the recruiter and candidate.

Automated interview scheduling can also help to reduce no-shows and last-minute cancellations by sending out automated reminders and confirmations to candidates. This ensures that both recruiters and candidates are prepared and ready for the interview, leading to a more efficient and effective process overall.

Simplifying employee onboarding

The automation of employee onboarding processes can help to make the experience smoother and more engaging for new hires. Employees can complete paperwork, participate in training sessions and obtain necessary documentation from their managers online, saving significant amounts of time and paper-based documentation.

Automated onboarding can also help to ensure that all new hires receive the same information and training, leading to a more consistent and effective onboarding experience. This can help to reduce turnover rates and improve employee satisfaction and retention.

In addition, automated onboarding can help to reduce errors and omissions in the onboarding process by providing a checklist of tasks and documents that need to be completed. This ensures that all necessary steps are taken, leading to a more efficient and effective onboarding process overall.

Enhancing employee engagement and performance management

Automation in HR can improve employee engagement and performance management by incorporating real-time feedback systems and data-driven performance evaluations. In addition to these benefits, there are other ways that automation can improve the workplace.

Real-time feedback and recognition tools

Real-time feedback and recognition tools help employees to stay motivated and engaged by providing instant feedback on their work. These tools ensure more frequent feedback cycles and can help create a culture of recognition and continuous improvement across the organization. In addition, these tools can help managers to identify high-performing employees and provide them with opportunities for career advancement.

For example, a real-time feedback tool could be used to track the progress of a sales team. The tool could provide instant feedback on the number of sales made, the average sale value, and the conversion rate. This information could be used to identify top performers and provide them with additional training and development opportunities.

Data-driven performance evaluations

Data-driven performance evaluations leverage algorithms and data analytics to evaluate employees’ performance more objectively, with less room for human bias. Data analysis can help organizations identify areas where employees may require training or upskilling, helping to improve their overall productivity and performance.

In addition, data-driven performance evaluations can help managers to identify employees who are struggling and provide them with targeted support.

For example, a data-driven performance evaluation tool could be used to assess the performance of a customer service team. The tool could analyze customer feedback, call logs, and response times to identify areas where the team is performing well and areas where improvement is needed. This information could be used to create personalized development plans for each team member.

Personalized learning and development plans

Personalized learning and development plans help employees to grow their skills and knowledge based on their individual strengths and vulnerabilities. These plans can be tailored to support employees in acquiring the skills and knowledge that they will need for their current role as well as future opportunities.

For example, a personalized learning and development plan could be created for a software developer. The plan could include training on new programming languages, attending industry conferences, and working on projects outside of their usual scope. This plan could help the developer to stay up-to-date with the latest industry trends and technologies, increasing their value to the organization.

In conclusion, automation in HR can provide many benefits to organizations, including improved employee engagement and performance management. By incorporating real-time feedback systems, data-driven performance evaluations, and personalized learning and development plans, organizations can create a culture of continuous improvement and support their employees in achieving their full potential.

Improving HR data management and analytics

HR automation also helps to improve the way that organizations manage their data, making it easier to monitor and analyze employee data, and drawing actionable insights to make better decisions.

With the increasing amount of data generated by HR departments, it is more important than ever to have an efficient and effective way to manage it. This is where HR automation comes in, providing a way to streamline data management and analysis.

Centralized employee information systems

A centralized employee information system can help organizations to manage employee data more efficiently. They can track employee benefits, job history, and training records and easily access them when needed.

Having a centralized system also ensures that employee data is consistent and up-to-date. This can help to improve communication between departments and reduce errors that can occur when data is stored in multiple locations.

Furthermore, a centralized system can help to ensure compliance with regulations and policies, as all employee data is stored in one place and can be easily accessed for audits or other purposes.

Advanced workforce analytics

Advanced workforce analytics can help organizations to analyze employee data to gain valuable insights, such as trends around turnover, employee satisfaction or workforce skills.

By using advanced analytics tools, HR departments can identify patterns and trends in employee data that may not be immediately apparent. For example, they may discover that certain departments have higher turnover rates than others, or that employees with certain skills are more likely to be promoted.

These insights can help HR departments to make more informed decisions around recruitment, retention, and training. For example, if they identify a trend of high turnover in a particular department, they can investigate the underlying causes and take steps to address them.

Predictive HR insights for decision making

The use of predictive analytics in HR can help organizations to forecast future workforce trends, such as what skills are required, what roles are in demand, and what kind of training may be needed. These insights help to guide decision-making around hiring, training, and development across the organization.

Predictive analytics can also help to identify potential issues before they become problems. For example, if the data suggests that there may be a shortage of employees with a particular skill set in the future, HR departments can take steps to address this before it becomes a critical issue.

Overall, HR automation and analytics can provide organizations with valuable insights into their workforce, helping them to make more informed decisions and improve their overall performance.

Automate your HR and reap the benefits

The benefits of automation in HR are clear. They help to streamline recruitment, improve employee engagement and performance, and enhance the way organizations manage their employee data.

As HR technology continues to evolve, companies that keep up with these trends will benefit from a more productive, engaged and data-driven workforce.

The post Exploring the benefits of automation in human resources appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

We’ve collected 10 of these new AI-related jobs for you, with short descriptions for each.

Many of these cool openings can be found on the Workable Job Board, where we’ve linked some opportunities for you to dive right into the AI job market for insights whether you’re an employer or a jobseeker.

1. Prompt Engineer

As AI technologies become more sophisticated, there’s a rising demand for professionals who can fine-tune the way we communicate with AI systems. This is the role of a Prompt Engineer, who can craft effective prompts that not only assist with AI training but also deliver the desired results.

Successful prompt engineering involves understanding the nuances of specific AI models and crafting prompts accordingly. This role doesn’t necessarily require a computer science degree, but it does require creativity and a mastery of language.

Teams that a Prompt Engineer might work with include product development, AI training, and customer experience teams. The current advertised pay rates for a Prompt Engineer can range from $250,000 to $335,000 per year.

2. AI Trainer

The AI Trainer‘s role has emerged in response to the growing use of generative AI systems in industries such as customer service. The AI Trainer assists the AI platform in learning about the business and fine-tuning its responses to sound more human.

The aim is not to replace human interaction but to enhance the AI’s ability to interact with the world. This role does not necessarily involve direct interaction with customers but focuses on aiding the AI system.

Potential areas of work for an AI Trainer include customer service, AI development, and quality assurance teams.

3. AI Auditor

With the rise of AI applications, the need for accuracy and fairness has become paramount. The AI Auditor‘s role is to ensure the AI’s output is not only interesting and useful but also unbiased and accurate.

Their work involves identifying and mitigating any biases in the AI systems, a task that’s increasingly becoming a legal requirement in some jurisdictions.

AI Auditors might work closely with data science, legal compliance, and AI development teams to ensure the highest ethical standards are upheld.

4. AI Ethicist / Ethics Expert

AI Ethicists are responsible for ensuring that AI is used in a safe and ethical manner. They work on reducing bias and increasing fairness in algorithmic systems, a critical need as AI technology becomes more pervasive.

They’re tasked with ensuring the responsible and ethical use of generative AI.

Teams that AI Ethicists might collaborate with include legal, AI development, and diversity and inclusion teams. Their demand is high in the market right now, as ethical AI grows in the overall conversation.

5. Machine Manager

As AI extends beyond text-based interactions to controlling hardware and systems, Machine Managers are needed to oversee AI-operated hardware and systems.

Given the complex nature of the work, this role usually requires a computer science degree and experience in the field where the AI is being used.

Machine Managers could work closely with AI development, operations, and hardware maintenance teams. The pay for this role can vary, with top salaries ranging to as high as $251,000 a year.

6. Data Detective

In the wake of the data explosion triggered by AI systems, Data Detectives are professionals who analyze and interpret this vast amount of data effectively.

The work of a Data Detective involves using statistical and machine learning techniques to identify patterns and insights within the data, which are crucial components in the development of accurate and efficient AI models.

Data Detectives might work with data science, AI development, and business intelligence teams.

7. Cybersecurity Analyst

The increased use of AI also introduces novel threats, necessitating the role of the Cybersecurity Analyst.

These professionals protect against AI-driven cyberattacks, requiring a blend of technical expertise, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.

Cybersecurity Analysts must be capable of navigating the complex intersection between AI technology and cybersecurity principles. Teams that a Cybersecurity Analyst might collaborate with include IT security, risk management, and AI development teams.

8. AI Business Strategist

With more companies adopting AI, there’s a need for professionals who can align AI strategies with business goals and objectives.

The AI Business Strategist is such a professional, possessing a deep understanding of both AI technology and business strategy. They can analyze a company’s existing operations, identify areas where AI can be effectively applied, and develop a strategic plan.

AI Business Strategists might work with executive leadership, business development, and AI development teams.

9. Data Broker

Data Brokers are professionals who manage the vast quantities of data produced by AI systems. They are tasked with cleaning, organizing, and interpreting this data, converting it from raw form into actionable insights.

This role requires a strong understanding of data structures and data analysis techniques, as well as the ability to translate these insights into terms that decision-makers within an organization can understand.

Potential areas of work for a Data Broker could include data analysis, business intelligence, and AI development teams.

10. AI Explainer

AI Explainers serve a critical role in demystifying complex AI technologies for individuals and organizations that may not have extensive technical knowledge. They translate the intricacies of AI systems into understandable terms, aiding people in comprehending how AI operates and how it can be advantageous for them.

This role requires strong communication skills, a deep understanding of AI technologies, and the ability to relate these concepts in a non-technical manner. AI Explainers might collaborate with education, public relations, and AI development teams.

This is just the beginning

By turning the AI disruption into an opportunity, we can not only create jobs but also ensure that AI develops in a way that is ethical, transparent, and beneficial to all.

Whether you’re hiring in the space, transitioning to new roles, or just someone with a keen interest in AI, these roles offer fascinating insights into the cutting edge of the transformative technology.

Check the Workable Job Board for AI-related job opportunities if you’re looking, or for an idea of what other companies are hiring for if you’re planning your own workforce.

The post 10 new jobs created with AI in the workplace appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

10 good Conflict Management Interview Questions:

1. Tell me about a time you disagreed with a coworker’s idea on a project you were both working on together. How did you express your opposition, and what happened?
2. What would you do if your manager gave you negative feedback on the way you approached a problem?
3. How do you handle conflicts within your team?
4. How do you deal with angry customers who complain about your products/services?
5. Have you ever had a team member who kept raising objections on projects? How did you manage them?
6. How would you advise a team member who complained about a coworker’s behavior?
7. Have you ever faced a conflict of interest during a cross-departmental project? What did you do?
8. You’ve noticed that a team member is aggressive or arrogant toward the rest of the team. How would you approach this person?
9. How would you react if a coworker blamed you for something that wasn’t entirely your fault (e.g., missing a deadline) during a meeting?
10. How do you prioritize collaboration and teamwork when faced with individual goals and targets?

1. Tell me about a time you disagreed with a coworker’s idea on a project you were both working on together. How did you express your opposition, and what happened?

This question assesses the candidate’s ability to handle disagreements professionally, express their viewpoints effectively, and find a resolution.

Sample answer:

“In a recent project, I disagreed with a coworker’s idea regarding the approach we should take. To express my opposition, I scheduled a meeting with the coworker and shared my concerns, presenting alternative solutions based on my analysis. We engaged in a constructive discussion, considering each other’s perspectives, and eventually reached a compromise that combined the best elements of both ideas. The collaboration led to a successful outcome and strengthened our working relationship.”

2. What would you do if your manager gave you negative feedback on the way you approached a problem?

This question examines the candidate’s receptiveness to feedback, their ability to handle criticism constructively, and their willingness to learn and improve.

Sample answer:

“If my manager provided negative feedback on my problem-solving approach, I would listen attentively and seek clarification to gain a better understanding of their concerns. I would express gratitude for the feedback and ask for specific examples or suggestions for improvement. I believe in taking ownership of my actions, so I would take the opportunity to reflect on the feedback, analyze areas for growth, and proactively implement changes to enhance my problem-solving skills.”

3. How do you handle conflicts within your team?

This question evaluates the candidate’s approach to resolving conflicts, their ability to promote open communication, and their skills in building consensus within a team.

Sample answer:

“When conflicts arise within my team, I prioritize open and respectful communication. I encourage team members to express their perspectives and concerns openly, ensuring that everyone feels heard. I then facilitate constructive discussions where we identify the root causes of conflicts and work together to find mutually agreeable solutions. By fostering a collaborative environment and promoting active listening, I aim to build consensus, strengthen relationships, and maintain a positive team dynamic.”

4. How do you deal with angry customers who complain about your products/services?

This question assesses the candidate’s customer service skills, their ability to handle difficult situations, and their approach to resolving customer complaints.

Sample answer:

“When faced with an angry customer who complains about our products/services, I remain calm and empathetic. I actively listen to their concerns, allowing them to express their frustrations fully. I acknowledge their feelings and assure them that I am committed to finding a resolution. I then gather all the necessary information, offer potential solutions, and seek their input on how best to address their concerns. By demonstrating empathy and providing personalized assistance, I aim to turn a negative experience into a positive one, ensuring customer satisfaction.”

5. Have you ever had a team member who kept raising objections on projects? How did you manage them?

This question examines the candidate’s ability to handle team dynamics, address differing opinions, and foster collaboration.

Sample answer:

“In a previous project, I had a team member who consistently raised objections. To manage this situation, I initiated one-on-one conversations with the team member to understand their perspective and concerns better. I actively listened to their objections and provided them with opportunities to contribute their ideas and suggestions during team meetings. I also emphasized the importance of considering different viewpoints and encouraged them to present their objections in a constructive manner. By promoting open dialogue and respecting their opinions, we were able to find common ground and enhance the overall quality of our projects.”

6. How would you advise a team member who complained about a coworker’s behavior?

This question assesses the candidate’s interpersonal skills, their ability to mediate conflicts, and their approach to maintaining a positive work environment.

Sample answer:

“If a team member complained about a coworker’s behavior, I would address the issue promptly and privately. I would listen attentively to their concerns, validate their feelings, and emphasize the importance of maintaining a positive work environment. I would encourage the team member to address their concerns directly with the coworker, providing guidance on effective communication techniques and conflict resolution strategies. Additionally, I would offer my support in facilitating a conversation between the team member and the coworker to find a resolution that benefits both parties and promotes a harmonious work environment.”

7. Have you ever faced a conflict of interest during a cross-departmental project? What did you do?

This question examines the candidate’s ability to navigate conflicts of interest, make informed decisions, and prioritize the organization’s objectives.

Sample answer:

“During a cross-departmental project, I encountered a conflict of interest between two departments. To address this, I initiated open communication with the respective stakeholders, expressing the concerns and goals of both sides. I facilitated collaborative discussions to find a solution that aligned with the project’s objectives and minimized the conflict. By emphasizing the shared goals of the organization and seeking win-win outcomes, we were able to reach a mutually beneficial resolution that preserved the project’s progress and fostered positive working relationships between the departments involved.”

8. You’ve noticed that a team member is aggressive or arrogant toward the rest of the team. How would you approach this person?

This question assesses the candidate’s ability to address negative behavior, promote a positive work environment, and facilitate difficult conversations.

Sample answer:

“If I noticed a team member displaying aggression or arrogance towards others, I would address the issue promptly and privately. I would approach the individual with empathy and express my concerns about their behavior, highlighting the impact it has on the team and work environment. I would encourage open dialogue, allowing them to share their perspective while emphasizing the importance of respect and collaboration within the team. By offering constructive feedback and suggesting alternative ways of interacting, I aim to foster a more inclusive and supportive team dynamic.”

9. How would you react if a coworker blamed you for something that wasn’t entirely your fault (e.g., missing a deadline) during a meeting?

This question examines the candidate’s ability to handle personal accusations professionally, maintain composure, and find constructive solutions to resolve conflicts.

Sample answer:

“If a coworker blamed me for something that wasn’t entirely my fault during a meeting, I would remain calm and composed. I would actively listen to their accusations, seeking to understand their perspective. Instead of responding defensively, I would take a collaborative approach, acknowledging any mistakes I might have made while clarifying the aspects that were beyond my control. I would propose a constructive discussion to identify solutions and prevent similar situations in the future. By focusing on problem-solving and maintaining a professional approach, I aim to promote understanding and maintain a positive working relationship.”

10. How do you handle conflicts within your team?

This question evaluates the candidate’s approach to resolving conflicts within a team setting, their ability to promote open communication, and their strategies for maintaining a harmonious work environment.

Sample answer:

“When faced with conflicts within my team, I believe in addressing them promptly and directly. I encourage open and honest communication among team members, providing a safe space for everyone to express their concerns and viewpoints. I would facilitate a meeting where each party can share their perspective and actively listen to understand the underlying issues. I would then work towards finding a collaborative solution that considers everyone’s needs and fosters a sense of unity and understanding. By promoting respectful dialogue, encouraging compromise, and focusing on the team’s common goals, conflicts can be resolved in a constructive manner.”

Why you should test candidates’ conflict management skills

Employees with conflict management skills work through arguments, complaints and differences of opinion constructively. These employees are able to:

• Resolve issues that arise among team members quickly
• Handle complaints from customers
• Foster healthy work relationships
• Raise objections in a professional manner

It’s essential to test candidates’ conflict-resolution skills, particularly for:

• senior-level positions, where your future hires will manage teams
• sales positions, where your future hires will contact customers on a daily basis

Here are some sample conflict management interview questions to ask candidates during your hiring process:

The post Conflict management interview questions and answers appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

The EEO-1 report is meant to inform the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) of your employees’ race, gender and EEO classifications. This is part of the obligation to take actions in favor of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO). Read more on our EEO complete guide to learn what other obligations you may have and how you can ensure you treat current and potential employees fairly. EEO job categories might seem complicated at first glance, but a closer look will clear the confusion.

Employers should classify employees according to the content and responsibility of their job. This means that looking at an employee’s title isn’t always enough to classify them correctly. It’s also important that EEO classifications reflect the actual job. For example, if you have a trained nurse working as a medical assistant, you should classify them as a medical assistant.

In general, there are three criteria that employers should consider to decide how to classify employees into the proper EEO categories:

• Responsibilities and primary duties
• Knowledge and training
• Level of skill required

This the breakdown of the EEO job categories:

1. Executive/Senior Level Officials and Managers

These are people who create strategies and plans for the entire organization to follow. They either communicate directly with the board of directors or they’re within two reporting levels to the CEO (in larger organizations) and interact with them frequently.

Examples:

• Chief executive officer
• Chief financial officer
• Chief marketing officer
• VP of talent (when reporting directly to the CEO)

2. First/Mid Level Officials and Managers

These managers report to the executive/senior level managers and implement their plans and strategies. They oversee activities and functions at the group, regional or divisional level. This category also includes managers who report directly to middle managers and direct daily operations (e.g. first-line and branch managers).

Examples:

• HR manager
• HR business partner
• Education administrator
• Technical support manager
• VP of sales (in companies where they’re mid-level managers)

You may notice that the more senior roles fall under the first two EEO categories.

3. Professionals

Professional employees usually need bachelor’s degrees, certifications and relative experience to do their jobs. Since 2007, EEOC has included employees in financial and business jobs in this category.

Examples:

• Teachers
• Nurses
• Lawyers
• Accountants

4. Technicians

These jobs need applied scientific skills that people obtain through a vocational degree or other type of training. Often, these jobs involve technical and manual work.

Examples:

• Radio operators
• Pharmacy technicians
• Broadcast technicians
• Occupational Health and Safety specialists

5. Sales Workers

Everyone who’s involved in direct sales should be included here. There are people who have sales as only one of their primary functions (e.g. recruitment consultants). To decide whether to include them in this category, think about what percentage of their time they spend selling. If they spend more time selling than performing other duties, then include them in this category.

Examples:

• Retail salespeople
• Travel agents
• Loan officers
• Product promoters

6. Administrative Support Workers

These employees are usually sitting in offices. They are usually responsible for support functions like organizing offices, preparing paperwork and handling records. They might use the phone or a computer.

Examples:

• Emergency dispatcher
• Secretaries
• Data entry clerks
• HR assistants

7. Craft Workers

Workers should be included in these EEO job categories if they are ‘skilled.’ This means they have been specially trained in a particular skill that allows them to do a specific job. Many of these workers are found in construction or natural resource extraction like mining and oil drilling.

Examples:

• Carpenters
• Plumbers
• Mining machine operators
• Tailors

8. Operatives

These employees are ‘semi-skilled’ workers who undergo less complex training than craft workers. They often operate machinery, factory-related equipment or vehicles. This category also includes people with intermediate skills who use equipment to help move people or materials.

Examples:

• Bakers
• Welders
• Truck drivers
• Dry cleaning workers
• Flight attendants

9. Laborers and Helpers

Laborers and helpers are ‘unskilled’ workers who follow precise instructions. They usually need little training and perform mostly manual labor.

Examples:

• Construction laborers
• Carpenter helpers
• Landscapers
• Vehicle cleaners

10. Service Workers

This category includes every worker that offers food, cleaning, personal and protective services. Some might need formal training, while others only relevant experience.

Examples:

Food services:

• Chefs
• Dishwashers
• Restaurant hosts

Cleaning:

• Janitors
• Housekeepers
• Building cleaners

Personal:

• Home health aides
• Make up artists
• Travel guides

Protective:

• Firefighters
• Security guards
• Lifeguards

Keep in mind that first-line supervisors aren’t included in the first management categories because they most frequently share common duties with their subordinates. For example, first-line landscaping supervisors are included in the category Laborers and Helpers.

As a general example, you can see how to classify a set of sales-related roles:

• VP of sales, if they’re responsible for creating the sales strategy and report directly to the CEO: (1) Executive/Senior level manager
• Sales manager, who oversees sales operations and implements executive/senior manager’s strategy: (2) First/Mid level Managers
• Sales engineer, who needs high level education in engineering and a technical background: (3) Professional
• Sales representative, who seeks out potential customers and aims to close sales: (5) Sales workers
• Sales coordinator, who supports the field sales team with schedules and documentation: (6) Administrative support workers
• Delivery driver, who brings to customers items they’ve ordered: (8) Operators

Note that some EEO categories have been omitted. That’s fine; not all companies will have employees in every category.

The EEO-1 job classification guide of 2010 provides a list of occupations grouped by each of the ten EEO classifications. This list isn’t exhaustive but it can help you further in classifying your employees. You can take a look at the EEOC’s instruction booklet for more details on the EEO-1 report.

The post Understanding EEO categories appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

If you’re a recruiter, the most effective way to source good job candidates on Google is to incorporate Boolean search operators into your search engine sourcing strategy.

Skip the Boolean and jump straight to the results. Workable is the fastest, most effective way to find email addresses, resumes, social and professional profiles.

Boolean search basics

Based on George Boole’s mathematical theory in which all variables are either ‘true’ or ‘false’, Boolean search on Google is one of the best sourcing tools for recruiters. The definition of Boolean search is that it’s a type of search that allows users to combine keywords with operators such as AND, NOT and OR to produce more relevant results.

Here are the basic operators for Boolean search strings for recruiters:

AND

When you want to include two (or more) criteria in your search, the operator AND narrows down your search. For example, a Boolean search string for recruiting Android developers should include ‘developer AND android’. This will produce results that include both keywords.

OR

The OR operator, on the other hand, allows us to expand our Boolean search results. People might use different words to say the same thing. OR is particularly useful for synonyms, like ‘bank OR finance OR financial.’

NOT

The NOT operator excludes unwanted terms from your Google sourcing search. Instead of NOT, you could also use the minus symbol followed by your unwanted term without leaving a space (e.g. ‘NOT recruiter’ or ‘-recruiter.’)

Brackets ()

You can use brackets to group multiple search strings and set your priorities. This will come in handy, as most candidate searches are complex and combine different keywords. For example, ‘(developer OR designer) AND Java’ indicates that Java knowledge is a must-have both for developers and designers. But, in a ‘designer OR (developer AND Java)’ search, Java knowledge is important only for the developers you’re looking for – not the designers.

Quotation marks “ “

If you want Google to consider the phrase you’re searching for as a complete phrase, you should put it in quotation marks. For example, leaving a blank space between ‘customer’ and ‘service’ will provide pages that contain both of the words ‘customer’ and ‘service,’ but not necessarily together. You should type “customer service” to get more relevant results when sourcing passive candidates.

Related: How to source passive candidates

Boolean search operators list

How recruiters can use boolean commands

Using Google Boolean search strings for recruiters will improve your search results and eventually get you closer to your potential candidates. Crafting effective commands can be a little tricky, at first, if you’re not familiar with Boolean logic. Here’s a short guide to help you with common searches.

‘site:’

A site: search is also known as an x-ray search. You can search through a specific site for candidates with your desired skill set or any additional details that are a top priority for you. The key here is to look in the right place. LinkedIn is useful to search for all kinds of professionals, but for more targeted searches you should crawl niche websites instead.

AND, OR

When searching, you need to think from your ideal candidate’s point of view. Let’s say you want to hire a Software developer. If you only look for ‘Web developer’ you’ll probably miss a lot of good profiles that use a different title, like ‘Software developer’ or ‘Web programmer.’ You could combine AND and OR commands to search multiple terms.

The wild card (*)

You could use an asterisk (*) to get more results for the term you’re looking for. For example, account* will provide you with results both for accounting and accountant. Let’s say you’re looking for writers or counselors with an expertise in business investment. Medium is a good place to start looking; you just need to search for posts included related terms.

If you’re searching specific job titles on LinkedIn, the asterisk could help you create a shorter string. For example, you could type ‘administr*’ instead of ‘administrative OR administrator OR administration’ and get the same results. Likewise, ‘recruit*’ is a simpler alternative of ‘recruiter OR recruiting OR recruitment.’

‘intitle:’ or ‘inurl:’

Most people name their resume files using the word ‘resume.’ So, if you want to search Google for candidates’ resumes, it’s best to look for pages that include this word in their title or URL.

The minus sign (-)

If you’re wondering why we used the minus sign (-) in the previous example, the answer is simple: to narrow down our results. Once you play around with Boolean search, you’ll realize that you need to exclude some results to get what you’re looking for. It’s usually helpful to get rid of ‘jobs’, ‘templates’ and ‘examples’ when you’re looking for candidate’s resumes.

Tutorial: How to source on Google+

‘filetype:’

Google offers you the chance to search the web for files, which is useful if you want to get access to online resumes or portfolios.

Zip codes

It’s best to localize your search, if you’re only looking for candidates from a specific area. For example, if your target zip code is ‘02210’ in Boston MA, with the use of an application you can track all zip codes in a 20-mile radius. Then, add the zip code range (from low to high) to your Boolean search to narrow down your results. It’s important to include the area as well, so that Google understands your numbers are zip codes.

Want to source more candidates on Google? Learn how to get your job listings featured on Google for Jobs.

How to refine your boolean search

Now that you are familiar with the basics of Boolean logic, it’s best to experiment and see what works for your sourcing needs. You could try combining strings to refine your search and get more accurate results.

Let’s say you’re looking for a software engineer. If you type ‘Software engineer’ into Google, you’ll immediately see why you need to be more specific. ‘Software engineer in New York’ won’t do the trick, either. This video can give you a better idea of how Google ‘understands’ your searches.

It’s best to think of Google as your stepping stone to finding interesting places and people. For example, if you Google something like ‘portfolios graphic designers New York’ you’ll come up with lists of qualified designers on Behance. You’ll also discover other sites where you could search for candidates. To narrow down your search even more you could ‘x-ray’ these sites or include a type of file (like ‘pdf’) in your search query to help you find examples of designers’ work.

Google search strings come in handy for recruiters if you want to track a particular skill set, especially for hard-to-fill roles. You could look for professionals who’ve attended relevant seminars or taken courses in a similar area of expertise. For example ‘attendees sasstock 2016.’

You can also use Boolean search to find Twitter users that engage with a certain hashtag or community. You can extend your searches to find your candidates’ email addresses.

Related: How to source on job boards and resume databases

Be careful of false positive results

Even if you’ve crafted the perfect boolean search string, take a moment to double-check your results. A quick search can lead to false positive results. For example, if you’re looking for a Marketing Manager in Boston, you’ll probably find professionals who don’t actually live in Boston, but could have studied there, lived in the past or simply wrote a blog post about marketing trends in Boston companies.

To get the most out of Google, invest some time, hone your research skills and don’t rely on the first results that pop up. Taking the time to refine your boolean search strategy will make your search for candidates a whole lot easier.

Workable’s Boolean search cheat sheets provide sample search strings to recruit experienced candidates.

The post Sourcing on Google: Boolean search for recruiters appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

You successfully made a business case for adding a new member to your team and your job requisition is approved. Congratulations! Now you need to advertise the job to the right candidates – and social media can help you do that.

What is the best way to advertise job openings on social media?

Today, job seekers rely on social networks to search and apply for jobs. To bring your positions in front of the people you want to hire, you have to go where they are. And that’s in the most popular social sites: LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Posting jobs on these platforms helps you increase the visibility of your job ads among potential candidates. To help you capture candidates’ attention with informative and engaging posts, we put together 5 creative ways to advertise job openings in the form of social media templates that you can easily tweak.

Here are our 5 creative ways to find employees using social media

LinkedIn job posting template

LinkedIn is your go-to place to connect with job candidates, both passive and active. You can advertise your open roles or share them with your network.

Use LinkedIn’s paid job postings to promote your open roles, target your desired audience and reach out to potential candidates. You can also give candidates the option to apply directly using information from their LinkedIn profiles to speed up the application process.

Posting a status update on your company’s LinkedIn page is also a good way to promote a job opening. Make sure to include a shortlink to the job listing or your company’s career page. Your company’s followers and their network will view your job opening and may visit your careers page to learn more about it (and potentially apply) or even leave a comment to refer someone.

Pro tip: Ask your colleagues and hiring managers to share a status update with the open role or repost the company’s status update to help reach a broader audience.

The ready-to-use LinkedIn job posting template can be found here.

Need help with your job description? Our library with more than 600 free job descriptions will help. Find the best job description that suits your role here.

LinkedIn InMail template for recruiters: First introduction to a candidate

When you come across strong candidate profiles or people with hard-to-find skills on LinkedIn, reach out and introduce yourself. This way, you can start building a relationship with high-potential candidates and contact them again in the future when the right role comes up. You can mention your name and provide some context on the company you work for and the open roles you’re looking to fill. (Or the industries you recruit for, if you’re an agency recruiter).

Pro tip: Include a call to action in your text — for example, ask the candidate if they would agree to have a call to discuss one of your current open roles and get to know each other.

Find a free LinkedIn InMail template here.

The ‘We are hiring’ Facebook post template

Posting jobs on Facebook helps you spread the word that you’re hiring to a broad audience as Facebook is the biggest social network. As with LinkedIn, employees can share their company’s new job opening and help reach even more job seekers.

Every company has its culture and tone, but there are some things every Facebook job post should have: the job title, the location, the benefits and of course a call to action.

Find our free Sample Facebook job post here, adjust it to your style and post your job openings on your Facebook page.

More on our complete guide on how to advertise a job on Facebook.

Twitter job posting template

Twitter is another place where you can post your job openings. Due to its character limit (up to 280 characters after the recent 2018 update), mention only what’s absolutely necessary to catch qualified candidates’ attention. Then, link to the full job description, your careers page or an application form. In your Twitter job post make sure to include the job title, the location of the position and a clear call to action.

Pro tip: Take advantage of high performing hashtags (i.e. #jobs #Hiring #LondonJobs and #QAjobs) and increase the reach of your job post.

Here is a free Twitter job posting template you can customize for your open roles.

General ‘We’re hiring’ for every social media post

LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are the best places if you want to share your job posting on social media. However, there so many other platforms including more niche social media for specific industries.

That’s why we’ve created a general ‘We are hiring’ social media post template. You can use it on every social channel you think can help you attract and find new candidates and future employees. Also, here are some general tips to keep in mind when you’re posting a job on social media:

1. Keep your post short.
2. Make it clear it’s a job ad.
3. Include important information.
4. Play up your company culture.

Use our free social media job posting template for every social network you choose for recruiting.

The post 5 of the best ways to advertise job openings on social media appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Are you onboarding remotely? These remote onboarding FAQs will give you a head start, and you’ll also want to read insights from real-life remote employers on standardizing the onboarding of remote employees.

Here’s a planning timeline and some checklists (plus this onboarding new hire checklist) that HR professionals and hiring managers can use to design a good employee onboarding experience:

During the hiring process

Hiring and onboarding are often treated as separate. But their edges blur. New hires get their first impressions of your company during your hiring process, so your candidate experience efforts should be as thoughtful and welcoming as the rest of your onboarding efforts:

• Write a clear job description that gives your new hire a concrete list of their responsibilities.
• Tell candidates how you structure your hiring process and how long each stage is likely to take.
• Follow up early and often and communicate with candidates at each stage of the hiring process.
• Give candidates your full attention at interviews and respond to any questions they may have.
• Give candidates full information about reference checks and background checks.

During the offer stage

• Opt for a phone offer, if possible. Phone offers are more personal than email offers and can help you better communicate your enthusiasm for a candidate. It’s best to schedule your call ahead of time, so you don’t end up catching your candidate off guard.
• Follow up with an enthusiastic offer letter. Aim for a warm tone and include all relevant benefit details and contact information, so you can easily address any remaining questions.
• Be courteous during salary negotiations. Salary negotiations, done badly, can be tense and confrontational. Done well, they can help solidify your new employee’s value on your team and build a foundation of mutual respect. So, be open and try not to penalize candidates for being their own best advocates.
• Set a start date and share it with your new hire’s team. Offer some start date flexibility, if possible. It’s best to respect your new employee’s need to finish up projects and give appropriate notice with their current employer. Once you’ve set a date, share it with your new employee’s team so they can prepare to welcome their new colleague.
• Transfer your new hire’s information from your applicant tracking system to your Human Resource Information System (HRIS) or onboarding software. To avoid asking new employees to give you all their personal information again for your HRIS records, see if you can transfer their relevant details from your ATS. This will allow you to create a seamless transition for HR, hiring managers and new employees alike.

1-2 weeks before your new employee’s first day

• Prepare your new hire paperwork. Consider including the following policies and forms for new employees to fill out and sign:

• • An Employment Agreement.
  • A Non-Disclosure Agreement.
  • An Employee Invention Agreement.
  • An Employee Handbook.
  • IRS form W-4.
  • IRS form I-9.
  • A direct deposit form.

• Set up your new employee’s online accounts, including:

• • Company email.
  • Company instant message.
  • Company HRIS software.
  • Company password management software (LastPass, etc.)
  • Company productivity software (Asana, Jira, etc.)
  • Company ATS for members of hiring teams.

• Prepare your new hire’s tech, including:

• • A laptop.
  • A monitor.
  • A phone.
  • A mouse.
  • A keyboard.
  • A headset.

• Confirm your employee’s new office phone number.
• Order business cards and/or a desk nameplate.
• Arrange for new employee ID card/building access fob.
• Schedule introductory meetings with key colleagues for the new employee’s first few weeks.
• Encourage team members (especially those on the interview panel) to reach out to your new hire to congratulate and welcome them prior to their start date. This goes a long way in establishing relationships early in the process.
• Ask your new employee to fill out an onboarding form, including information about allergies, food preferences and T-shirt size, if you’re including a company shirt in your welcome package.
• Make a welcome lunch plan for your new hire’s first day.
• Schedule a HR onboarding meeting for your new hire’s first day.
• Arrange for parking access, if needed.
• Plan your new hire’s first assignment.
• Arrange any relevant internal (or external) trainings required for the job.
• Send your new hire a welcome email telling them what to expect. Include maps, meeting details, etc. Make sure they know when to arrive on their first day and ask if they have any more questions.

The day before your new hire’s first day

• Clean your new employee’s desk and set up their equipment and welcome kit. Consider including the following in your welcome kit:

• • A welcome letter.
  • New hire paperwork and HR documents.
  • Technology setup instructions.
  • A company notebook.
  • A company T-shirt.
  • A company mug.
  • Pens.
  • Stickers.
  • A copy of your office map.
  • A copy of your company org chart.
  • A copy of your new hire’s first week schedule.
  • A copy of a book relevant to your team culture.

• Make sure your new hire’s company email account is set up and forward regular team meeting invites to them.
• Send a message to your new hire’s department to remind everyone of their start date.
• Add your new employee’s email to relevant distribution lists and add their new phone number to relevant phone lists.
• Add your new employee’s details to your HRIS system, if you haven’t done so already.
• Add your employee’s desk to your office’s internal desk map.

On your new employee’s first day

• Have someone ready to welcome your new hire when they get to the office.
• Give your new hire a detailed office tour and make them aware of their schedule for their first few days.
• Arrange for a welcome meeting with your new hire’s manager to provide an overview of their new team, their role and how their success will be measured.
• Schedule time for new hire paperwork.
• Take your new hire out for lunch with some of their key team members.
• Allow your new hire some downtime to set up their new equipment, set new passwords and log in to their new accounts.
• Conduct a formal HR onboarding meeting, including details about benefits enrollment, company holidays and policies, company structure, team culture and review your company’s vision, mission and values. (If you have formally documented them.)

During your new employee’s first week

• Schedule your new hire’s regular 1:1 management meetings.
• Set clear goal and performance objectives for your new hire’s first 3 months, 6 months and year.
• Go over a 3 month roadmap for key projects they will be working on.
• Schedule meaningful work tasks that get them up and running.
• Provide quick feedback on their initial work tasks and establish management expectations for their performance.
• Schedule introductory meetings with each department, not just those the employee will partner but all departments throughout the company, so that they can get a full understanding of different parts of your business.
• Check in with them on a regular basis and respond to any questions they have.

During your new employee’s first 3 months

• Continue to have regular 1:1 meetings.
• Hold an informal 30 day check in to address any immediate concerns followed by a 90 day check in to see how everything is going.
• Ask for feedback on your onboarding process so you can improve the process for future new hires.

The post How to build a new employee onboarding process appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Here’s our planning guide to help you get started:

Before participating in a job fair

To make the most out of a job fair, select the optimal event based on your hiring needs and plan your participation. Start by making some decisions:

1. Decide on your recruitment goal

Depending on your industry, current hiring needs and the type of candidate you’d like to recruit, choose or plan a job fair that will be worth your time, effort and money. For example:

• Host an industry-specific job fair (e.g. tech or hospitality) to help boost your employer brand among candidates who are interested in your field.
• If you’re hiring for entry-level roles or offering paid internships, it’s best to attend or host a college job fair or career day.
• To connect with military candidates and family members, attend veterans job fairs.

2. Pick your team

Choose team members who’ll best represent your company during this event. Consider:

• Recruiters and HR staff. They network as part of their jobs. They’re best positioned to initiate discussions with candidates, present your business in the best light and manage administrative tasks (e.g. gather resumes or contact details.) They can also help coordinate interviews.
• Hiring managers. They can screen and interview candidates on-site. They can also describe the scope of responsibilities for any positions they’re hiring for and answer questions from job seekers.
• Other team members. Employees can provide an authentic account of what your work culture is like. If you’re attending or hosting a job fair event at a college, consider bringing coworkers who are alumni. Students might find it easier to relate to them.

Once you’ve decided which event you want to participate in and who will attend, contact the event organizers. You will likely need to pay a participation fee and provide some information about your company and your job openings. Organizers might also ask for your logo so that they prepare your booth and include your company in advertisements for the event.

Looking for more ways to source candidates, online and offline? Download a free copy of our candidate sourcing ebook.  

How to prepare for a job fair

Order marketing material

Coordinate with external or internal designers to make sure you create an attractive booth with banners and pictures of your company. Also, order:

• Name tags for each of your team members
• Brochures with information about your company
• Business cards with recruiters’ contact details

If you want to offer giveaways to attendees, opt for something that’s out of the ordinary. Pens and stickers with your logo are nice, but won’t help your company stand out. Instead, choose something that represents your company culture.

Here, at Workable we believe that hiring shouldn’t be a pain for companies or candidates. So, we offer anti-stress coloring books to job fair attendees:

Prepare your questions

You will have limited time with each job seeker, so prepare your questions in advance. Here’s what to ask:

• Role-specific questions. These will help you learn if candidates have the minimum requirements for your open roles (e.g. “Do you have experience with X software?”)
• Questions about interests and career goals. Use these to learn if candidates would be compatible with your company in the long-run. (e.g. “What’s your area of expertise and what would you like to learn more about?”)
• Questions about your company. These questions will help you identify candidates who are already familiar with your brand and are interested in joining your team (e.g. “What do you know about our company?”)

Advertise the event

A few weeks before the job fair, put the word out that your company is hiring and participating in the event. Post details on your social media pages. Job seekers who are familiar with your brand or would like to learn about you will know which booth to visit.

Note that if you’re participating in a closed event, like a college career day, you likely can’t invite people. But, you can still advertise on social media to let attendees know where to look for you. Also, consider posting pictures while you’re there, to build your brand.

During the job fair

On the day of the event, arrive at the venue early to set up your booth. If appropriate, bring laptops so that candidates can look at your website and get a better idea of your mission and products.

To make the most out of your participation in a job fair:

• Speak to as many job seekers as possible. You’ll increase the chances of finding qualified candidates.
• Keep interviews within specific timeframes. Long queues will turn candidates off. Consider assigning someone on your job fair team the role of the interview coordinator to make sure conversations are structured and brief.
• Write down notes during interviews. It’s difficult to remember candidates after job fairs unless you take brief notes as you talk to them.
• Gather candidates’ resumes and contact details. You could also prompt them to apply for the job on your careers page, and ask them to mention that you met at the XYZ job fair.
• Let candidates know of next steps. Inform qualified candidates when to expect hearing back from you (e.g. “We’ll call you by the end of next week to schedule an in-person interview.”) And tell candidates who’re not a good match at the moment, that you’ll contact them when there’s a suitable open position.
• Answer candidates’ questions. Job seekers want to know about your company as much as you want to know about them. So make sure you provide them with interesting information (e.g. about your teams, open roles and future plans.)

After the job fair

Contact attendees

Job fairs are only the first step of your hiring process. So, don’t leave qualified candidates waiting. The sooner you contact candidates, the more likely they’ll remember you.

Contact job fair candidates to coordinate next steps. Those might include:

• Completing a detailed application form
• Participating in a screening call to discuss a position’s details
• Completing an assignment so you can assess their skills
• Coming in for an interview at your offices

Measure results

Follow up with the event team to discuss overall impressions and high-potential candidates. Decide whether this job fair was beneficial to your recruiting efforts and talk about ways to improve your strategy for next time.

To better understand the benefit vs. cost of your job fair, it’s helpful to measure key recruiting KPIs and compare them with other recruiting strategies. Ask questions like:

• How many candidates did we source during the event?
• How many of them were qualified?
• How many did we interview in our company?
• How many did we hire?
• What was the overall time-to-hire?
• Where do job fair events fall in our list of best sources of hire?

The post Job fair recruitment: A planning guide for employers appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Our email templates for recruiters and human resources templates can help you spark conversations with candidates. They support all stages of your recruitment cycle: from your first communication with potential candidates to onboarding emails for new hires. Recruiters also communicate with current employees on a regular basis, so drafting some email templates for common occasions can save a lot of repetitive email writing. Keep track of the successes and failures with recruiting email metrics so you can grow and improve your outreach over time.

Sourcing emails

Sourcing emails are the trickiest. Your emails to potential candidates need to be deft and direct, if you want them to consider your job opportunity.

Note: When sourcing candidates who reside in the EU, you need to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR.) See our guide for more information on ensuring your emails are compliant.

Cold emails

To communicate with passive candidates, a brief email explaining how you found them and why you want to contact them is usually a good place to start.

• My name is [X] and I’m helping the CTO here at [Company] to find someone to join our Back-end developer team. The latest debugging feature you published in Github particularly drew our attention. We are currently working on a similar project for our application and we think your experience would be a strong addition to our team.

If you would like to increase your open and response rates, you should personalize your messages. Using templates for personalized emails can sound like an oxymoron. However, templates can serve as an inspiration point to come up with your own recruiting emails, avoiding common email mistakes.

Tutorial: How to source passive candidates

Warm emails

If you share a connection with the person you’re emailing (e.g. if they are a past candidate or a referred candidate), you can use this to your advantage. Pique their interest with a genuine, personal message; don’t just hope they’ll get hooked on your name-dropping.

• I am [your name], a recruiter at [Company]. We met around 2 months ago when you applied for the web designer position. I remember you were looking for a new apartment at that time. How did the house hunt go?
  Although we decided to move on with a more experienced candidate, our team was really impressed with both your design skills and your positive attitude during the interview process. We now have a new opening for a junior web designer, that is closer to your profile. I’d really like to give you some more details about the role, if you’re interested.

• We are currently looking to hire a Marketing specialist and [Employee_name] mentioned that you might be a good fit.
  From what I have seen in your LinkedIn profile, you have an impressive background in paid campaigns and you’ve done some interesting things organizing promotional events, which is our priority for this new role.
  Here, at [Company], we’re always looking for more great people like [Employee_name], so we’d like to get to know you.

Employee referrals are the number one hiring source. To encourage your employees to refer candidates who could be a good fit, you should use an appropriate email template for your internal referral request email. Make sure you include all necessary information: what your new hire will do, who they’ll work with and what kind of experience they need.

• We are excited to announce that we are currently looking for a Technical writer to join [Hiring_Manager_name’s] team! If you know someone who understands end-user requirements and has experience in software documentation, feel free to let us know by simply replying to this email.

Recruiting emails

Interview emails

When you’re inviting candidates to an interview, there are specific details you should include, like the interview date and place, the name(s) of the interviewer(s) and how long the process will take. Different kinds of interview invitations require additional details, too:

Phone interviews

A phone interview email is usually the first interview invite you send during your hiring process, so remember to thank your candidate for their application and remind them about the basics of the position you’re hiring for.

• Thank you for applying to [Company].
  We would like to have a phone discussion about your application for the [Job_title] role. I’d like to tell you more about [Company] and get to know you a bit better.

On-site interviews

Your invitation to an on-site interview should include logistical information (location, what your candidate might need to bring with them, etc.) If you find it necessary, you might add the exact location of your office on the map and directions for how to get there.

• Your application for the [Job_title] position stood out to us and we would like to invite you for an interview at our office[s] to get to know you a bit better.
  You will meet with the Marketing department manager, [Manager’ name]. The interview will last about [X] minutes and you’ll have the chance to discuss the [Job_title] position and learn more about our company.
  Please note that the security guard will ask to see your ID to let you enter the building.

Additional interview rounds

If you’re crafting an email to invite candidates for a second interview, you should explain the purpose of the interview (e.g. meeting with the company CEO for a second round, or completing a test.)

• Thank you for taking the time to discuss the [Job_title] position with us. We’d like to invite you for a second interview at our office[s]. You will meet with [Manager’s name], head of the IT department, to discuss your written assignment and delve deeper into job duties.

Application emails

During your hiring process, you’ll probably need to exchange various emails with your applicants. Some of them could be pretty standard, like a confirmation that you received their resume. But for others, you can use email templates to save some time.

Assignments

To better evaluate your candidates’ skills, you may find it useful to send an assignment or assessment test. In your email, prepare your candidate by providing instructions and setting a timeframe.

• Thank you for taking the time to speak to us on the phone. We would like to invite you to complete an assignment for the next round of our interview process. Please find the assignment attached. Its objective is to gauge your skills, give us an idea of how you approach tasks relevant to the job and provide us with some talking points. We would appreciate it if you could return your completed assignment to us [by X date/ in Y time frame].

Rejections

Nobody likes to send bad news, but there are many reasons to always send a rejection email. It’s best not to leave your candidates guessing. So, briefly explain why you decided to stop considering a candidate’s application. The key here is to end things on a positive note in order to create a bridge from rejection to building a relationship.

• Although we are now focusing on hiring more senior [Job_title], we’ll be more than happy to get in touch with you again for a future job opening. We’ll keep your resume on file for [time_period.]

Hiring emails

Job offer

Your job offer email should aim to inform your new hire about all necessary job details that will help them make a decision.

• We have been impressed with your background and would like to formally offer you the position of [Job_title]. This is a [full/part] time position [mention working days and hours] with an annual salary of [X]. You will be reporting to the head of the [Department_name] department. Your expected starting date is [date.]

You could also use our tips on how to write a standout job offer email to increase your acceptance rate.

Onboarding

Your next step is to welcome your new employee, once they’ve accepted your job offer. Prepare your new hire: Tell them what to expect on their first days, who they’ll meet and provide some practical details (like starting date and working hours.) A proper onboarding email will show that you’re organized throughout your recruiting cycle and that you have specific plans for your employees.

• We are all really excited to welcome you to our team! As agreed, your start date is [date.] We expect you to be at our office by [time] and our dress code is [casual/ business casual.]
  We’ve organized your first days to help you settle in properly. You can find more details in the attached agenda.

New hire announcement

Using an email to announce a new hire can be a warm way to welcome all new employees. As a recruiter, you have the chance to introduce your newest team member and make sure they’re not a stranger to their teammates on their first day.

• I am very pleased to announce that [Employee’s name] will be joining us as an Android developer on [Start date.] [Employee’s name] will work with our mobile team to help us elevate our applications. Please make sure you give [him/her] a warm welcome and introduce yourselves!

More: Innovative recruiting tools and techniques for modern HR teams

The post 12 time-saving email templates for recruiters appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Here’s a secret: it really can be that simple, because we’ve simplified it for you. There are 10 main areas of the recruitment process that, once mastered, can help you:

• Optimize your recruitment strategy
• Speed up the hiring process
• Save money for your organization
• Attract the best candidates – and more of them too with effective job descriptions
• Increase employee retention and engagement
• Build a stronger team

What is the recruitment process?

A recruitment process includes all the steps that get you from job description to offer letter – including the initial application, the screening (be it via phone or a one-way video interview), face-to-face interviews, assessments, background checks, and all the other elements crucial to making the right hire.

We’ve broken down all these steps into 10 focal areas for you below. Read all about them, check out the relevant resources in our library – all linked to in this guide – and know that we can help you make the most of each step so you can recruit top talent with greater ease.

An overview of the recruitment process

An effective recruitment process will ensure you can find, and hire the best candidates for the roles you’re looking to fill. Not only does a fine-tuned recruitment process allow you to hit your hiring goals but it also facilitates you to do so quickly and at scale.

It is highly likely that the recruitment process you implement within your business or HR department will be unique in some way to your organization depending on its size, the industry you operate within and any existing hiring processes in place.

However, what will stay consistent across most organizations is the objectives behind the creation of an effective recruitment process and the steps required to find and hire top talent:

10 important recruiting process steps

1. Recruitment Marketing

Applying marketing principles to the recruitment process Find and attract better candidates by generating awareness of your brand with your industry and promoting your job ads effectively via channels you know will be most likely to reach potential candidates.

Recruitment marketing also includes building informative and engaging careers pages for your company, as well as crafting attractive job descriptions that hit the mark with candidates in your sector and entice them to follow up with your organization.

2. Passive Candidate Search

Expand your pool of potential talent by connecting with candidates who may not be actively looking. Reaching out to elusive talent not only increases the number of qualified candidates but can also diversify your hiring funnel for existing and future job posts.

3. Referrals

A successful referral program has a number of benefits and allows you to ttap into your existing employee network to source candidates faster while also improving retention and reducing costs in the process.

4. Candidate experience

Not only do you want these candidates to become aware of your job opportunity, consider that opportunity, and ultimately throw their hat into the ring, you also want them to be actively engaged.

5. Hiring Team Collaboration

Ooptimize your team effort by ensuring that communication channels remain open across all internal teams and the hiring objectives are the same for all parties involved.

6. Effective Candidate Evaluations

Iinterview and assess with fairness and objectivity to ensure you’re evaluating all qualified candidates in the same way. Set clear criteria for talent early on in the recruitment process and be consistent with the questions you ask each candidate.

7. Applicant tracking

Hiring is not just about ticking boxes or following a step-by-step guide. Yes, at its core, it’s just publishing a job ad, screening resumes and providing a shortlist of good candidates – but overall, hiring is closer to a business function that’s critical for the entire organization’s success and health. After all, your company is nothing without its people, and it’s your job to find and hire stellar performers who can make your business thrive.

8. Reporting, Compliance & Security

Be compliant throughout the recruitment process and ensure you’re looking after candidates data in the correct ways.

9. Plug and Play

Be compliant throughout the recruitment process and ensure you’re looking after candidates data in the correct ways.

10. Onboarding and Support

Find hiring tools that meet your needs, once you’ve successfully found and placed talent within your organization the recruitment process isn’t quite finished. An effective onboarding strategy and ongoing support can improve employee retention and reduce the costs of needing to hire again in the future.

1. Recruitment Marketing

What is recruitment marketing? Hannah Fleishman, inbound recruiting manager for Hubspot, put it succinctly in Ask a Recruiter:

“Recruitment marketing is how your company tells its culture story through content and messaging to reach top talent. It can include blogs, video messages, social media, images – any public-facing content that builds your brand among candidates.”

In short, it’s applying marketing principles to each of the steps of the recruitment process. Imagine the amount of energy, money and resources invested into a single marketing campaign to call attention to a specific product, service, concept or another area.

For example, consider that the marketing budget for the recently released Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom topped $185 million. Yes, dinosaurs are cool, but this is the fifth incarnation of an action series about dinosaurs and it’s not that new this time. So, that marketing machine still needs to get the word out and convince people to plunk down their limited time and hard-earned money to go see this on the big screen.

Now, you’re not going to spend $185 million on your recruitment efforts, but you must think of recruitment in marketing terms: you, too, are trying to coax valuable talent to apply to work in your organization. If the marketing minds behind Jurassic World opened their campaign with: “Wanted: Movie Viewers” followed by some dry language about two hours of yet another movie about actors running from dinosaurs but it’ll only cost you $15, it will not have the same intended effect. So, why are you continuing to use that same language about your job opportunities and your company in your recruitment efforts?

Yes, you’re not a marketer – we get that. But you still have to approach it in a marketing frame of mind. How do you do that if you don’t have a marketing degree? You can either hire a Recruitment Marketing Manager to do the job, or you can try it yourself.

First things first: familiarize yourself with the buyer’s journey, a basic tenet in marketing principles. Take a look at the takeaways from our Recruitment Marketing Masterclass. Study the “funnel”, and apply the concept throughout your recruitment planning process:

• Awareness: what makes the candidate aware of your job opening?
• Consideration: what helps the candidate consider such a job?
• Decision: what drives the candidate to make a decision to apply for and accept this opportunity?

Call it the candidate’s journey. Now that you’ve familiarized yourself with this journey, let’s go through each of the things you want to do to optimize your recruitment marketing.

Candidate Awareness

a) Build your employer brand

First and foremost, you need to build your employer brand. At the In-House Recruitment Expo in Telford, England, in October 2018, ‘Google Dave’ Hazlehurst urged attendees to promote their employer brand everywhere, not just in job ads. This includes interviews, online and offline content, quotes, features – everything that promotes you as an employer that people want to work for and that candidates are aware of. After all, awareness is the first step in the candidate’s journey.

How often have you looked for a job and come across numerous companies that you’ve never even heard of? Exactly. On the flip side, everyone knows Google. So if Google had an opening for a job that was tailored to your skill set, you’d jump at the opportunity. Why? Because Google is famed not only as a tech brand, but also as an employer – Googleplex is prominent for good reason.

But you’re not Google. If your brand is relatively unknown, then you want to change that. Regardless of the sector you’re in or the product/service you’re offering, you want to look like a vibrant, forward-thinking organization that values its employees and prides itself on being ahead of the curve in the industry. You can do that via numerous media channels:

• highlighting your company culture via a featured article in the news
• profiling a star employee via an industry-focused site
• writing about how your current employees came to your company via unique career paths
• promoting a “behind the scenes” feature with members of your team
• producing a video featuring employees doing what they love

Candidates want to work for leaders, disruptors and original thinkers who can help them grow their own careers in turn – hence the popularity of Google. Position yourself as one, present yourself as one, and especially, communicate yourself as one. This involves a collective effort from teams in your organization, and it’s not about merely advertising that you’re a good employer; it’s about being one.

b) Promote the job opening via job ads

Posting job ads is a fundamental aspect of recruitment, but there are numerous ways to refine that part of the overall process beyond the usual channels of LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor and other professional social networks. As one-time VP of Customer Advocacy Matt Buckland wrote in his article about candidate hierarchy, paraphrased:

It’s about reaching the most people, and it’s also about getting the right people.

So you need to advertise in the right places to get the candidates you want.

For example, if you were looking for top tech talent to fill a position, you’ll want to post to job boards frequented by developers, such as Stack Overflow. If you wanted to diversify that same tech team, you could post an ad with She Geeks Out, Black Career Network or another site catering to a specific niche or population demographic. Talent can also be found in the unlikeliest of places, such as the depleted regions of the American Midwest.

See our comprehensive list of job boards (updated for 2019) and list of free job boards to determine the best places to promote your new job opening. If you’re looking to do it on a tight budget, there are ways to find employees for free.

c) Promote the job opening via social media

Social media is another way to promote job openings, with three particular benefits:

• Network: Social media involves significant social and professional networks who will help you get the word even further out.
• Passive candidates: You stand a greater chance of reaching passive candidates who otherwise don’t know about your job opportunity and end up applying because they happened across your job ad in their personal social media feed.
• Element of trust: People are more likely to trust and respond to job postings that appear in their trusted channels either via their networks or a paid placement.

Check out our tutorial on the best ways to advertise job openings via social.

Candidate Consideration

d) Build an attractive careers page

This is the first page candidates will come to when they visit your website sniffing around for jobs, or when they want to learn more about your company and what it’d be like to work there. Rarely will you see potential applicants simply apply for a job; if the job fits what they’re looking for, they’re going to have questions on their mind:

• “What kind of company is this?”
• “What kind of people will I work with?”
• “What’s their office like?”
• “What are the perks of working here?”
• “What are their mission, vision, and values?”

This impacts the second step in the candidate’s journey: the consideration of the job. This is a very good run-down on how to write and design an effective careers page for your company. You can also check out what the best career pages out there have in common.

e) Write an attractive job description

The job description is a crucial aspect of recruitment marketing. A job description basically describes what you’re looking for in the position you want to fill and what you’re offering to the person looking to fill that position. But it can be a lot more than that.

While it’s important to outline the duties of the position and the compensation for performing those duties, including only those details will come off as merely transactional. Your candidate is not just some random customer who walked into your store; they’re there because they’re making a very important decision in their life where they’ll commit as much as 40-50 hours per week. Building your job description above and beyond the usual tick-boxes of requirements, qualifications and benefits will attract talented candidates who can bring so much more to the table than simply carrying out the required duties of the job.

Conceptualizing the job description within the framework of the candidate hierarchy (loosely based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs model) is a good place to start in terms of talent attraction. Also, these examples of great job ads from the Workable job board have really hit the mark. Again, this impacts the consideration of the job, which ultimately leads to the decision to apply – the third step in the candidate’s journey:

Candidate Decision

f) Refine and optimize the hiring process

Each step of the hiring process impacts candidate experience, from the very moment a candidate sees your job posting through to their first day at their new job. You want to make this process as easy and as pleasant as possible, because everything you do is a reflection of your employer brand in the eyes of your most important customer: the candidate.

Consider the following steps of the hiring process and how you can refine the candidate experience for each. Note that in many cases, these steps can be managed at the recruiter’s side via automation, although the final decision should always be a human one.

Initial application:

• Make it easy to fill out the required entries
• Make the uploaded resume auto-populate properly and seamlessly to the relevant fields
• Eliminate the annoying repeated tasks, such as re-entering various pieces of information (a common grievance among job seekers)
• Have clear tick-boxes for the basic questions such as “Are you legally permitted to work in XYZ?” or “Can you speak XYZ language fluently?”
• Make sure your applications are optimized for mobile, since many candidates job-hunt on their phones and tablets

Screening call / phone interview:

• Make it easy to schedule a screening call; consider giving several time-slot options for the candidate and allowing them to choose
• Ensure a pleasant conversation takes place to put the candidate at ease
• Make sure you’re on time for the interview

In-person interview:

• Same as above, but you should also ensure the candidate knows how to get to the interview site, and provide relevant details such as what to bring with them and parking/transit options
• Prepare by looking at each candidate’s application beforehand and having a set of questions to lead the interview with

Assessment:

• Inform the candidate of the purpose of an assessment
• Assure the candidate that this is a “test” specifically designed for the application process and not “free work” (and this must be true, so avoid giving candidates excessive work to do in a tight timeframe. If you need to do it this way, pay them a fee)
• Set clear expectations on expected outcome and deadline

References:

• Clarify what you need (e.g. do you want personal, professional, and/or academic references?)
• Follow up only when given the go-ahead by your candidates – e.g. a reference might be the candidate’s current employer in which case, discretion is needed

Job offer:

• Include all pertinent details related to the job such as:
  • Working hours
  • Amount of paid time off
  • Salary and paycheck schedule
  • Benefits
  • Official job title
  • Expected starting date
  • Who the role reports to
  • “Offer valid until” date
• Ensure the job offer is specific to that job, and double-check for potential awkward errors
• Clarify the options of how a candidate can accept the offer – be it by email, phone call, signed letter, etc. You can optimize this process to make it easy for the candidate to accept, such as: “To accept, simply reply to this email stating you accept the job offer.” You can also use an electronic signature service, such as HelloSign.
• And importantly, ensure that the job offer and its details are appropriate for the location where you’re making the hire. For instance:
  • in Greece, paid time off is universally understood to be a minimum of 20 days as per legislation and is therefore not normally included in a job offer
  • a 401(k) is unique to the United States
  • paycheck schedules may be biweekly in some jobs, countries or industries, and monthly in others.

Generally, think of this whole selection process in terms of customer satisfaction; ease of use is a powerful element in a candidate’s decision-making process, especially in the more competitive or specialized fields that regularly see a war for talent where even the smallest details can sway the most coveted candidates to your company (or to a competitor).

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2. Passive Candidate Search

You often hear about that ‘elusive talent’, a.k.a. passive candidates. The truth is that passive candidates are not a special category; they’re simply potential candidates who have the desirable skills but haven’t applied for your open roles – at least not yet. So when you’re looking for passive candidates, what you’re really doing is actively looking for qualified candidates.

But why should you be doing that, when you already have qualified candidates applying to your job ads or sending their resume via your careers page?

Here’s how looking for passive candidates can benefit your recruiting efforts:

• Make a targeted skill search. Instead of – or in addition to – casting a wide net with a job ad, you can narrow down your outreach to candidates who match your specific requirements, e.g. proficiency in X language, expertise in Y software.
• Hire for hard-to-fill roles. There are high-demand jobs that will bring you many good applicants even from a single ad, and there are many others that are less popular. For the latter, it pays to do some research on your own and try to contact directly people who would be a good fit.
• Expand your candidate sources. When you only post your open roles on specific job boards, you miss out on qualified candidates who don’t visit those sites. Instead, by looking at social media, resume databases or even offline, you bring your job openings in front of people who wouldn’t see them.
• Diversify your candidate database. When you want to build a diverse hiring process, you often need to proactively reach out to candidate groups that don’t traditionally apply for your open roles. For example, if you’re looking to achieve gender balance, you can attract more female candidates by posting your job ad to a professional Facebook group that’s dedicated to women.
• Build talent pipelines for future hiring needs. Sometimes, you’ll come across people who are highly skilled but currently not interested in changing jobs. Or, people who could fit in your company when the right opportunity comes up. Building and maintaining relationships with these people, even if you don’t hire them at this point in time, means that when you have hiring needs that match their profiles, you can contact them to see if they’re available and, ultimately, reduce time to hire.

a) Where you should look for passive candidates

While you should still use the traditional channels to advertise your open roles (job boards and careers pages), you can maximize your outreach to potential candidates by sourcing in these places:

• Social media: LinkedIn is by default a professional network, which makes it an optimal place to look for potential candidates. You can promote your open roles on LinkedIn, join groups, and directly contact people who seem like a good fit using InMail messages. While they weren’t built specifically for recruiting, other social networks such as Facebook and Twitter gather professionals from all over the world and can help you find your next great hire. From posting targeted Facebook job ads to people who meet your requirements to identifying seasoned professionals or experts in a niche field, you can expand your outreach and connect with people who don’t necessarily visit job boards.
• Portfolio and resume databases: Work samples are often good indicators of one’s skills and potential. That’s why you should consider exploring sites such as Dribbble and Behance (creative and design), Github (coding), and Medium (writing) where you can find interesting candidate profiles and creative portfolios. Large job boards also give access to resume databases where you can look for prospective employees.
• Past applicants: There’s a clear benefit to re-engaging candidates who have applied in the past: they’re already familiar with your company and you’ve already evaluated their skills to an extent. This means that you can save time by skipping the first stages of the hiring process (e.g. introduction, screening, assessment tests, etc.).
• Referrals / Network: When you have a shortage in job applications, it’s a good idea to start looking into your network and your coworkers’ networks. Referred candidates tend to onboard faster and stay for longer. You’ll also save advertising money as you can reach out to them directly.
• Offline: Besides job fairs that are specifically organized to connect job seekers with employers, you can meet potential candidates in all kinds of professional events, such as conferences and meetups. When you meet candidates in person, it’s easier to build up trust, learn about their professional goals and tell them about your current or future job opportunities.

b) How to contact passive candidates

Finding potentially good fits for your open roles is the easy part; the harder part is attracting their attention and piquing their interest. Here are some effective ways to communicate with passive candidates:

1. Personalize your message

Few candidates like receiving messages from recruiters they don’t know – especially when these messages are generic boilerplate templates. To get someone interested in your job opportunity, you need to show them that you did your homework and that you reached out because you genuinely think they’d be a good fit for the role. Mention something that applies specifically to them. For example, acknowledge their good work on a recent project – and include details – or comment on a specific part of their online portfolio.

Here are our tips on how to personalize your emails to passive candidates, including examples to get you inspired.

2. Be respectful of their time

Good candidates, especially those who are in high-demand jobs, receive sourcing emails from recruiters regularly. This means that you’re competing for their attention with many other messages in their inbox. So, when sending sourcing emails or messages, keep two things in mind:

• Provide as much detail about the job and your company as possible in a clear and brief way. Candidates are more likely to ignore messages that are too generic or too long.
• No matter how good your email is, some candidates might still not reply or be interested. You shouldn’t follow up more than once, otherwise you risk leaving a negative impression by being an annoyance.

3. Build relationships in advance

The most effective approach is to reach out to people you’re already connected with. This requires investing some time to stay in touch with people you’ve met who could be a good fit in the future.

For example, when you meet interesting people during conferences or when you reject good candidates because someone else was more suitable at that time, keep the connection alive via social media or even in-person coffee chats, stay updated on their career path, and contact them again when the right opening comes up.

4. Boost your employer brand

When you approach passive candidates, one of the first things they’ll do – if they’re interested – is to look up your company. Unless your company’s name is high profile like Google or Facebook (see above), your digital footprint plays a big part in the opinion that candidates will form.

An outdated website will certainly not leave a good impression. On the flip side, a beautiful careers page, positive online reviews from employees, and rich social media pages can give you bonus points, even if your brand is not widely recognized.

c) Sourcing passive candidates with Workable

Finding those high-potential candidates and getting in touch with them could be a full-time job when you’re scaling fast. That’s why we built a number of tools and services to help you identify good fits for your open positions and create talent pipelines.

Workable helps you source qualified candidates by:

• Providing access to a searchable database of more than 400 million candidates
• Recommending best-fit candidates sourced using artificial intelligence
• Automating outreach to passive candidates on social media

For more information, read our guide on Workable’s sourcing solutions.

Want more detailed information on various sourcing methods? Download our free sourcing guide or read a shorter online version in this tutorial on how to source passive candidates.

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3. Referrals

Asking for referrals means that you add one extra source in your recruiting mix. Your current staff and your external network likely already know a healthy number of skilled professionals; some of them could be your next hires.

Referrals help you:

• Improve retention. Referred candidates tend to onboard faster and stay longer because they’re already familiar with the company, its culture and at least one colleague.
• Speed up hiring. When your coworkers refer a candidate, they do the pre-screening for you; they’ll likely recommend someone who meets the minimum requirements for the role so you can move them forward to the next hiring stage.
• Reduce hiring costs. Referrals don’t cost you anything; even if you offer a referral bonus, the total amount that you’ll spend is significantly lower compared to advertising costs and external recruiters.
• Engage your current staff. With referrals, you’re not just getting potential candidates; you’re also involving existing employees in the hiring process and getting them to play a part in who you hire and how you build your teams.

How to set up a referral program

Determine your goals

When you build an employee referral program for the first time, start by answering the following questions:

• Do you want to get referrals for a specific position or do you want to connect with people who would be a good overall fit for your company?
• Are you going to ask for referrals for every position you open, or only for hard-to-fill roles?
• When will you ask for referrals – before, after, or at the same time as you publish the job ad?
• Do you have a particular goal you want to achieve with referrals (e.g. increase diversity, improve gender balance, boost employee morale)?

Once you decide how and when you’ll use referrals to recruit candidates, you can include the process in an employee referral policy that describes how employees can refer candidates, how the HR team will carry out the employee referral program, and other pertinent details.

Plan how to request and receive referrals

If you don’t have a system for referrals in place, email is your best option. Email your staff to inform them about an open job and encourage them to submit referrals. Mention what skills and qualifications you’re looking for, include a link to the full job description if needed, and explain how employees can refer candidates (e.g. via email to HR or the hiring manager, by uploading their resume on the company’s intranet, etc.).

To save time, use an employee referral email template and change the job details for every new role. If you want to ask for referrals from people outside your company you can tweak this email or use a different template to request referrals from your external network.

Employees will refer good candidates as long as the process is easy and straightforward, and not complicated or time-consuming for them. Describe what you want (e.g. candidates’ background, contact details, resume, LinkedIn profile) and the best way for them to provide this information.

Consider including a form or a set of questions that employees can answer so that you collect referrals in a cohesive way. Here’s a template you can use when you ask employees to submit referrals for your open roles.

Learn how Bevi doubled in size in a year with Workable’s Referrals.

Reward successful referrals

Referring good candidates is not always a priority for employees, especially when they’re busy. In this case, a referral bonus could work as an incentive. This doesn’t necessarily have to be money; you can opt for gift cards, days off, free tickets, or other creative, low-cost rewards.

To build an employee referral bonus program, decide on:

• Who is eligible for a referral reward (e.g. it’s common to exclude HR team members since they have a say on who gets hired and who doesn’t)
• What constitutes a successful referral (e.g. the referred candidate needs to stay with the company for a set amount of time)
• What the reward will be
• What limitations – if any – exist (e.g. employees can’t refer candidates who have applied in the past)

The dark side of referrals

Referrals against diversity

While referrals can bring you great candidates at low to no cost, you should only consider them as a complement to your existing recruitment toolbox and not as your primary tool. Otherwise, you risk building homogenous teams. People tend to be connected with others who are more or less like them. For example, they have studied at the same college or university, have worked together in the past, or come from a similar socio-economic background or locale.

To bring more diversity to your teams, you should look for candidates in multiple sources and opt for people who have something new to offer to your teams. Also, to avoid nepotism and personal biases, remind employees to refer not only people they’re friends with, but also professionals who have the right skills even if they don’t personally know them. You could also encourage them to refer candidates who come from underrepresented groups.

Referrals lost in a black hole

One of the reasons why employees are hesitant to refer good candidates is because they don’t know what’s going to happen next. If they refer someone who turns out not to be a good fit, will that reflect back on them? Also, what if they refer someone but the candidate doesn’t hear back from the hiring team or has an otherwise negative candidate experience?

These are valid concerns, but you can easily tackle them if you organize your referral process. You can keep all referrals in one place and track their progress. This way, you’ll be able to get information on things like:

• How many candidates you got from referrals for each position
• How many people you hired through referrals
• How many referred candidates you’ve pre-screened and are going to interview

This will also make sure you don’t miss a candidate which could easily happen when you don’t use one specific way to get referrals from your coworkers.

Want to learn more about how you can organize your referrals in one place? Read about Workable’s Referrals, a platform that requires zero administrative effort from you and makes submitting and tracking referrals incredibly easy for employees.

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4. Candidate experience

Candidate experience is a vital aspect of the overall recruitment process. It’s one of the ways you can strengthen your employer brand and attract the best candidates. Not only do you want these candidates to become aware of your job opportunity, consider that opportunity, and ultimately throw their hat into the ring, you also want them to be actively engaged. A candidate who’s still deliberating on a number of job opportunities can be swayed by the strong sense that an employer is engaging with them throughout the process and making them feel valued as a person rather than as a resource being “pushed through a talent pipeline”.

As one-time Workable Talent Acquisition Professional Elizabeth Onishuk wrote:

“The best way to build your talent pipeline is to care about your candidates. Every single one of them.”

There are numerous ways you can do this:

Keep the candidate regularly updated throughout the process. A candidate will appreciate clear and consistent communication from the recruiter and employer as to where they stand in the process. This can include more personalized communication in the latter stages of the selection process, prompt replies to inquiries from the candidate, and consistent updates about the next steps in the recruiting process (e.g. date of next interview, deadline for an assessment, recruiter’s plans to contact references, etc.).

Offer constructive feedback. This is especially crucial when a candidate is disqualified due to a failed assignment or after an in-person interview; not only will a candidate appreciate knowing why they aren’t being moved to the next step, but candidates will be more likely to apply again in the future if they know they “almost” made it. It’s important to make sure your hiring team is well-versed on how to deliver effective feedback. This kind of positive candidate experience can be very powerful in building your reputation as an employer via word of mouth in that candidate’s network.

Keep the candidate informed on practical aspects of the process. This includes the pertinent details such as location of interview and how to get there, parking options in the area, timing of interviews and deadlines (flexibility helps), who they’ll be meeting, clear details in the job offer letter, options for video, etc. Don’t leave the candidate guessing or put them in the awkward position of needing more information on these details.

Speak in the ‘language’ of the candidates you want to attract. Nothing frustrates a talented candidate more than a recruiter who is ill-informed on the latest programming languages yet is hiring a top-tier developer, or a recruitment agency who has only a rudimentary understanding of the audits, accounts payable/receivable and other important knowledge bases of a controller. It’s also important to understand what recruiting tactics appeal to a specific target audience of candidates, for example, artisans will be drawn to a candidate experience that shows value for autonomy and creativity as opposed to jobs that require them to fit a certain mold.

Appeal to different demographics when advertising a job. When you’re a startup, don’t just talk about the beer keg in the lunchroom, regular bowling nights, or free Red Sox tickets for the top salesperson (and moreover, remember to be gender-neutral in your terminologies rather than using, for instance, “salesman”). Consider the diverse range of interests, needs and wants in candidates – some may be parents or baby boomers who need to leave early to get their kids or catch the commute home, and others may not be baseball fans. It’s a powerful engager when you speak to the different demographic/sociographic/psychographic needs of potential candidates when advertising your benefits.

Keep it a pleasant, two-way street. Don’t be that horrible interviewer in your candidate’s story at their next social gathering. Do open up the channels of communication with candidates and ask them how their experience has been either within interviews or in a follow-up “thank you” survey.

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5. Hiring Team Collaboration

The recruitment process doesn’t hinge on just one person – it requires the buy-in and, especially, participation of numerous different players in the business. Those players include, for instance:

Recruiter: This is the person spearheading the recruitment planning and overall process. They’re the ones responsible for putting the word out that your company is hiring, and they’re the ones who maintain the lion’s share of communication with candidates. They also handle the logistics – screening candidates, organizing interviews, rejecting candidates or moving them forward, sending assessments and job offers, etc. A great recruiter is one who can quickly find the best candidates for the right roles in the company. The recruiter can be a dedicated HR Recruiter, an HR Generalist, or a Head of Talent.

Hiring Manager: This is the person for whom the new hire will ultimately be working. They’re the ones putting in the requisition for a new hire (whether due to turnover, a newly created position, or other reason). They’re going through resumes and disqualifying or moving them through the pipeline, interviewing candidates, and making that final decision on who to hire. It’s essential that they work closely with the Recruiter to assure success.

Executive: In many cases, while the Hiring Manager puts in that request for a new employee, it’s the executive or upper management who must approve that request. They’re also the ones who approve salaries, purchase of tools, and other decisions related to recruitment. Generally, things don’t get moving without their approval.

Finance: Because they control the company’s money, they will need to be informed of any new requisition and any new hire. These sort of decisions impact the flow of money through the system, and there are many intricate details that can impact Finance’s ability to balance the books.

Human Resources and/or Office Manager: As a general rule of thumb, the Recruiter is one part of Human Resources. But the others in HR, including the Office Manager, are also responsible for the onboarding process and ensuring a new employee fits in well with their colleagues. You want them as informed as possible as to who’s coming on board, what to prepare for, etc.

IT: The person managing the overall IT setup in your company isn’t actually involved in the hiring process, but they’re a little like Human Resources in that they should be kept in the loop for training and onboarding processes. For instance, they’re very interested in maintaining IT security in the business, so they’ll want the new hire to be fully trained on security requirements in the workplace.

It’s vital that you understand the very different motivations of each player in the business, and what their role is in each step of the recruitment process flowchart. A candidate’s experience will be made more positive when the recruitment pipeline is a well-operated, coordinated machine where every person they interact with is well-informed and properly trained for their specific role in the process. Ultimately, it boils down to smart and regular communication between each player, being clear about the roles and responsibilities of each, and ensuring that each is actively participating – a good ATS such as Workable will go a long way here.

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6. Effective Candidate Evaluations

What would you say is more difficult: choosing between peas and pizza, or between cupcakes and ice cream? Unless you’re a peas nut, you’d more easily resolve the first dilemma than the second. Let’s apply that thinking to the employee selection process; we could say it’s easy to choose the one good candidate over other mediocre applicants; but choosing the best among really strong, qualified candidates certainly isn’t. That’s a “good” problem because it’s a testament to your talent attraction methods (for instance, you’ve mastered the recruitment marketing and candidate experience categories above) and you’re more likely to hire the best person for the job.

So, assuming you’re facing this “problem”, how do you identify the absolute best candidate among so many good choices? This is where you need to apply effective evaluation methods.

a) Determine criteria early on

Before you open a role, you need to make sure the entire hiring team (recruiters, hiring managers and other team members who’ll be involved in the recruiting process) is in sync. Writing the job ad is a good opportunity to identify the qualifications a person needs to be successful in the job.

Job-specific skills

You may already have this information in place if it’s not the first time you’re hiring for this role – of course, you still want to review the duties and requirements to make sure they’re still accurate and relevant. If you’re hiring for a role for the first time, use template job descriptions to help you identify common duties and requirements for each job. Customize those to your own company and team.

Soft skills

Then, identify those important qualities and values that all employees in your company should share. What will help a new hire in the role – for instance, adaptability to change or dedication to arcane details? Intelligence is a given in most cases, while integrity and dependability are common requirements. Also, reflect on what would make a candidate a culture fit for a specific team or the company.

When you have your list of requirements, go through it once more and answer these questions:

• Is this requirement a must-have? If not, make this clear in the job ad, and make sure you don’t evaluate candidates solely based on nice-to-haves.
• Can this skill be developed on the job? This particularly applies for junior or mid-level roles. Think whether someone can do the job well without having mastered a specific skill.
• Is this requirement job-related? This might be useful when considering soft skills or culture fit. For example, you may have seen ads asking for candidates with “a sense of humor” but unless you’re hiring for a stand-up comedian, this is certainly not job-related.

With the final list at hand, rank each requirement to ensure you and the hiring team know which skills are more important than others, and whether the lack of certain skills is a dealbreaker.

b) Be structured

Among all the different interview types, structured interviews are the best predictors of job performance. Structured interviews are based on two main elements: First, asking the same set of standardized interview questions to all candidates – in other words, ensuring uniformity of analysis – and second, rating their answers on a consistent scale.

Rating scales are a good idea, but they also require testing and validation. Give them a go if you want, but you could also conduct objective evaluations by paying attention to your interview process steps and questions.

Craft questions based on requirements

You might have heard a lot about ‘clever’ questions, like brainteasers or common questions such as “What is your biggest weakness?” But it’s often difficult to decode the answers and be certain you learned something important about candidates. Google stopped using brainteasers (e.g. “Why are manhole covers round?”) precisely because they were deemed ineffective.

So, it’s best to keep your interview questions relevant to the role. The list of requirements you’ve prepared will come in handy here. Do you want this person to be able to resolve conflicts? Then ask conflict management interview questions. Do you want to be sure this person can exercise discretion and privacy in their role? You can ask interview questions based on confidentiality. You can find a multitude of interview questions based on the role and skills you’re hiring for.

If you want to create your own questions, consider turning them into behavioral or situational questions. Behavioral questions ask candidates to describe how they faced job-related issues in the past, while situational questions create a hypothetical scenario and test how candidates would handle it. The advantage of these types of questions is that candidates are more likely to give genuine answers. You’ll get a glimpse into candidates’ ways of thinking and you can objectively evaluate how they’ll manage job duties. Here’s one example of a behavior question and one example of a situational question you could ask for the role of Content Writer:

• Tell me about a time you received negative feedback you didn’t agree with on a piece of writing. How did you handle it? (assesses openness to feedback and diplomacy skills)
• What would you do if I asked you to write 20 articles in a week? (assesses analytical skills and how realistically they approach goals)

When evaluating the answers to these questions, pay attention to how each candidate constructs their answer. Do they give the socially desirable answer (e.g. they just tell you what they think you want to hear) or do they adequately explain their reasoning?

Ask the same questions to each candidate

You can’t compare apples and oranges, so you can’t compare answers to different questions to determine whose candidacy is stronger. To be consistent, ask the same questions to all candidates, preferably in the same order.

Leave room for candidate-specific questions if there are issues you’d like to address. For example, you might ask someone who’s changing careers about what makes them want to enter the field they’ve applied for. But, try to keep these questions at a minimum and always make sure that what you ask is relevant to the job.

c) Combat your biases

Biases can be conscious and unconscious. Unconscious bias is difficult to recognize and ultimately prevent – after all, you may simply not know you’re biased against someone. Yet, it’s something you need to work on in order to hire the best people and stay legally compliant.

To recognize underlying biases against protected characteristics, start with taking Harvard’s Implicit Association Test. If you find you may have an unconscious bias against a protected characteristic, try to bring that bias to the forefront of your mind when you’re about to reject candidates with that characteristic. Ask yourself: do I have tangible, job-related reasons to reject them? And if that person didn’t have that characteristic, would I have made the same decision?

The same goes for conscious biases. Some of them might have merit – for example, someone who doesn’t have a medical degree probably shouldn’t be hired as a surgeon. But other times, we force ourselves to consider arbitrary criteria when making hiring decisions. For example, an experienced hiring manager declared that they never hire anyone who doesn’t send them a post-interview thank-you note. This stirred controversy because of the simple fact that the thank you note is an entirely unreliable proxy for motivation and manners, not to mention a potential cultural bias. Similarly, when you receive lots of applications for a job, you might decide to disqualify candidates who don’t hold a degree from Ivy League schools, assuming that those with a degree are better-educated.

Hiring is hard and you might be tempted to use shortcuts to reach a decision. But you should resist: shortcuts and arbitrary criteria are not effective hiring methods. Keep your criteria simple and strictly job-related.

d) Implement the right tools

Technology is your ally when evaluating candidates. It can help you assess the right criteria, structure your questions, document your evaluation and review feedback from others. Here are examples of such tools:

• Qualifying questions on application forms
• Gamification (game-based tests that help you assess candidate skills at the initial stages of the hiring process)
• Online assessments (such as coding challenges and cognitive ability tests)
• Interview scorecards (lists of questions categorized by skill – those can be built in your recruiting software)
• An applicant tracking system to document your evaluations and collaborate with your team more easily. Plus, a good ATS will probably integrate with assessment providers, gamification vendors and more so you can have all of the best evaluation tools at your disposal at a single location.

Want to learn about those? See our section about technology in hiring further down.

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7. Applicant tracking

Let’s say you found a hiring genie who grants you three wishes – what would you ask for?

• “I wish I didn’t have a deadline to find the perfect candidate.”
• “I wish I had an unlimited recruiting budget.”
• “I wish I had fairies to do my HR admin tasks.”

Unfortunately, that hiring genie doesn’t exist and you obviously can’t incorporate magic tricks into your recruiting process. So, when thinking about how you’ll fill your open roles, you need to look at the full picture and consider the limitations that you have.

a) How the hiring process affects the organization

Both hiring and not hiring cost money

When we’re talking about recruiting costs, we usually refer to things such as:

• Advertising costs (e.g. job boards, social media, careers pages)
• Recruiters’ salaries (whether in-house or external)
• Assessment tools
• Background checks

But we often overlook other costs that might be more difficult to measure, like the loss in productivity because of a job vacancy. An open role can be expensive, so reducing time to hire is absolutely a crucial business objective.

Hiring is not an individual’s job

Yes, it’s usually a recruiter who does the heavy lifting of recruiting: advertising open roles, screening applications, contacting and interviewing candidates and the like. But this doesn’t mean you always work entirely independent of others. For example, as a recruiter, you’ll work closely with hiring managers, executives, HR professionals and/or the office manager, finance manager, and others. Different people will be involved in each hiring stage – see #5 above for a deeper look at each role in the hiring team.

Hiring is not a one-size-fits-all solution

While this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a process in place, you have to be able to be flexible in the process and quickly customize it to address different hiring needs on the spot. Imagine the following scenarios:

• An employee hands in their notice a week after a colleague from their team was fired, so now you have to replace two employees instead of one in the same time period.
• Your company undertakes a big project and you have to quickly grow your engineering team by hiring eight developers over the next 30 days.
• While you’re in the middle of the hiring process for an open role, the hiring manager decides – suddenly, to you at least – to promote a member of their team to that role, so now you need to freeze the first position and open a new one to fill the position just vacated as a result of that promotion.

The success of the recruitment process lies in your ability to quickly tackle these challenges. It also requires a holistic view of how the organization works: you might need to speed up the hiring process for sales roles because there’s usually a high turnover rate, whereas for tech roles you might need to include additional skill assessment stages, therefore making for a longer time to hire. You can also look at benchmark data for different positions, for example, in the tech sector.

b) How to turn your hiring into a well-oiled machine

Opt for proactive hiring instead of reactive hiring

Hiring shouldn’t be an afterthought, particularly when your teams scale fast. And while you can’t predict every hiring need that will come up in the next few months, there are some benefits when you organize your recruitment process steps in advance.

Having a hiring plan in place will help you:

• Compare forecasts with actual results (e.g. How fast did you hire for X role compared to your predicted time to hire?)
• Prioritize hiring needs (e.g. when you know you’re going to need one designer in November, you don’t have to start looking for candidates until July.)
• Understand current and future needs in staff and budget for the entire company (e.g. when you track how much you spend on hiring, you can also forecast more accurately the next year’s budget.)

Learn more about how you can create a recruitment plan so that you keep your hiring organized. Nick Yockney, Head of Talent at SuperAwesome, offers insightful tips in Ask a Recruiter on how you can design an optimal recruitment process.

Get all interested parties fully informed and in the loop

You can’t hire effectively if you work in isolation. Imagine this: You need the VP of Marketing to sign an offer letter before you send it to the candidate you’ve decided to hire for the Social Media Manager role. But that VP is either on a trip, in endless meetings, or otherwise AWOL. Time goes by and you lose this great candidate to another company.

The VP of Marketing – along with anyone else who’s involved in the hiring process – should know ahead of time what’s needed from them. They probably don’t have to see every resume in your pipeline, but they should be prepared to get involved in the hiring process when they’re needed.

Hiring will go like clockwork only when you keep tasks, roles and data organized. This way, you’ll be able to communicate well with everyone who, one way or another, has a crucial role in your company’s recruitment process. You could start by writing down hiring guidelines in a detailed recruitment policy so that everyone in your company is on the same page. Consider training hiring managers on the interview process and techniques, particularly those who are less experienced in recruiting. Lastly, when there’s a job opening, schedule an intake meeting with the hiring team to set expectations and agree on a timeline.

Automate when possible

When you’re hiring for only 2-3 roles per year, it’s easy to calculate recruitment metrics manually. It’s also easy to keep control of all the candidate communication. But things get a bit more complicated when hiring at high volume. Spreadsheets get chunky, emails get lost in an inbox pile and simple questions like “How much did we spend last quarter on hiring?” will be difficult to answer.

That’s when you probably need HR tech that offers some kind of automation. One centralized system that all stakeholders can access will do miracles in your recruiting. For example, you can keep track of all steps in the recruitment process – from the moment a hiring manager requests to open a new job till the moment a new employee comes onboard – and quickly generate reports on the status of hiring at any time. Likewise, to avoid back-and-forth emails, you can keep all communications between candidates and the hiring team in one place.

You can use the time you’ll save on more meaningful recruiting tasks, such as writing creative job ads or sourcing candidates, while being confident that your hiring runs smoothly.

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8. Reporting, Compliance and Security

Your hiring process is rich in data: from candidate information to recruitment metrics. Making sense of this data, and keeping it safe, is essential to ensuring recruitment success for your organization. You can do this by creating and studying accurate recruitment reports.

a) Reports tell you what you should know

For example, imagine a hiring manager complaining to you that it took them “more than four damn months” to fill that open role in their team. The cogs in your brain immediately start working: is this the actual time to fill and the hiring manager is just exaggerating, or is it a frustrated and legit gripe? If it’s the latter, why did that happen? If you dive deeper into the data, you might see that the hiring team spent too much time in the resume screening phase. That way, you’re able to see the areas of opportunity to improve your process.

That’s one scenario where robust reporting of recruitment data would come in handy. Another example is when your CEO asks you to brief them on the status of the annual hiring plan. Or when you need to decide which job board to keep investing in and which isn’t as worthwhile as you expected.

All these are questions that reporting can help you answer. In fact, here’s a list of actions you can take to improve your hiring with the right reports:

• Allocate your budget to the right candidate sources
• Increase productivity and efficiency
• Unearth hiring issues
• Benchmark and forecast your hiring
• Reach more objective (and legally compliant) hiring decisions
• Make the case for additional resources (human and software) that’ll improve the recruiting process

Here’s how to start setting up your reports:

b) Choose the right data and metrics

There are several metrics that can be useful to your company, but tracking all of them may be counterproductive. Instead, select a few important metrics that make sense to your company by consulting with all stakeholders. For example, ask your executives, your CEO, your finance director or recruiting team:

• What information on the hiring process do they wish they had readily at hand?
• Where do they suspect there might be issues or bottlenecks?
• What data would help them when reporting to their own managers or forming a strategy?

Here’s a breakdown of common recruitment metrics you might find useful to track:

• Quality of hire
• Cost per hire
• Time to hire
• Time to fill
• Source of hire
• Qualified candidates per hire
• Candidate experience scores (e.g. application conversion rates, candidate feedback)
• Job offer acceptance rates
• Recruiting yield ratios
• Hiring velocity

You can also take advantage of the most-used recruiting reports in Workable to get a head start.

c) Collect data efficiently and analyze it

Gathering accurate data manually is certainly a time-consuming feat (maybe even impossible). Identify the most important sources of data and see which of these can be automated.

• Use software to your advantage. Your recruitment platform may already have reporting capabilities that will do the work for you.
• Find ways to collect elusive data. Some data can be gathered via Google Analytics (e.g. careers page conversion rates) or via simple surveys (e.g. candidate impressions on the hiring process).

Having good reports in place means you can track the impact of any changes you make in your hiring process. If, for example, you implement a new assessment tool before the interview phase, you can track the long-term impact on quality of hire to make sure the tool is doing what it’s supposed to.

Also, you can see how your company is doing compared to other companies. Tracking metrics internally over time is useful, but you might need to get industry insight to see whether your competitors have any edge. For example, a time to hire of 52 days doesn’t tell you much on its own. But, if you find out that competitors in your location hire for the same role in 31 days, you get a hint that you might need to speed up your hiring process so that you don’t miss out on good candidates. Use benchmarks on key metrics like industry averages of qualified candidates per hire or tech hiring metrics if you’re in the tech industry.

d) Don’t forget compliance

With great power comes great responsibility – and the same stands when it comes to data. Your hiring process doesn’t only generate data, it also feeds on information from the outside. Most importantly? Candidate data. You likely store a wealth of information taken from submitted job applications or sourced profiles, and you’re both ethically and legally responsible for protecting it.

For example, laws like the General Data Protection Regulation (or GDPR) cover companies that consider European residents as candidates (even if they don’t do business in the EU). GDPR tells you how you must handle any personal data you have on candidates. If you don’t comply, you can get a fine of up to $20 million or 4% of your annual global revenue (whichever is greater) under GDPR.

To keep data safe, you need to be sure that any technology you’re using is compliant and cares about data protection. If you aren’t using an ATS, consider investing in one. Spreadsheets, which are the most common alternative to software vendors, may expose you to risks concerning GDPR compliance as they provide poor audit trails, access controls and version control. A good ATS, on the other hand, will help you:

• Store data securely. This will help you stay compliant and will also ensure you’ll have accurate reports since you won’t risk losing valuable data.
• Control who accesses your data. You’ll be able to let people see the reports or the data they need without risking giving them access to confidential information they don’t have a reason to know.

To be sure your software does these, ask your vendor questions like:

• How and where they store data
• How they handle data and who has access to it
• What safety measures they’ve taken to comply with laws and keep data secure
• What their privacy policies are
• What access control options they offer

Make sure to always review the privacy policies with help from both IT and Legal.

Apart from protecting data, you can also aim to get data that show you how compliant you are, such as data relating to equal opportunity laws. For example, in the U.S., many companies need to comply with EEOC regulations and avoid disadvantaging candidates who are part of protected groups. Keeping track of the right recruitment data (e.g. by sending out a voluntary, anonymous survey on candidates’ race or gender) can help you spot problems in your hiring process and fix them fast. Also, learn whether your company is required to file an EEO-1 report and how to do it.

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9. Plug and Play

The most important step to improving your recruitment process tech stack is to know what’s available and how to use it.

a) Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)

These platforms are quickly becoming a must for the modern hiring process. Spreadsheets and email are no longer able to sustain growing hiring needs (or the legal obligations that come with them). Talent acquisition software, on the other hand, addresses many pain points of recruiters, hiring managers and executives. How? A good ATS:

• Automates administrative parts of the hiring process.
• Makes it easier for hiring teams to exchange feedback and keep track of the process.
• Helps you find qualified candidates via job posting, sourcing or setting up referral programs.
• Lets you build and follow annual hiring plans.
• Improves candidate experience.
• Helps you maintain a searchable candidate database.
• Generates recruitment reports on various key metrics (like time to hire).
• Helps you export/import and migrate data easily.
• Allows you to stay compliant with laws such as GDPR or EEOC regulations.

So, when looking for a new system, be sure to ask how each vendor makes each of these benefits possible.

b) Candidate screening tools

Assessments are good predictors of job performance and can help you make more informed hiring decisions. It’s not just about coding challenges or personality questionnaires though; there’s a large variety of job simulations, cognitive tests and skills exercises available, too.

Assessment tools help you administer these assessments and track candidate answers. The three biggest benefits of using this type of technology are as follows:

• The assessments will be well-crafted and tested. Professional questionnaires include lie scales that help you check reliability and validity in candidates’ answers.
• The results will be well-structured and easy-to-read. And if your assessment providers integrate with your ATS, you can organize results under each candidate’s profile and have a full overview of their performance in different assessment stages.
• You can get powerful reports with the right tools. Some companies prefer tools with extensive reporting, analytics and recommendations to help fine-tune their process.

Also, there are some providers that administer assessments combined with gamification tools. These tools have the added benefit that they make the process more attractive and fun for candidates, while also letting you evaluate their skills.

When looking for assessment providers decide what is most important to evaluate for each role: for developers, it might be coding skills, while for salespeople, it might be communication skills. There are different providers for each need. See our list of assessment providers to see what options are out there.

Of course, make sure to always think of the candidate when implementing evaluation tools. Are the tools easy-to-navigate and fast to load (when applicable)? Are they well-designed and secure? The best assessment providers will make sure the experience is seamless for both you and your candidates.

c) Video interviewing tools

There are two types of video interviews: synchronous and asynchronous. Synchronous interviews are basically meetings between hiring teams and candidates that happen over a tool like Google Hangouts, instead of in-person. This is usually done because the circumstances demand it, for example, if the candidate is at a different location than the interviewer.

Asynchronous (or one-way) interviews refer to the practice of candidates recording their answers to your interview questions on video and sending the recording back to you for review. Here are examples of platforms that offer this functionality:

• Spark Hire
• Jobma
• Human
• myInterview
• SkillHeart
• VidCruiter
• Hireflix

This type of interview is somewhat controversial: some candidates may dislike speaking to a lifeless screen instead of a human, and this can hurt their experience with your hiring process. You also miss out on the opportunity to answer questions and pitch your company to the best candidates. But, if used correctly, even video interviews can be useful to your hiring process since they:

• Save time you’d spend trying to book interviews at a time that’s convenient for all involved.
• Help in evaluations because you can analyze candidates’ answers carefully on your own time and re-watch them if you miss anything.

To do them right, you can try to lessen the effect of their disadvantages. For example, you should probably avoid sending one-way video interviews to experienced candidates who may not be receptive to this. Also, use video interviews at the beginning of the hiring process and make sure candidates do communicate with humans throughout the process at a later stage, e.g. via emails, phone calls, or in-person interviews. A good example of using one-way video interviews effectively is to ask a large number of recent graduates to record a short sales pitch to be considered for an entry-level sales role. Think of it like holding auditions for an acting role.

Make sure your video interview providers integrate with your recruitment software so you can send questions easily and group answers under candidate profiles.

d) Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the future of recruiting. The capabilities of this type of technology are still in their infancy, but they’re evolving fast. Soon, we’ll have powerful tools that can identify the best candidate based on complex algorithms, build relationships with candidates and take over the most routine tasks of recruiters (such as scheduling interviews and resume screening). These tools are beginning to appear already. For example, via Workable, you can search for the skills and experience you want and get publicly available profiles of candidates who match your requirements (and are in the right location).

Look at the market and see what tools are available. For instance, you may learn that face recognition software can boost the effectiveness of your video interviews. Generally, ask your network about tools they’ve used and do your research. Be aware of the potential pitfalls of such technology; for instance, someone from one cultural background may physically express themselves entirely differently than someone from another background even if they’re both equally talented and motivated for the role.

Now that you have an overview of the available solutions, decide which ones you need to use. It’s always better to choose tools that integrate with each other, either by default or through well-crafted APIs: this is a sure way to keep data intact and have easy access to the big hiring picture. Integrations are the basis of a refined tech setup that will drastically improve your process.

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10. Onboarding and Support

Shopping for HR tools in this rich market is a big project on its own. Complex systems, unfriendly interfaces and a lack of essential features could end up adding to your workload, instead of helping you hire more effectively.

When you’re deciding on the recruitment software that you’ll use to improve your hiring process, choose tools that:

a) Deliver what they promise

There’s nothing more off-putting than spending money on long-term contracts for a new tool, only to realize that it doesn’t actually have the functionality you expected it to have. When this happens, you either have to replace this tool (with the potential added costs of doing so) or buy additional software to cover your needs.

To avoid this mishap, book a demo before making your purchasing decision and benefit from the free trials that certain tools offer. Play around with the different features that recruitment systems have to better understand their functionality and their limitations. This way, you’ll get a better picture of how they work and how they can help in hiring without committing to buy.

b) Are easy to use

While, in most cases, recruiters are the main users of HR tech such as applicant tracking systems, there are other people in the company who will occasionally use them, too (again, see #5 above). For example, hiring managers do get involved in the recruiting process once a new role opens in their team. And HR managers will want to have an overview of all hiring pipelines as well as get access to historical data.

That’s why when you’re choosing your HR tools, you need to think of all the end users and try to pick systems that are intuitive or at least easy to learn even for those who won’t use them on a daily basis. You don’t want to buy a tool to organize communication during recruiting and then have hiring managers, for example, sending you their requests via email.

Demos and free trials can help in increasing user adoption. Try out a few different systems and involve your colleagues, too. Which system did you all enjoy using the most? Which system most alleviates everyone’s pain points? Use this information along with other criteria (e.g. your budget) to make your final decision.

c) Address your specific needs

You might not be able to find one magic tool that does everything, but you should pick the one that satisfies your high-priority needs, at a minimum. So, start by identifying what your next recruitment software should absolutely have and review what’s in the market.

For example, if you hire a lot via referrals, you might prefer a system that helps you keep the employee referral process organized. Or, if hiring managers are constantly on the go, a fully functional mobile recruitment software is probably the best solution for your team. On the contrary, if you’re in the retail industry, you probably don’t have to pay a fortune to get the latest AI system; instead a platform that helps you publish your open jobs on multiple job boards and social media is going to be both effective and affordable.

At the end of the day, you need to pick recruitment software that helps your company hire better. To help you out, we created an RFP template with questions you can ask HR vendors so that you can compare different systems and pick the best one for your needs. You can also follow this step-by-step guide on how to build a business case for recruitment software.

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The post The recruitment process: 10 steps necessary for success appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Although the interview process can be daunting, preparation is the key to building your confidence and proving that you’re the best candidate. Learn how to ace an interview with 19 steps that will help you stand out and succeed.

Table of contents

Before the interview

1. Research the company
2. Reread the job description
3. Prepare for the typical job interview questions
4. Get your backstory right
5. Prepare smart questions in advance
6. Is your interview remote? Check your equipment and find a quiet place
7. Practice your job interview

The day of the interview

8. Be on time
9. Bring resumes, reference letters and your notepad
10. Dress well
11. Relax, you came prepared

During the interview

12. Smile and be nice
13. Be honest
14. Show interest and passion
15. Demonstrate your expertise
16. Take notes

After the interview

17. Follow up to say thank you
18. Deal with any take-home assignment in a timely manner
19. Follow up on eventual questions that were asked during the interview

Before the interview

1. Research the company

Educating yourself on the company you’re interviewing for serves two important purposes. First, it helps ensure that the company’s mission and culture align with your own interests, career goals, and values. Second, the ability to authentically incorporate this knowledge into an interview shows that you are thoughtful, well-prepared, and truly interested in becoming a member of their team.

Prepare yourself by reading the website thoroughly, following their social media feeds, checking any interesting or relevant results on Google, searching reviews on GlassDoor, and reviewing the LinkedIn profiles of anyone participating in the interview. Take notes to help you formulate questions that demonstrate a genuine interest in the company and what they do.

2. Reread the job description

Take the time to read the job description again carefully prior to your interview. Make a list of the skills, experience, or qualifications you have that prove that you’re a viable candidate, using specific examples or quantifiable metrics as often as possible.

Also, pay attention to the specific adjectives used when they describe the type of candidate they’re seeking in the job listing; look for opportunities to include those words (or synonyms) into your interview answers or relay anecdotes that exhibit those qualities when you’re asked behavioral questions.

3. Prepare for the typical job interview questions

The number-one way to learn how to ace an interview is to come prepared with strong answers to interview questions. While you won’t know exactly what will be asked, you can increase your odds of doing well by researching common job interview questions and coming up with 50- to 100-word answers. Be prepared to answer questions like:

• Why should we hire you?
• What’s your biggest weakness?
• Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
• If I call your current/previous employer, what would he/she say about you?
• Tell me about a challenge you overcame

4. Get your backstory right

Despite being the most knowledgeable party about your own work history, there’s something about being asked to summarize your experience at the beginning of a call that can cause your thoughts to come to a screeching halt.

Take some time before the interview to write down a short outline that sums up your professional life, making sure to highlight any positions or experience that seem particularly relevant to the job. Then practice saying it out loud in a way that feels friendly, natural, and confident — it’s important that you don’t sound like you’re reading or reciting from a list.

5. Prepare smart questions in advance

Remember how you reviewed the job description and researched the company? That particular prep work is about to help prove that you’re interested in this specific position for this exact company — not just someone who stumbled in on a random and indiscriminate job hunt.

At some point during the interview, you’ll most likely be invited to ask your own questions and this is an opportunity that you shouldn’t pass up. Demonstrate that you’re eager to learn, interested in the position and the company, and have a general understanding of what they need and what they do through a series of thoughtful questions. Consider questions like:

• What would a typical day in this position look like?
• What challenges could this position help solve?
• Can you share some examples of the types of projects this position would work on?
• What metrics or KPIs would help quantify the success of this role?
• Are there any specific products or goals that the company is currently focused on?

6. Is your interview remote? Check your equipment and find a quiet place

Phone or video interviews often precede in-person interviews lately. Although everyone is familiar with the frustration of technical difficulties, a bad connection, dim lighting, or a noisy background can distract from the great impression you’re hoping to make.

Ace an interview (even from a distance) with the following remote interview tips:

• Find a clean, uncluttered background.
• Either set up a ring light or face a source of natural light.
• Make sure your webcam is at eye level.
• Try to make sure you’re in a quiet space. If it’s a phone interview, make sure you’re in a spot with good reception.
• Do a practice run with a friend via video to make sure everything goes as planned.

7. Practice your job interview

Confidence is key to crushing an interview. It may feel silly at first, but the best way to work on your interview skills is by rehearsing. Ask a friend or family member to play the role of interviewer or hiring manager and set up a video call or meeting.

Introduce yourself, summarize your work history, answer the questions they ask, and practice asking your own questions.

Work on not only what you say, but also how you say it. Do you sound nervous? What message is your body language conveying?

Are you talking too fast or rambling? Make sure your faux interviewer understands that critical feedback is essential to your success. Ask them open-ended questions about what went well and how you could improve.

The day of the interview

8. Be on time

There are a few aspects of the interview process that you have almost complete control over, and one of those is punctuality. Err on the side of being way too early, especially if it’s an in-person interview and traffic could become a factor — you never know when an accident or detour could become an obstacle.

If it’s a remote interview, be fully dressed and set up to test your equipment well before the interview starts.

9. Bring resumes, reference letters and your notepad

Don’t show up to your interview empty-handed. Even if you submitted your resume and reference letters via email, bring printed copies to your in-person interview — your interviewer may not have those items with them, they could get misplaced in an overloaded inbox, or you may want to refer to that information.

Also, bring a notepad and pen. It can help you write down any questions that may pop up during the interview and allows you to take notes to review later.

10. Dress well

Looking good contributes to feeling confident. Make a positive impression while boosting your self-esteem in clothes that are clean, fit well, and are appropriate for an interview setting.

Get honest opinions from friends and family members if you’re unsure about what to wear and try on your clothes and accessories the night before to eliminate the possibility of any last-minute wardrobe malfunctions.

11. Relax, you came prepared

You’ve done your research. You’ve practiced. You’ve come prepared. You’re early and well dressed. And chances are, you’re nervous. That’s normal. Take advantage of your early arrival and draw your shoulders back and down, unclench your jaw, and take several deep breaths.

Consider the fact that feeling nervous and being excited share a lot of the same physiological symptoms. Try to reframe anxiety as optimistic anticipation. Spend a few quiet moments reviewing any notes you’ve taken, remind yourself that you’ve prepared the best you can, and assume an air of confidence. After all, you’re as ready as you’ll ever be!

During the interview

12. Smile and be nice

No one goes into a job interview with the intent to be unpleasant, but sometimes being nervous makes it hard to act natural. Be the best version of yourself — a prospective employer wants to get to know the real you. Smile, make eye contact, and be personable.

A job interview is a professional occasion with a social slant, so be friendly with the interviewer, laugh if the opportunity arises, and show off your personality, but in a more polished way than you might with friends. Remember that they’re looking to fill a job and to form a relationship with a potential new team member.

13. Be honest

Behavioral interview questions can often feel like a trap. For instance, “Tell me about a time that you received critical feedback,” might seem like a question to evade but the reality is that they’re trying to get an idea about your level of self awareness or ability to handle constructive criticism.

Use prior experiences as a way to show that you’re a good fit for their company culture and provide anecdotes that show that you’re genuine and have good communication skills. Authenticity can help you stand out and ace the interview.

Also, if you don’t have an answer for something, it’s okay to say, “I don’t know off the top of my head, but I will follow up after the interview.” Don’t embellish or give superficial answers.

14. Show interest and passion

Enthusiastic people are interesting. Don’t hesitate to share your curiosity or excitement about a subject or project. If possible, provide examples of how the subject matter is relevant to your personal life or professional experience.

Explaining why something is interesting or important to you can make you more memorable.

15. Demonstrate your expertise

Look for opportunities to insert specific examples of your professional experience and expertise into the conversation. Did you improve a process or solve a problem at your current or previous job? Have you read books, attended conferences, or written blog posts that are relevant to the position?

Be humble but be confident about what you know and how it could benefit their company. Try to tack real-world examples onto as many questions as possible.

16. Take notes

Remember that notebook you brought with you? Be sure to put it to good use. Taking notes shows that you’re interested, that you’re listening, and that you care. As an added bonus, it can help ease the nervous urge to fidget and can give you a moment to think before answering. Write down the names of who you’ll be reporting to, answers to questions you have, and information you’d like to research or refer back to later.

After the interview

17. Follow up to say thank you

Good manners never go out of style. Take a moment after the interview to follow up with a thank-you note. Doing so shows that you appreciate their time and the opportunity, and helps you stand out from those who don’t send one.

Think of it as a pop-up notification to remind the hiring manager and interviewers that you’re interested, available, and appreciative.

18. Deal with any take-home assignment in a timely manner

If the interviewer asks you to submit a project after the interview, do your best work but do it quickly. Turning in an assignment promptly shows that you’re invested in the hiring process.

If you and another interviewee are both being seriously considered, submitting quality work with a quick turnaround time could help identify you as the ideal candidate for the job.

19. Follow up on questions asked during the interview

If there was a question that you couldn’t answer on the spot, don’t forget to follow up on your promise to provide an answer after the interview. It may be tempting to assume they’ll forget about it, and they might, but following up shows that you gave the question the consideration that it deserves and gives you an extra opportunity to remind them of your interest.

Looking for more information about how to ace an interview? Check out the questions interviewers might ask and how they evaluate answers.

The post 19 steps to ace any job interview and stand out appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Far too many companies, especially small businesses, neglect to get the basics down in writing early enough. There’s a tendency to believe that “our company doesn’t need them” and that spoken instructions will suffice.

As soon as a company starts growing the limits of this approach become obvious. Putting company policies down in writing makes them official. Employees know what the company takes seriously and how they can keep up-to-date with their rights and responsibilities. People work better when they know where they stand.

No-one wants to focus on the negative but disputes can and will arise. Having the ground rules established in the clearest and simplest terms helps to limit the damage when they do. And in the instance that disputes lead to court, written policies can be essential in ensuring a swift and fair outcome.

It’s not all (or even primarily) about firefighting though. Having the beginnings of a company handbook can help you explain to current and future hires what’s special about your company — as the games company Valve have done so well. Still not sure where to get started? Here’s five company policies that you should put in writing today.

Workplace Health and Safety

Provisions for occupational safety are a necessity for everyone who owns or runs a business. It’s imperative that your employees work within a healthy and safe workplace. Accidents and unsafe conditions can land you in court. If you also count the damage to reputation and loss of faith from employees, complacency when it comes to safety may be the biggest mistake you’ll ever make. A written policy shows that you take the matter seriously. This is about more than a few fire extinguishers. A workplace safety policy will help you to think systematically.

Equal Opportunity Policy

Being an equal opportunity employer is mandated by law in most countries. This equal opportunity policy prohibits any company from discriminating against employees or job applicants on the basis of a “protected characteristic” (gender, age, race etc.). It is fundamental for non-discrimination, anti-harassment, workplace violence and diversity policies. It can also help your business for two reasons: first, it expands the pool of people from which to choose the best applicant for any job and secondly, it creates a fair environment for employees to co-exist, work and thrive in. Putting it in writing will send the message to everyone that equal opportunity is a reality at your company.

Employee Code of Conduct Policy

All employers have expectations from their employees and a straightforward code of conduct can make this clear. Communicating these expectations clearly is a prerequisite for compliance. Even if an employee has the best of intentions and even if some things are simple enough to be expected (like completing job duties), misunderstandings may still occur. One way to keep them to a minimum is to have a written code of conduct that will include important elements like attendance or even use of social media. Rules must be clear and accessible. Employees can consult them whenever they are unsure of what constitutes acceptable behavior. It also means that when someone’s employment has to be terminated there’s a proper record in place.

Leave of Absence Policy

For various reasons ranging from health issues to vacation plans, employees may occasionally require to be absent from work. Whether it is mandated by law or not, it is always advantageous to let your employees know beforehand what benefits you offer. Different kinds of leave (sick leave, Paid Time Off, maternity leave, parental leave etc.) are separate entities and may require different treatment. Having all this in writing, alongside rules that are necessary to regulate leave taking, is the only way to adequately inform employees.

Employee Disciplinary Action Policy

Occasionally problems will arise at work and dealing with them is much easier with a clear disciplinary policy in place. Employees must know how and under what circumstances they will be disciplined. A standardized step-by-step process will help you ensure fair and appropriate treatment, even if you don’t formally disclose the entire procedure. It will also show that you are an employer who does not tolerate serious violations but also values remedial actions in the case of minor offences. Take care though to consult a lawyer to ensure that the procedures you have in place are lawful.

Workable also offers a broad range of additional company policy templates that you can customize for your own company.

The post The 5 company policies you need to have in writing appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

So if you’re thinking of building effective benefit plans or looking to boost your existing policies, we got you covered – we present the basics of employee benefits, including types of employee benefits, common benefits per location and insight on what candidates and employees truly want:

What are employee benefits?

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of employee benefits (or fringe benefits), let’s define the term:

Employee benefits are any kind of tangible or intangible compensation given to employees apart from base wages or base salaries.

This employee benefits definition points to examples of job benefits such as insurance (including medical, dental, life), stock options and cell phone plans. But, employee benefits can be much more than these, from training opportunities to startup perks (let’s not focus on the notorious ping pong tables, though).

Basically, any kind of non-wage gain attached to an employee’s position can be classified as an employee benefit, be it mandatory or voluntarily given by an employer.

Why do employers offer benefits to employees?

Benefit packages take a lot of time out of many HR professionals’ time. And with good reason: they’re one of the most basic employee engagement and retention strategies, and they support talent attraction as well.

The numbers speak for themselves about the importance of employee benefits. Extensive research by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) indicates that 92% of employees consider employment benefits as important for their overall job satisfaction (in itself, a great element of retention and productivity). Almost one third of employees also cited work benefits as the top reason of looking for a job outside their organization; and for choosing to stay at their job, too.

Benefits are also among the top driving factors candidates look for in job ads – 63% of job seekers surveyed say they pay attention to what benefits a company offers. This means that offering benefits, and mentioning them in your job ads and careers page, is a great part of your employer branding efforts.

Employee benefits also help you take care of high-performing employees without the need to keep investing in exceptionally high pay raises. All employees should get paid enough to pay the bills and live comfortably, but they might accept less pay if they have strong health insurance, flexible hours and other benefits important to them. The practice of employees giving up a part of their salary for benefits is called salary packaging, and may also result in tax deductions or other gains for either party.

What are the four major types of employee benefits?

The major types of benefits are those categories of benefits that are more commonly met in companies across countries. Many cite these benefits as health insurance, life insurance, disability insurance and retirement plans. However, this view is focused on the different types of insurance, and neglects other equally major benefits. In an effort to expand our scope, we’ve grouped insurance benefits together and listed three other major types of benefits offered by employers:

• Insurance
• Retirement plans
• Additional compensation
• Time off

Insurance

This category includes health insurance (dental, medical, vision), life insurance, and disability insurance. Offering health insurance, or some kind of medical plan, is mandatory in many countries, and there’s often publicly available medical care sponsored by employers. However, many companies opt for private group or individual insurance in order to provide better options to their employees.

Life insurance shows that the company cares not only about the employee, but also about their family. If the employee dies, their family will get a sum to cover funeral and other related expenses, and their cost of living for a set time period. Life insurance may also be complemented by Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) policies which pay a sum to employees who either die or sustain injuries which render them unable to work.

Disability insurance may cover long-term and short-term disability or illness. For example, if an employee gets sick, they can receive payments for as long as their sickness lasts. In the U.S., some employers may sometimes use short-term disability policies to fund paid maternity leave for female employees.

Retirement

Retirement benefits help employees feel more secure about their future after retirement. In the U.S., for example, a common benefit is the 401(k) in which both company and employee make defined contributions to the employee’s account on a regular basis.

The 401(k) is a type of defined contribution plan which doesn’t guarantee employees a specific benefit amount at retirement. This is because the money invested from the account may be lost if investments fail. Employees choose how to invest contributions, or how much to contribute from their paycheck through pre-tax deductions. Employers may also contribute, in some cases by matching a certain percentage of employees’ contributions. At retirement, employees receive the balance in their account. Before you decide whether to implement a 401(k) plan, learn about its different forms.

There’s also the defined retirement plan which is entirely funded by the employer, so employees can receive a specific monthly benefit at retirement. The amount may be determined based on retirement age and tenure at the company.

Time off

In many countries, paid time off is mandated by law, like in the European Union (Austria, for example, has a legal minimum of 22 paid days for vacation and Finland has five weeks). Employers in countries like the U.S. may not be obliged to offer paid vacation leave, but those that do it voluntarily can get a competitive advantage in talent attraction and retention – 9 out of 10 employees reported that paid leave is important to their overall job satisfaction, according to SHRM.

For similar reasons, employers around the world may choose to extend law-mandated leave, such as giving extra days for sickness. In the U.S., 71% of all workers in the private sector had paid sick leave as a benefit, according to a 2018 report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The same goes for other types of leave such as parental or bereavement leave. For example, the law in the UK doesn’t provide for bereavement or compassionate time off, so offering a few days of this type of leave can be an important benefit.

Other time-off benefits may include training days and sabbaticals, which are usually voluntary for employers, but can have just as much impact on employee engagement.

Additional compensation

This category refers to any money offered to employees apart from their regular compensation. This money includes bonuses, commissions, awards and gifts, as well as indirect compensation, like stock option plans and profit-sharing.

Bonuses can be contractual or discretionary and may include:

• Sales commissions
• Individual or company-wide performance awards
• Lump sum gifts (e.g. for exemplary actions on the job)

These compensations are usually part of incentive programs that motivate employees to produce more and better quality results. They may also help keep morale high. Often, bonuses are determined by union contracts.

There are some arguments against monetary benefits though; financial rewards may sometimes spur unethical behavior or create envy among coworkers. For example, a salesperson who knows that the most successful salesperson of the month will get higher commission might resort to stealing prospects from coworkers or otherwise contributing to an unhealthily competitive atmosphere in the office. To prevent these outcomes, make sure you give everyone the same chances to earn bonuses and make the criteria for those bonuses transparent to all, and be suspicious of discrepancies in employee results.

If you want to formulate a clear and transparent bonus policy, here’s our policy template to get you started.

Common and best employee benefits

Apart from the major categories, there are several other types of benefits that appear frequently in company benefits plans.

Here are the top 10 employee benefits worldwide:

• Private Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement / Pension plans
• Training and Development
• Stock option plans
• Work From Home and/or flexible hours
• Food and snacks
• Life insurance
• Extended leave (Vacation, Sick)
• Bonuses / Awards / Gifts
• Company equipment (including vehicles, laptops, phones)

Note that the most popular benefits vary per location and there are also benefits that are exclusive to certain areas. For example, Australians can receive novated leasing as a benefit, enabling them to lease cars with their employer taking on the contract’s obligations.

In the U.S., where paid parental leave isn’t federally mandated by law like in other countries (although it exists at the state level in some jurisdictions), time off for mothers and fathers is a popular company-offered benefit.

In four English-speaking countries, employee benefits may include: (this list isn’t exhaustive for any of these areas and the order of items isn’t significant)

So what are good benefits for employees?

Or rather, what employee benefits do people value the most? The easy answer is that employees value all benefits. But, budgets are limited and companies need to find the benefits mix that will have the most positive impact, while also not breaking the bank.

To do this, first be sure to learn what benefits you need to offer by law. This could be national or state law. Make a list and decide if you can extend some of those benefits. For example, in France, employees are guaranteed three to five days of bereavement leave. You could decide to extend this leave if you find that your employees need it.

Then, take a look at surveys to help you determine voluntary benefits your company should offer. Glassdoor’s Benefits Review survey in the US investigated the correlation between certain benefits and job satisfaction. A correlation of 1 means the benefit is a good predictor of employee satisfaction, while 0 shows no correlation. Here’s the list of employee benefits with correlations of more than 0.5:

Another recent survey by a benefits provider identifies the three most popular non-insurance benefits:

1. Paid family leave
2. Flexible/ remote work
3. Professional development

You can also look at employee benefits examples from big companies with high employee ratings. You may not be able to afford all these benefits, but they can certainly give you ideas.

Of course, it never hurts to investigate what your own employees want – perhaps, they have different needs than workers in other industries or locations. Ask for feedback via email or create an online survey using a free tool like Google Forms. Also, some employers pay attention to the demographics of their employee base to give everyone the benefits they need most based on their characteristics. For example, in order to retain and engage millennials, businesses may offer them benefits such as student loan repayment support and co-sign support for auto loans.

How much do benefits cost a company?

According to a 2019 report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employee benefits in the U.S. make up 30% of total compensation costs. Insurance benefits accounted for 8% of compensation costs and legally required benefits were at 7.7%.

Health benefits especially might average $15,000 per employee in 2019, prompting employers to make changes in order to lower the cost of employee benefits (e.g. adding more virtual care solutions).

Benefits do cost money, and their importance is such that these costs will not (and should not) be reduced too much. But, not every benefit has to create heavy financial burdens for companies. You can try your hand by introducing cost-effective benefits and perks, such as:

• Free lunches and/or snacks
• Remote work / Flexible hours
• Public transit cards or reimbursement for tolls, gas and other travel-related expenses
• Company-sponsored discounts (e.g. for coffee places, gyms, restaurants, daycares)
• Extra time off for training or volunteering
• Free parking spaces
• Cellphone plans with free calls/texts/internet
• Housing and relocation benefits for new hires (where applicable)
• Wellness resources (such as standing desks, first-aid training)

Many of these unique employee benefits are on the rise: for example, in the U.S., out of all the organizations that increased their offered benefits, 44% increased their employee wellness resources. These can help boost morale, but they can also help you avoid indirect costs, like costs associated with missed work and associated productivity (about $1,685 per employee each year, according to SHRM).

And this may be the case for most benefits. What seems expensive at first glance might actually save you money in the long run. So make sure you examine the possible costs and gains for each employee benefit before you decide what to include in your plan.

Employee benefits management: How to do it effectively

Employee benefits have a significant impact on the administrative aspect of HR, especially when regulatory issues are involved. But there are ways to manage benefit plans more effectively to save time and reduce the possibility of mistakes. Here are five things to consider:

• Hire a dedicated employee benefits specialist. This person could be in-house (as a Benefits Administrator or Compensation and Benefits Manager) or external (such as a Benefits Broker). They will help you find the best options based on your company’s needs, calculate costs and gains, and even negotiate prices for certain benefits.
• Find the right software. It’s very difficult (and unnecessary) to manage benefit packages without the help of technology. A good employee benefits information system helps you see which employees receive which benefits, export statistics and administer benefits (it might also integrate with your talent acquisition software to further streamline the entire HR process). To find the right software, do your research and make a compelling business case.
• Measure benefits and costs diligently. This will be the responsibility of the finance department, but it’s important for HR to keep track of rising or plummeting costs and gains. Having data will be vital to form your long-term benefits strategy.
• Include a description of benefits and perks in your Employee Handbook. No number of great benefits will be effective if employees don’t know they have them. Prepare a section in your Employee Handbook to give important information on what your company offers (use our benefits and perks template as an employee benefits package example to get started with your own).
• Monitor employees’ wishes and needs. Employees’ needs may change. Offering free lunches and gym memberships is great for younger employees. But, as they grow older and have families, flexible hours or parental leave might be more important. Listen and make changes when needed.

The post Employee benefits: A guide on common and best benefits appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Communicating with candidates takes time but probably not as much as you’re currently spending. Well-crafted recruiting email templates will help reduce your workload and can give you direction to get the tone and structure right. This way, sending a recruitment email is not only efficient but can also foster a positive opinion of your employer brand.

Keep in mind that the best recruiting templates leave enough room for personalization, which makes candidates more likely to respond. If you’re using an applicant tracking system (ATS) like Workable, customizable templates are automatically part of the hiring process.

Here’s a list of recruiting email examples for different scenarios, from sourcing candidates to onboarding new hires, inspired by the templates we use here at Workable:

Source a candidate

If you source via email regularly, you can save a lot of time by using a recruiting template. This template should communicate your eagerness to talk to a candidate and it should be highly customized, since making an excellent first impression is crucial. A passive candidate won’t respond to a bulk email. Tell them what you liked about their profile and how you think they could be a great addition to your team. Your tone should be casual and inviting. Also tell them what you can do for them, providing an incentive for them to follow up with you.

Short example:

“Hi …, I came across your profile on … and was immediately impressed with your experience in … I think that your expertise in … would help us in [this] project we’re working on. I’d like to talk to you further so I can get to know you better and introduce our company to you.”

Here’s a full version of a passive candidate email template.

Related: How to source passive candidates

Schedule a phone screen interview

This will probably be the first time you communicate with a job applicant. You don’t necessarily need to personalize this email but make sure it draws your candidate’s attention. Use the tone that better represents your company (at Workable, we use an informal tone). Say that the candidate’s application looks interesting and that you would like to talk to them over a call. Propose a time on the spot.

Short example:

“Hi …, thank you for your application. Your profile seems like a good fit for the position of [insert position]. I’d like to schedule a short introductory call so we can get to know you better and discuss the role and [company name]. Are you available on…?”

Here’s a full version of a phone interview email template.

Send an assignment

The tone of an assignment email during the interview process should be mostly informative so you’re able to keep personalization to a minimum. Say what the assignment, or candidate assessment test, is about and what it measures. State the deadline and any other specific information. Close this email by inviting the candidate to contact you if they have any questions.

It’s important to get this email right. If you leave out important details, you might lose time answering clarification questions and a good candidate might perform poorly due to unclear directions.

Short example:

“Hi…, we’d like you to complete this assignment as part of our hiring process. It’s meant to assess your skills in… and give us an idea of how you approach …. Please send us your answers by [date/time frame]. I’ll be glad to answer any questions, so feel free to contact me anytime.”

Here’s a full version of an assignment email template.

Invite candidates for an interview by email

Some recruiters call candidates to schedule interviews for a more personalized approach, but an email provides information that candidates can refer back to and respond to in their own time. Your email should invite candidates to an interview and give them an idea of what to expect. Again, personalization isn’t needed, but do craft an interview email that is both informative and welcoming.

Short example:

“Hi …, our [hiring manager] reviewed your work sample and she’d like to have an interview with you in our offices. You’ll be able to discuss the role of [title of open position] and ask any questions you have about [company name]. Could you make it on [date]? Please let me know so I can send you a calendar invitation. We’re looking forward to meeting you.”

Here’s a full version of an email template for scheduling an interview.

Send mass rejection emails

Sending rejection emails to applicants can only be to your benefit if done right. A good ATS will help you send mass candidate rejection e-mails so you won’t lose time writing every single one from scratch. Make sure to customize the template though if needed. For example, if you’re disqualifying candidates after an assignment, mention that you reviewed their assignment carefully and thank them for their effort. As with any rejection email, be more sensitive and formal than in your usual communications. If possible, offer to send individual feedback to earn a candidate’s respect and help them improve in the future.

Short example:

“Hi …, thank you for the time you spent on the assignment/your application. We’ve reviewed it carefully but we regret to inform you that we didn’t select you for further consideration. Competition was very strong and we decided to go in another direction. Thank you for your interest in our company and we wish you best of luck with your next steps.”

Here’s a full version of a candidate rejection email template.

Reject a candidate after an interview

Rejecting someone who you haven’t met or have only briefly spoken to on the phone may be easy. But, a face-to-face interview calls for a highly personalized candidate rejection e-mail. You can follow a template to make writing the rejection easier, but make sure you customize to fit the candidate. Use a friendly and informal tone. Say that you liked meeting them (if possible, add a line about what you liked most about their resume or interview performance). Wish them well and encourage them to keep an eye on any new positions, if you feel they’d be a good fit for future roles.

A more personal approach may sooth the candidate’s disappointment and can be a decisive factor in how they rate their candidate experience. Even if they were rejected, people don’t forget that they were treated with respect and consideration.

Here’s a full version of the post-interview rejection letter template which you can customize to meet your needs.

Is your company growing? Workable is the leading ATS for ambitious companies. Sign up for our 15-day free trial and start hiring better people, faster.

Follow up with candidates not showing up for interview

Having candidates miss their interview without explanation is an unpleasant experience for hiring teams. But even more unpleasant is preparing a follow up email afterwards when vexation and disappointment are the prevalent emotions.

You might decide to not send an email at all (which would be fine considering the candidate is probably not that interested). But sending an email will help you preserve your employer brand and also allow for cases when something serious happened to the candidate. A no show interview email template will help you send a short and simple email without starting from scratch.

Short example:

Hi …, We didn’t see you at our scheduled interview today so we assume you’re not interested in the role anymore. If you still are however, please let me know. All the best, …”

If the candidate is a European citizen, their personal data is protected by the GDPR. This means that if you decide to keep their data on file, tell them so and link to your privacy policy.

Here’s a full version of an interview no-show email template.

Related: Learn how to respond professionally to an interview no-show.

Follow up with successful candidate after interview

The best candidates will probably interview with other companies and receive other offers. This means that if a candidate is successful in their main interview, you need to move fast to keep them in your hiring process. If the next step is an offer, send the job offer email (your ATS could help you do that quickly). If there’s another step in the process (like an executive interview), use an email template to send email to your successful candidate more efficiently.

Short example:

Hi …, Thanks for interviewing with us, our hiring team was very excited to meet you. You impressed us with your skills and we believe you’ll fit well in our team. As one of our finalists, the last step of our hiring process is a short [meeting/ call] with our [CEO/ COO]. Can you make it at [time and date]? Please let me know until tomorrow so we can schedule the [meeting/call].

Here’s a full version of an email to successful candidate after interview.

Give interview feedback

If you have offered to send feedback to candidates (which is a good way to enhance candidate experience), expect most of them to take you up on your offer. It’s often useful to refer to a template, even to send individual feedback, to make sure you say what you need to and get the tone right. Remember to include both positive and negative feedback. First say what you liked about the candidate’s performance in a test, interview or assignment. Be honest as false praise won’t help the candidate. Then, share the negative aspects. Always frame negatives as areas of improvement, so as not to sound accusatory or critical.

Short example:

“Hi …, overall you performed well in [interview/assignment/etc] and you clearly have a lot of potential. We particularly liked the way you … and were very pleased with …. But, there were some mistakes that put you at a disadvantage compared to other candidates. You may need some more practice on …. as well as improvement in ….. I hope this will be useful to you and wish you all the best.”

Here’s a full version of an interview feedback to candidates email template.

Send an offer

The job offer email is easy to standardize as it’ll probably be the same for most people. You should use an enthusiastic tone for this email (you’ve found what you were looking for after all). This email could be the same as your official offer letter or separate from that which will include details on compensation and benefits and could be sent as attachment to the email. Use either a formal or informal offer email depending on your company’s voice.

Short example:

Hi …, we’re excited to offer you the position of [role]. We enjoyed getting to know you during our hiring process and we can’t wait to see what you’ll achieve as part of our team. Your expected start date is [date]. I’m enclosing a full offer letter as an attachment so you can see the compensation and benefits we offer. Please let me know if you accept our offer by [date]. If you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them. Best,…

Here are full versions of our job offer email and formal offer letter templates.

Welcome your new hire

There’s a hazy line between where hiring ends and onboarding begins. Once your new hire accepts your offer, send them a welcome email. Express your enthusiasm for your new hire and share important information. Personalizing this letter isn’t necessary, so make sure you’ve got it right from the start.

Short example:

Dear [Employee’s name], We are all really excited to welcome you to our team! As agreed, your start date is [date.] We expect at our offices at [time]. Our dress code is [casual/ business casual.] Please bring your ID to show at the reception. We’ve planned your first days to help you settle in properly (you can find more details in the enclosed document). You’ll have plenty of time to read and complete your employment paperwork and we’ll be there to help you during this process. If you have any questions, feel free to email or call me and I’ll be more than happy to help you. Best, …”

Both the new hire’s supervisor and the HR department could send a new hire welcome email.

Explore all of our email templates for recruiters, hiring managers and HR. A full library of templates is just one way Workable will save you time in the recruiting process. Try it for free for 15 days and see how our all-in-one recruitment software can improve hiring for you and your team.

The post The best recruiting email templates for all scenarios appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Team collaboration software is on the rise. From communication to project management, technology offers an abundance of options. More online collaboration tools spring up every year, while existing ones are constantly improving their features and functionality. Some companies grow and thrive through holacracy, a collaborative management structure.

Here’s a list of 15 of the best collaboration tools that can support your team’s needs:

Communicate with your team

People can’t collaborate if they don’t communicate. From instant messaging to video conferencing tools (the best alternative to face-to-face meetings), there are many options for team collaboration tools:

1. Flowdock

Flowdock is a group and private chat platform. Its most interesting feature is its team inbox which aggregates notifications from other channels, like Twitter, Asana and customer support tools.

2. GoToMeeting

GoToMeeting is an online video conferencing software that allows users to schedule meetings and share screens. It’s one of the most popular video tools with millions of users.

3. Slack

Slack is a popular and well-crafted platform offering instant messaging, file transfers and powerful message search. It has many features and dozens of integrations with other tools like Trello and Intercom.

4. WebEx

Cisco’s WebEx provides personalized video meeting rooms where users can to host and join meetings. People can use WebEx for team collaboration, webinars, training and customer support.

Manage projects and tasks

Project management tools are critical. Who can coordinate effectively when they can’t monitor task progress or keep track of objectives?

5. Asana

One of the most well-known project management tools, Asana allows users to assign tasks to other members, add followers to projects and monitor deadlines. It’s very useful as a to-do list or calendar for strategic planning.

6. Dapulse

Dapulse is a collaboration tool that helps you communicate, set objectives and assign tasks. Its big advantage: it has a great visual design so it’s easy to understand and work with.

7. ProofHub

ProofHub is a work management tool that offers a comprehensive suite of collaboration and project management functions. On this platform, you can organize files, plan and monitor projects and discuss with colleagues and stakeholders. ProofHub also lets you review and approve files through an online proofing tool.

8. Redbooth

Redbooth is an easy-to-use project management tool. Its platform allows users to plan and collaborate through many functions from video conferencing to creating Gantt charts.

9. Trello

Trello has an intriguing interface that resembles solitaire (you can even drag task cards across columns, just like you would playing cards). It’s easy to learn and works well for monitoring projects and assigning tasks. Trello also makes using Agile, Scrum and other project management frameworks easy.

10. Wimi

Wimi offers users their own ‘unified workspaces’ where teams can manage projects and share files and calendars. You can control access in each workspace with a rights-based system. Wimi Drive, their file syncing software, helps you make the most out of cloud technology.

11. Milanote

Milanote is one of the qualified tools that can be used for serving numerous purposes including blogging. Using this tool, you can organize creative projects and place them into excellent visual boards. It will provide you a feel like you’re working on the wall in a creative studio. Milanote would be a great fit too for designers who work remotely.

Related: Recruiting tools and techniques for modern HR teams

Creating together

A task isn’t always one person’s responsibility. Sometimes team members need to create together. These are the best collaboration tools:

12. Codingteam

Coders can easily collaborate when writing their code through platforms like Codingteam. It offers a free ‘software forge’ that encourages visibility and collective code building.

13. Igloo

Igloo is a company intranet that allows people to communicate and get work done. Its wiki allows colleagues to share information and ideas.

14. Google Docs

Google needs no introduction. Google’s collaboration tools include its Docs and Sheets services, which are designed to allow teams to edit files at the same time and save all their changes automatically.

15. Quip

Quip started off as a mobile app and released a desktop version later. Teams can import and work live on different file types. Edits are saved automatically and its chat, comment and checklist features make collaboration easy.

How do I choose the best collaboration tools for my business?

Companies should choose software that meets their individual needs. Here are some criteria that you can use to identify the best service for your team:

Prefer multiple features

Some tools offer excellent service but are only focused on one aspect of team collaboration. Give some thought to how efficient this really is. Teams may end up spending time changing between complementary software. It’s better to look for a tool that’s feature-rich and allows people to use it in many different ways.

Look for ease of use

This is obviously one of the most important criteria. If a service works but takes a lot of time to get used to, it won’t help teams (especially fast-growing teams.) Request a demo and keep an eye out for an intuitive interface and simple navigation.

Pay attention to privacy options

Collaborating with teams doesn’t mean all conversations and files should be public. Sometimes, you’ll want team members to have private conversations or work on sensitive projects. Make sure you look at privacy options before you choose a service.

Opt for cloud

Cloud-based technology has many advantages. It can solve your version control headaches by allowing you to see recent edits and activity. All information is stored online so everyone can be on the same page, no matter where they are.

Ask for integrations and compatibility

Remember that it’s better to use a tool with multiple features? Well, not always. Occasionally, you discover a tool that does one thing perfectly. Integrations are key. Look for tools that seamlessly integrate with other apps or software. Compatibility is also important. For example, your tools should support all the file types your team normally uses.

Tutorial: 17 effective candidate sourcing tools

The post 15 collaboration tools for productive teams appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

How do you calculate turnover rate?

To calculate the monthly employee turnover rate, all you need is three numbers: the numbers of active employees at the beginning (B) and end of the month (E) and the number of employees who left (L) during that month. You can get your average number of employees (Avg) by adding your beginning and ending workforce and dividing by two (Avg = [B+E]/2).

Now, you should divide the number of employees who left by your average number of employees. Multiply by 100 to get your final turnover percentage ([L/Avg] x 100).

However, most companies find quarterly or annual turnover rate calculations more useful, because it usually takes longer for their numbers to get large enough to show meaningful patterns.

Here’s the formula for annual turnover rate:

So, if you have 45 employees at the start of the year and 55 at the end and 5 employees left during that year, your annual turnover rate would be:

You can also calculate your employee retention rate by taking your turnover rate and subtracting it from 100 to get the result.

What’s the best turnover rate formula?

Depending on what you want to measure, you can use different numbers to calculate your employee turnover rate.

For example, if you want to illustrate competitive retention you would normally define separation as voluntary resignations since non-voluntary separations and retirements don’t necessarily mean that you’re losing employees to other employers.

However, if you simply want to illustrate overall turnover, you may want to include all separations. If you do include retirements in your turnover calculation, you should make this clear, so people understand what you’re including in your measurements.

One interesting and useful way to measure turnover is to see whether your new hire turnover rate is higher or lower than your overall turnover rate.

In this example, we define new hire turnover rate as the number of new employees who leave within a year.

Your new hire turnover formula would look like this:

A healthy turnover rate

Now that know how to calculate employee turnover rate using a basic formula, you can calculate your company’s turnover and come up with a number. But what does your number actually mean? How do you know if your turnover rate is high or low?

One way is to compare your company’s turnover rate with the average rate within your industry. Turnover rates can vary widely across industries. Usually, hospitality and healthcare have the highest turnover rates. In 2015, the US hospitality industry had a voluntary turnover rate of 17.8% and the US healthcare industry, 14.2%. Rates were a lot lower in other industries, like insurance (8.8%) and utilities (6.1%).

Nobscot offers an application that gives you instant access to current US turnover rates based on industry and location. Likewise, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the European Union’s database can provide interesting statistics. Sites like comdatasurveys.com and xperthr.co.uk also release relevant surveys.

Once you compare your rate with your industry or location average, you can reach some conclusions. If, for example, your turnover rate is higher than your industry average, it probably means your management is not as effective as it could be. So, you’ll probably want to identify and address some internal issues.

Besides external benchmarking, you can conduct your own internal turnover rate research. To get a better sense of your turnover trends, collect data from different periods of time, from different departments and from all managerial levels.

Although managers and employers dread turnover, a turnover rate of zero is unrealistic. People will inevitably leave at some point, to retire, relocate or because of changing circumstances in their lives. As strange as it may sound, you can have a ‘healthy’ turnover rate. Keep an eye on your rates, ensuring they stay within healthy industry and location ranges.

Analyze your turnover rate

To better understand your employee turnover, all you have to do is answer three questions:

• “Who are the employees who leave?”
• “When do they leave?”
• “Why they are leaving?”

Who

Even if your turnover rate is lower than your industry’s average, there’s no reason to celebrate unless you can identify who leaves you. If your top performers are leaving, then you should take immediate action, otherwise your company’s performance will flag. On the other hand, if your low performers are leaving, you could stand to gain by enjoying better employee engagement, productivity and profits.

When

Keeping track of when people leave can be very useful. For example, your new hire turnover rate can offer a lot of insight. First, it can tell you whether your recruitment methods are working. If a significant number of your new employees leave because they found their job duties different to, or more complicated than, what they were expecting, perhaps you should consider reviewing your job descriptions. Investing more time and money developing your orientation process could help too, if employees leave because of cultural mismatches. You could also consider offering other employee engagement programs like parental leave or flexible working hours, if your employees struggle with work-life balance.

Why

When you know why your employees leave, you can change your company’s management style or policies in response. Exit interviews are a useful way to see whether people give similar reasons for leaving, or whether they offer useful suggestions for how you can improve. For example, employees often say they decided to resign because their input and effort were not appreciated. If you hear these kinds of comments in your exit interviews or in performance reviews, HR should work with managers to consider changing performance appraisal processes.

Employee turnover rates can uncover hidden problems within organizations. A high turnover rate is a warning sign you shouldn’t ignore. Review your recruitment processes, change your compensation and benefits plan or incorporate a succession planning policy. Ultimately, if you respond to turnover issues proactively, you will improve your company and retain great employees.

The post How to calculate employee turnover rate appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Here’s a guide on how to help your hiring teams to provide productive and fair interview feedback they can rely on throughout the entire recruiting process:

How to train your hiring team to give effective interview feedback

Arrange meetings or mini-workshops with hiring teams to guide them on effective post-interview communication. Use our examples below when you want to coach team members to:

Justify their choice to disqualify or move a candidate to the next hiring stage.

Examples:

✓ “I don’t think we should move forward with the candidate at this point, as they lack experience in XYZ software which is a must-have for this role.”

✗ “I don’t think we should move forward with the candidate at this point – I just get a feeling they won’t be a good fit.”

Raise concerns about candidates’ skills, behaviors, potential or overall interview performance.

Examples:

✓ “This candidate has extensive work experience, but I’m not sure whether [he/she] would stay motivated in this role for long. It’d be worth discussing their career goals in the next interview.”

✗ “This candidate has extensive work experience, but I’m not sure whether [he/she] is the kind of person the team would like to hang out with.”

Make well-rounded hiring decisions.

Examples:

✓ “This candidate is familiar with our company and showed interest in learning more about our upcoming projects. Considering [Hiring manager’s] notes about the candidate’s performance on the assignment, I think [he/she] will be a very good fit for this role and the company in general.”

✗ “This candidate passed the technical test, so I think we should move on with a job offer.”

Provide information that could be useful in the future (like when considering past candidates for a new role or when giving feedback to rejected candidates.)

Examples:

✓ “Based on [his/her] assignment, this candidate has no experience [in specific techniques or software, like debugging in Python.] We could consider [him/her] in the future if we have an opening for [a C++ programmer] which seems to be [his/her] area of expertise.”

✗ “Based on [his/her] assignment, this candidate isn’t qualified for the role.”

How to help your hiring team share interview feedback efficiently

With post-interview communication, it doesn’t only matter what you say, but also how you share your feedback with your team members. Timely, well-organized and easily accessible feedback helps make better hiring decisions faster.

Here’s how to build systems and scores to document interview feedback for hiring managers and the whole hiring team consistently throughout your recruiting process:

Keep all comments in one place

Exchanging emails to share feedback may result in clogged inboxes and miscommunication (for example, if you forget to cc a coworker or accidentally delete an email.) Instead, use a shared document or a platform that all team members can access at any time. And ask team members to write down their feedback right after the interviews, when the conversation is still fresh in their minds.

Use interview scorecards

Share lists of interview questions per stage so that everyone on the hiring team knows what other interviewers have covered. Each interviewer should ask different questions so they can learn something new about the candidate at each stage. This helps make the final decision more informed and also makes for good candidate experience by avoiding repetitive questions.

Here’s an example:

Standardize the skills interviewers should evaluate

Vague questions like “What did you think of X candidate?” may result in equally vague answers. For more specific and useful feedback, create categories of skills you want to evaluate (e.g. “X Software knowledge”, “Collaboration”.)

Also, use rating systems to allow for quick answers. You could use a point system from 1 to 5, a qualitative scale from “Exceeds requirements” to “Doesn’t meet requirements” or a multiple choice between “No”, “Yes” and “Definitely.”

For example:

Allow for flexibility too

Using a rating scale for structured feedback can save your team time from trying to decipher other interviewers’ evaluations. But, make sure that hiring teams can also share any additional comments they have in an efficient way. For example, add a text field, where interviewers can draw attention to something that stood out to them about the candidate or share their overall impression.

Here’s an example from Workable’s interview scorecards:

Automate the process, when possible

Set up automated notifications after each interview to remind interviewers they need to share their feedback. To help hiring teams share their evaluations and keep every comment organized, consider investing in effective software. Workable is an all-in-one recruiting platform that lets you share interview feedback with your hiring team in a safe and collaborative environment. Learn how to:

• Design interview kits with your own or suggested questions
• Fill out your customizable interview scorecards and evaluate candidates
• Share internal comments with your hiring team

The post How to document interview feedback for your hiring team appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Instead, you have to go through numerous steps to get to the final stage of the employee selection process, right from building a hiring plan, drafting a job announcement, conducting interviews, running background checks, and sending the final offer letter, among many other steps along the way.

If you’re like any employer, HR representative or recruiter, you probably don’t have the time to get into the nitty-gritty details of the selection process. Whether you want to hire an intern for your company, fill positions in your rapidly growing startup, build out your sales team, or grow your employee base by tenfold, there’s something here to meet your needs: a quick step-by-step guide to follow for your recruitment and selection process so you can get that new star candidate on your team.

Here are eight steps in the selection process for hiring employees and how to best go through each — if you’re interested in specific employee selection process steps, click on the table of contents below:

1. Application

The application phase in the selection process is sometimes seen as passive from the hiring team side – you just wait for candidates to respond to your job ad. However, applications can and should be selection tools, helping you sort candidates as qualified or unqualified.

How can you do this? There are two options to get started: qualifying questions and gamification.

Qualifying questions

If you’re using software to build your application forms, using qualifying questions at the beginning of your selection process should be easy. You can add two or three questions relevant to the position. The candidates must answer these questions in order to apply. For example:

• Briefly describe your experience with Excel.
• What’s the difference between content marketing and journalism?
• Can you legally work in the UK?

Some of these questions could require simple yes/no answers with the wrong answer automatically disqualifying a candidate – this is something that can also easily be done via recruitment software. Of course, automatic disqualification should be reserved only for absolute must-have skills. For example, if you’re looking for a senior designer, a disqualifying question could be “Do you have 5+ years of design experience?”

Help candidates complete your applications

Of course, you want candidates who start completing your forms to actually go all the way and submit their application. Yet, so many candidates abandon applications because it takes too long to complete them or they’re too complicated. To avoid this, here are a few things you can do to streamline this part of the selection process:

• Keep qualifying questions to a minimum and make sure they don’t require complex or long answers.
• Try applying to one of your open roles; that’s how you’ll be able to spot glitches, hurdles or lengthy applications.
• Test your application forms’ (and careers page’s) mobile version. Many people apply via mobile so it needs to work well.

To see whether there’s an issue with your application forms, you could also track your application abandonment rate. Ideally, you’d like it to be close to 0%, so the higher that number is, the more improvements your applications need.

Gamification

Gamifying your recruitment process isn’t a new trend, but with the progress of technology, you can now use gamification tools more effectively in the selection process. Especially in the application phase, consider asking less-experienced candidates and those transitioning from different backgrounds to play online or offline games.

The reasoning behind this is that candidates who are recent graduates, or have made a career change, won’t have much relevant experience to showcase in their resumes — despite being possibly the right fit for a job. This can be a problem when you’re trying to evaluate them based on their application. By using gamified assessment methods in the that stage, you can shortlist promising people and your hiring team will have better chances of interviewing only a few truly qualified candidates.

This also gives you an opportunity to diversify your applicant pool when you find the majority of applicants that meet your required background come from a narrow subset or demographic.

There are many options to insert gamification in your selection process; for example, an online service like benchmark.games or coding challenges, like Workable’s integrated tool HackerRank, could be useful.

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2. Resume screening

Now that you have wrapped up the application phase of the employee selection process, you have a collection of resumes or CVs to sift through and filter those deemed suitable for a screening call. What you’ll need to do now is go through resumes one by one, whether manually or software-assisted, and identify prime candidates.

This is one of the most traditional employee selection methods to move candidates to the next step by identifying and disqualifying those who don’t quite fit what you’re looking for.

There may be hundreds – in some cases, thousands – of applicants for a single job. There are numerous ways to filter resumes:

Background

This is a practical side of the selection process; you’re looking for the background that qualifies a candidate for the position you want to fill. You’ll want to know if they have the academic knowledge or professional expertise – or both – to perform a job well.

For instance:

• If you’re looking to fill an accounting position, someone with an accounting degree yet with little to no practical work experience might be suitable for a junior-level position.
• If you’re looking for a bartender, someone who has already worked at several reputable pubs or restaurants in your area may be a good fit.
• Or, if you’re looking to fill an editorial manager position, you want to know they have the academic expertise that proves their advanced ability to think, edit, and write for school assignments, coupled with a number of years in a high-intensity media environment requiring decision-making on the fly.

You want to be careful not to stick to these parameters too rigidly; many qualified candidates may not have the traditional background for this position. Learn about how non-traditional candidates can bring as much to the table as their traditional counterparts.

Resume layout

Even something as simple as the layout of a candidate’s resume can be an indicator of how qualified they are for a position. The skill of organizing and presenting information in a clear and concise way is on full display here.

Consider the following examples of how a resume’s layout can offer a quick demonstration of a candidate’s skill set:

• If you’re looking to fill a creative position – such as graphics or web design – the resume layout can be a powerful indicator of how well they can design.
• If you’re looking to fill a sales position, the manner in which they present a resume can show you how they might be able to catch your client’s eye with important, relevant information to convert them into buyers.
• If you’re looking for a marketing copywriter, the resume shows their ability to describe things in a tight, concise and engaging manner.

Here are some original ways a resume can be presented.

On the flip side, you’re also looking for resume red flags that a candidate may not be what they present themselves to be. For instance, a resume can include obvious copy-and-pasted boilerplate text, mismatched dates, typos, embellishments or even clear fiction (such as a school that doesn’t turn up in a Google search).

Cover letter

Similarly to the resume, a candidate’s cover letter gives you an idea of who they are and what they bring to the role. You’re looking for tightly and smartly written language that clearly describes what they can bring to the position. Does the candidate:

• Describe their skills and background in a relevant way to the position being applied for?
• Show their knowledge of your company and its goals, and how they can contribute?
• Write in a professional, error-free manner that reflects their ability to communicate via email and other channels?

Intangibles

It may initially seem corny to list one’s hobbies and personal interests in a resume, but even those can be great indicators of the kind of person applying for the role. For instance:

• “Running” indicates they’re a healthy person and disciplined enough to train for 10Ks or marathons on a regular basis.
• “Volunteering” shows they’re interested in the bigger picture (i.e. your company’s mission and vision) and can have the empathy that would make them a great team member.
• “Chess” indicates an ability to process complex information in a logical/logarithmic way, an invaluable skill for a developer position

Unconscious bias

As through every step of the employee selection procedures, you want to keep your unconscious bias in check. Harvard’s Project Implicit is a great tool to help you realize where your unconscious biases lie and how strong they are. Maintain that awareness as you sift through resumes.

For example, during the selection process, watch out for potential biases including someone’s name, gender, race, age, class, and even academic background – for instance, just because someone got their MBA from a local college rather than from Harvard doesn’t necessarily make them less worthy of a candidate or their MBA degree less impressive.

If you are like many employers and recruiters, you’re also actively pursuing a D&I initiative. If you’re looking to build a gender-balanced team in a sector dominated by one gender, check out these five steps in which you can do it successfully.

This stage of the employee selection process often involves multiple parties in the hiring team, including the HR representative, the hiring manager, the recruiter, and sometimes even the direct report. Learn more about how you can work together as a team within the same platform, including adding comments, scores, and other data to each application.

If this feels like a time-consuming affair, you’re probably right. There are numerous AI tools within Workable’s software that enable you to speed up this stage of the selection process.

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3. Screening call

The screening call, or phone screen, is among the initial hiring stages where recruiters shortlist applicants. The purpose of this call is to establish whether the candidate is truly interested in the job and (at least) minimally qualified to do it successfully. This way, only the best applicants will go to the next, stricter (and more expensive) hiring stages, like assessments and in-person interviews, saving your team time and money.

Schedule a phone screen

The email you’ll send to candidates to schedule a screening call is important; that’s because it may very well be your very first communication with that candidate. So this is your chance of setting the tone of your relationship with that candidate and, who knows, future employee.

In this case, you need to be straightforward and positive, giving out a professional outlook. Thank the candidate for applying to your open role and ask them if they’d like to speak with you so you can get to know them and give them details about the job. Keep it short and sweet.

Here’s our template to get you started – make sure to customize it to fit your company’s voice.

Prepare well beforehand

Without being able to see candidates face to face and connect with them or assess their body language, and with the added issues of occasional bad signal or background noise, you might find screening calls difficult to navigate. The key is to prepare thoroughly: know exactly what you’re looking for and what you want to learn about each candidate, as well as what information you’d like to convey, before you begin with the selection process.

• Write down your requirements. You probably already know the basic qualifications you’re looking for, so make a list of basic ones you’d like to check during the screening call. These might include “must be able to start work within the month” or “they should want to relocate.” It might be useful to give some thought on what you can be flexible on – for example, would you be able to convert a full-time job to part-time or agree to flexible hours?
• Read candidate resumes. This is important for two reasons: you’ll show candidates that you’re serious about their application, and you’ll be able to spot discrepancies you can ask about. For example, if candidates have a huge gap in their employment record, you might ask why that was.
• Make sure you can answer basic questions. Candidates will be evaluating your company throughout the recruitment process, just like you’ll be evaluating them. To persuade a good candidate to complete and assessment or come in for an interview, you should pitch the position and your company effectively. Do your homework about the role and refresh your knowledge of the company’s mission.

Select the right questions

The questions you’ll ask should tell you whether the candidate is suitable and interested in the role. So make sure you address both those points during the screening call (without going into too much detail in terms of skills – reserve these questions for later hiring stages.) Here are a few example questions:

• When could you start if you were offered the job?
• Would you be comfortable with 50% travel?
• How much money would you like to earn in this position?
• What did you find most interesting in the job description?
• What interests you about our company?
• Tell me about this two-year gap in your resume
• Why do you want to leave your current position?

Ask questions and listen carefully to the candidate. Determine whether their attitude suits your company and whether their answers are satisfying. Watch out for answers that may not sound genuine or contradictions with their resume or application.

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4. Assessment test

Once you’ve screened candidates and sorted them out into “promising”, “maybe”, and “disqualified” groups, you want to look at the surviving candidates and further assess their ability to do the job you’re looking to fill. These assessments can take place in a multitude of forms in the selection process:

• An in-person audition for an acting position, a sales job where you request the candidate to pitch you a product, or a kitchen position where you ask them to cook something for you on the spot.
• A written or online test to test for aptitude, personality, intelligence, etc.
• A practical skills test to determine a candidate’s typing speed, data entry capabilities, memory, etc.

It should be noted that personality- and culture-based assessment tests are often debated as to their applicability in determining the success of a candidate in a certain job – not everyone agrees that a Myers-Brigg assessment test is a good thing, for instance.

However, practical skills assessments are a powerful tool to determine whether a candidate is indeed able to do a job well as they’ve claimed in previous stages of the employee selection process.

Check out our top 10 assessment tools for different focal areas, including judgment, aptitude and coding skills. Also, learn about Workable’s own assessment tools and integrations to best optimize this stage, as well as a selection of “how-tos” for assessing a candidate’s skill sets for different common positions within a company. Assessments can also be gamified, as above.

Navigate the assessment stage effectively

Timing is a consideration. You want to give candidates enough time to complete the assessment – for instance, give them 3-5 business days to complete a short test. Stay close to realistic goals that you might expect of them if they were working in your company; don’t ask them to complete a complex project in a 24-hour span, but don’t give them 20 days either.

Communication is key. Explain clearly to candidates the scope and purpose of the assessment, so they understand fully why you’re doing it. You don’t want them thinking you’re asking free work of them.

In many cases in this phase of the selection process, you aren’t just looking at a candidate’s ability to do the task at hand; you’re also looking at the way they communicate themselves leading up to, during, and after the assessment. You’ll also want to look at the way they approach the assessment, especially when it comes to creative projects such as in development and design which often require some collaboration and planning.

A follow-up interview – separate from other interviews – dedicated to this particular assessment can shed valuable insight on how candidates worked on the project and their takeaways and learnings from it.

It’s important to note the many variables associated with an assessment. It’s not necessarily enough that a candidate is able to perform the task with flying colors or seemingly unlimited creativity. You’re looking at all the ways in which they’ve gone into it; perhaps a junior developer has not completed a technical test perfectly but demonstrated great intangibles in the “good” questions they’ve asked of you or in their receptiveness to feedback and a willingness to grow and learn.

Or, perhaps a senior designer didn’t do exactly what was asked of them, but “bent the rules” a little bit and turned out an even better product in the end; and what’s more, they talked to you about their idea before going ahead and doing it.

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5. In-person interviewing

You’re now deep in the selection process, having screened candidates, evaluated their skills, assessed their abilities, and created a shortlist of the most qualified people. It’s finally time to meet in person with those promising candidates and determine who’s going to be your next hire.

A good interview will help you make better hiring decisions, as you will objectively evaluate and compare candidates’ potential. But there’s more to do than the actual interview. You need to prepare yourself and the entire hiring team to make sure you ask all the right questions. More specifically, you should prepare:

• A list of job-related questions that assess how well candidates can manage regular job duties. You can ask a mix of:
  • Role-specific questions, to evaluate candidates’ knowledge and experience
  • Soft skills questions, to identify candidates who are good not just on paper
  • Situational questions, to learn how candidates would address different scenarios and issues that may arise on the job
  • Behavioral questions, to discover how candidates have previously handled professional challenges
• Cultural fit questions that will help you pick these candidates who are more likely to thrive in your work environment. For example, you could ask:
  • Career goals questions, to find candidates whose professional goals align with your business objectives
  • Collaboration questions, to identify team players
  • Adaptability questions, to learn which candidates are more flexible and will have a smooth transition to their new role if hired

Once you have your set of interview questions ready (and double-checked that you’re not asking anything illegal), you can invite candidates to your offices – or schedule a video call if you’re hiring remotely. Here are a few tips to help you schedule interview with candidates more effectively:

• Schedule interviews at least two or three business days in advance. Surely, if you’ve found the perfect candidate or if you’re in a rush to close an open role, you want to speed up the process. But, calling candidates to ask them to meet on the same or next day could send the wrong message and make you look desperate. Besides, candidates might be working elsewhere, so they need to adjust their schedule. They also need some time to prepare themselves for the interview (e.g. do some research on your company, take a closer look at their assignment, etc.)
• Provide candidates all necessary information. This includes:
  • the exact day and time of the interview, taking into consideration different time zones if you’re interviewing remote candidates
  • the address of your offices along with directions on how to get there (or, instructions on how to log in to a video platform, in case of a video interview)
  • the names and roles of the interviewers
  • the scope of the interview (e.g. “We’ll go over your assignment” or “You’ll meet with the CEO”)
  • the estimated duration of the interview

Add any other details that candidates might find useful, such as what they need to bring with them (e.g. their ID for security reasons or their portfolio) or where they can park their car. You can use a scheduling interview email template to save time; you will only need to adjust the names and dates every time you invite a candidate to your offices but the main information will stay the same.

• Offer candidates a few alternative days for the interview. Busy schedules and multiple interviews and interviewers can make the interview scheduling process very complicated. To save time and avoid back-and-forth emails or double-bookings, let candidates pick the most convenient day and time. You could either share via email your availability (highlighting your preferred three or four time slots) or share your entire calendar through a self-scheduling tool.

Before the day of the interview, make sure that all interviewers are well-prepared. For members of your hiring team with little or no experience in recruiting, consider running a mock interview; this way, they’ll feel more comfortable when they actually meet with the candidates.

Here’s a checklist that will help you conduct more effective interviews during the selection process:

• Stick to the interview questions you have prepared; small talk with candidates or questions that are irrelevant to the job could result in biased hiring decisions.
• Ask all candidates the same set of questions in a structured way; this way, it’ll be easier to compare their answers and select the most qualified ones.
• Be prepared to answer questions from candidates, too; they’ll probably want to learn more about the team, the company goals and the employee benefits.
• Review candidates’ profile (e.g. resume, assignment, previous communication) before you meet them; you’ll refresh your memory and won’t ask things they’ve already mentioned.
• Provide interview feedback to your hiring team as soon as the interview finishes; the best hiring decisions rely on collaboration.

Keep in mind that a good interview will not only help you spot deal breakers, it will also impact the overall candidate experience. Naturally, you won’t hire every candidate you interview. But, if you come to interviews prepared, ask job-related questions and are respectful to candidates, even the ones you reject will leave with a positive impression about your company.

Want to learn more about how to organize and improve your interview process? Read our detailed guide here.

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6. Background checks

Background checks reassure you that your finalists are reliable and don’t pose risks to your company. For example, employers may conduct pre-employment checks to make sure candidates have told the truth in their resumes or don’t currently do illicit drugs. In fact, there are several types of background checks including:

• Criminal records
• Credit reports
• Driving records
• Verification reports (e.g. identity, education, work history, social security number, national insurance number, etc.)
• Drug tests

These checks are most useful in the selection process when there’s high risk involved in employing someone unsuitable in a particular job. For example, you probably wouldn’t want a convicted sex offender working at a nursing home or someone with bad credit handling your company’s finances; current drug users would be a huge safety risk as machine operators and professional drivers with extensive drunk driving records would probably not make the best hires. And so on.

So in these cases, conducting a pre-employment test would be very important (you could do background checks in other instances too, but there might not be a necessity to do so). If you’re thinking of conducting background checks, be sure to:

a. Consider legal aspects of background checks

First, some background checks are mandated by law in certain industries or roles depending on location. For example, in some jurisdictions, working in substance abuse facilities or daycare centers requires passing a criminal record check. So make sure you know the applicable regulations to order background checks as necessary.

Also, pre-employment checks are themselves regulated by law. For example, in the U.S., you need to comply with the guidelines set by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The UK has its own set of guidelines regarding background checks. Local laws in your area may also require a candidate to have an offer in hand before you can ask permission for a background check.

b. Choose a reputable and reliable background check provider

There are generally two options for conducting background checks: the full-service provider and online DIY websites. DIY websites let you do your own investigations and are cheaper, but many may not be compliant with local laws and using them to research candidates may pose legal risks.

Full-service providers, on the other hand, are usually compliant (though you should always ask for proof that they are) and can undertake the full investigation on your behalf. Look for providers and evaluate them based on compliance, costs, turnaround time and types of checks they offer.

If you’re using recruiting software like Workable, you’ll be able to access background checks straight from the system via an integrated provider, thus saving time.

c. Navigate discussions with candidates appropriately

The law in many places mandates that you ask candidates’ permission before you conduct checks in an employee selection process. So, you need to tell them that you’re thinking of looking into their past. Afterwards, you also have to inform candidates of your intention to reject them (adverse action notification) to give them time to rebut a false report. Candidates will inevitably have their own concerns and questions on the pre-employment screening. They may distrust your intentions, see this as an invasion on their personal information or believe you’re looking for reasons to reject them.

Be honest about what background checks are for. If they’re mandated by law, say so. If it’s your company’s policy for certain roles, be sure to explain how you’ll handle results: for example, let this candidate know that they’re one of your finalists (perhaps the only finalist) and you just need to reinforce your decision to hire them.

After you’ve ordered the test, it’s good to keep in touch with candidates for as long as you’re waiting for results (which can be several weeks).

For more tips on how to handle potentially awkward conversations about background checks in the selection process, see our 8 useful tips.

d. Interpret results correctly

There are a number of background check red flags you can find after you get the results of a test. Some might justify an immediate disqualification, such as if you learn that a candidate for a role as an accountant has been convicted of fraud or embezzlement.

But other results might not be as serious. For example, one candidate might have lied about where they went to school. You might decide that lying is enough to disqualify them, but that’s not necessarily the case. In these instances, it might be useful to have an open conversation with a candidate and see if they regret lying, or if they had a reason to do so. The report might even be inaccurate, so it will be fair to hear the candidate’s side of the story.

With that in mind, it’s important to understand that employment background checks should be used as one of many employee selection tools – they alone shouldn’t make the hiring decision for you. Background screening shouldn’t be used as a way to disqualify someone or reduce the number of applicants for a position. Checks are meant to reinforce a hiring decision and ensure candidates who have been selected for a job are suitable.

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7. Reference checks

In the final stages of the selection process, you might want to get some references for your best candidates. This way, you’ll get feedback about their performance from people they’ve actually worked with in the past, such as former managers, former colleagues or business partners and clients.

You could ask candidates to provide contact details from former employers and coworkers. Or, you can reach out directly to people you know they used to work with. In any case, when requesting references for a candidate, it’s best to initially send an email to introduce yourself and explain why you want this information. This way, you can schedule a call where you’ll discuss in more detail.

During reference checks, you will:

• Confirm what candidates have already told you (e.g about time of employment and previous job responsibilities)
• Learn how candidates use their skills on the job
• Discover potential weaknesses or lack of practical experience
• Understand how candidates behave in the work environment (e.g. if they’re punctual, if they receive feedback well, etc.)

To obtain objective and relevant information, you need to ask targeted questions. Here are a few sample questions to ask when getting references for candidates:

• When did [Candidate_name] work at your company and what was their job title?
• What were [Candidate_name’s] main responsibilities?
• Could you mention one or two group projects [Candidate_name] was involved in? What was their role and how did they collaborate with their colleagues?
• Do you think [Candidate_name] could take on a more senior role? Why or why not?
• Given the opportunity, would you rehire [Candidate_name]?

While getting references, keep an eye out for red flags. For example, it’s not a good sign when you notice discrepancies between what the candidate mentioned during the interviews and what their former employer told you. You should also consider any negative feedback you get that shows that candidates aren’t as skilled or as reliable as they seem.

Once you’ve taken everything you learned in the selection process into account, from your own candidate evaluation to background and reference checks, you’re ready to make your hiring decision.

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8. Decision and job offer

Congratulations! After a series of well-organized selection processes for recruiting new employees, you’ve finally found your perfect hire. Now it’s time to let them know you’re offering them a position at your company. The job offer process is a critical one; done right, you’ll soon welcome your new employee in the office. But, if you miss something, you might lose a great candidate and have to start the hiring process all over again.

Here are some tips that will help you streamline the job offer approval process:

• Discuss employment terms early in the selection process. Salary, bonuses and working hours are all potential dealbreakers, so it’s best to learn whether you agree with candidates on those factors before you offer them a job.
• Make an informal verbal offer. It’ll cost you time if you wait to craft a formal job offer letter before you inform candidates. You can first call them to give them the good news and get a hint as to whether they’re going to accept or reject your offer. Be sure to give the candidate the opportunity to “think on it” so they don’t feel pressured to give an answer right away.
• Use a job offer letter template. Instead of writing a new job offer letter from scratch every time you’re offering a job, use an existing template and add only what’s different (e.g. candidate’s name, job title, salary, etc.)
  • Read more on our guide on how to write a standout job offer letter.
  • Consider using different templates per role or department. For example, check our sales job offer letter and our developer job offer letter.
• Keep HR, Finance and the CEO in the loop. A job offer process usually requires filling out paperwork, getting approvals and completing other prep work before you welcome a new hire in your offices.

If you’re using Workable, you can simplify the offer letter approval process by keeping all necessary data in one place and automating parts of the process.

When a candidate accepts the job offer a hiring cycle ends successfully.

Now what? It’s time to start preparing your new employee’s arrival. You can send them a welcome email to get them excited and plan their first day for a smooth onboarding. Before that, though, don’t forget to inform rejected candidates that they didn’t get the job; not only are they potential employees for another position down the road, but also a positive candidate experience will work miracles for your employer brand.

The post 8 steps of the selection process for hiring employees appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

What is a Job Offer?

When a hiring team finds the right candidate, it usually contacts them in order to announce its decision and make a job offer. When the job offer is verbal, the hiring manager calls the selected candidate and lets them know they are offering them the position. Depending on the company’s policy and hiring process, the candidate will also receive the offer via email or in writing. A job offer to a candidate, whether it is made via phone or email, must be followed by a formal job offer letter where the details of the offer of employment are confirmed.

What is included in a job offer?

A job offer letter from employer to employee should include:

1. Job title
2. Job description
3. Starting date
4. Work schedule
5. Reporting structure
6. Salary (Compensation Bonus or Commission)
7. Paid time off
8. Employee benefits
9. Privacy policies
10. Termination conditions

Depending on each situation, there are different job offer letters a company or a hiring manager can use. To help you send a job offer letter that will suit your needs, we collected eight sample job offer letter templates.

8 job offer letter examples for any case:

1. General job offer template

If you want a simple job offer letter sample, then this template is for you. This is a job offer email template you can use when you have found your perfect candidate and want to officially offer them a position. Feel free to customize it in order to include as many details as you think your candidate will want to know before making up their mind.

The general job offer template can be found here.

2. Formal job offer template

This formal job offer letter sample can be used when a company is offering a full-time position to the best candidate. The formal offer of employment includes a sample job offer email along with a formal job offer attachment that covers the most important terms of employment.

The formal job offer template can be found here.

3. Informal job offer template

This job offer letter example enables your candidate to acknowledge your offer via email, and is just as official, but not as comprehensive as our formal offer letter format.

An email offer letter tends to be less formal and covers the most basic aspects of the job offer before sending a full offer letter. An offer letter email can include salary, an outline of benefits, and immediate next steps. Feel free to use this template when authoring a job offer email for any position.

The informal job offer letter can be found here.

4. Part-time to Full-time job offer template

Have you decided to change a part-time employee to full-time? Use this job offer template and modify it to suit your needs. Before you send a job offer, make sure to ask employees if they’d like to take on a full-time position. Then, send them a job offer email or letter detailing the new position.

The part-time to full-time offer letter template can be found here.

5. Internal job offer template

Sometimes it is common for companies to offer a new job opening to a current employee. Although this is an existing employee, the company still has to send an internal job offer to them in order to make this internal promotion official. This email should follow a discussion and verbal agreement between the employee and their current manager to ensure the promotion aligns with the employee’s career goals.

The sample job offer letter template for internal promotion can be found here.

6. Sales job offer template

Hiring salespeople? What better than sending a sales-customized job offer. This offer letter template for sales candidates contains placeholders where you can fill in your company’s data and you can also tweak the tone and modify employment terms.

The sales job offer template can be found here.

7. Developers job offer template

If you hiring a developer, use this template that includes tips on how to optimize your developer job offer letters, a sample job offer email and a sample formal job offer letter for developers. You can also customize employment terms or include a personalized message to your potential hire.

The developers job offer template can be found here.

8. The Workable job offer template

This is our very own job offer template. We use it for every formal job offer we send to selected candidates (aka Workablers!)

The Workable job offer letter email can be found here.

Tips for making a job offer to candidate

Making a job offer to a candidate seems simple at first glance: you create the offer letter, ask management to approve and send it to candidates. However, each of these steps requires time, effort and a good deal of coordination and care.

A few tips that will help you optimize your job offer process are:

1. Cover important job details before you start hiring
2. Make a job offer over the phone first
3. Use effective offer letter templates
4. Speed up the job offer approval process via recruiting software

For more details, read our complete guide with tips for making a job offer.

Further reading: How to write a standout job offer email

How you can measure and improve your job offer acceptance rate

What is offer acceptance rate?

Definition: An offer acceptance rate shows the percentage of candidates who accepted a formal job offer.

The job offer acceptance is a useful recruitment metric. A low rate (i.e. <40%) shows that something might be wrong with your talent acquisition strategies. On the other hand, a high acceptance rate (i.e. >90%) can indicate that there’s a good match between your company’s requirements and selected candidates’ expectations. Generally, a high offer to acceptance ratio is a combined result of good communication, reasonable and competitive offers, and good candidate experience.

So, it is important to send a very good job offer, but also receive an acceptance letter. Learn more about the acceptance rate and how to improve it in our comprehensive article.

Feel free to use a free job offer letter template from our list above, modifying it as you want to make it fit your needs and requirements.

More:

• 12 time-saving email templates for recruiters

• Simplify your offer letter approval process with Workable

• Guide to a successful offer letter process

The post 8 job offer letter templates for every circumstance with extra tips appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

There are numerous employee management software systems available. When you look for one in your business, here are things you want to consider.

1. Does it integrate with your existing tech stack?

Of course, you can choose employee management software software that does it all, but you can also pick and choose different software for different tasks. Software that can track employee performance goals and the time clock can make for easier reporting.

2. Is it easy to use?

Some software systems are intuitive; others are difficult. Some are plug-and-play, others will need some customization and coaching so you can get the most out of it. Remember, not everyone can be an expert in this software, yet you’ll still want them to use it regularly.

3. Can you manage access?

If you’re using employee management software to build career plans and track progress, you’ll want your employees to be involved, and allowing them to see and update their own records takes work off your plate.

4. What reporting options are there?

If you have to customize reports or download data into Excel and build your own reports, it’s not as valuable as having solid reporting characteristics.

5. Can it handle multi-state options?

Employment law is largely state-based. If all your employees are in one state, this isn’t an issue, but with today’s mobile workforce and an increasing number of people working from home, you may end up being multistate before you know it. What capabilities does your software have?

6. Can it keep up with the organizational structure?

Will it display reporting relationships and allow for easy maintenance of these structures? Can you quickly update the org chart when someone leaves, when a new hire enters, when there’s restructuring, or when there’s cross-company migration? Some softwares even have a drag-and-drop tool that allows you to do all of that.

7. Can it handle leave management, including multi-state and multi-country rules?

Legally protected leaves of absence vary from state to state and from country to country. Staying on top of this is crucial when maintaining compliance.

8. What is their customer service record?

You will need help from time to time because we’re not all so tech-savvy. Is the company known to be responsive and helpful? Can they work with you in a pinch?

Of course, there are company-specific questions you’ll have to ask to make sure your software works for you, but these should be a good start.

Sound employee management is key to retention

If you’re looking to improve your employee management, going through these steps can help get you on the right path towards happier employees and a stronger culture.

Four out of five employees will leave their jobs because of bad management according to a 2022 GoodHire study. Because management practices are so important to employees, improving your employee management methods can make a huge difference.

Your KPIs as an employer likely include employee retention, engagement and turnover. You’ll see a difference there when you have a solid employee management strategy and a software to strengthen that strategy.

The post Choose the right employee management software: 8 top tips appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

1. Regular communication and feedback

Your employees need to know what is going on, what plans are underway, and what struggles the business faces. Without this knowledge, they can’t make the best decisions in their sphere of responsibility.

So, managers must provide clear feedback – both negative and positive – to ensure that employees know what they need to do. Managers must provide this feedback in clear and effective ways. It should mirror the SMART goals. If feedback isn’t measurable or timely, it isn’t clear feedback.

Telling an employee, “That was a horrible presentation,” doesn’t help them make a better presentation next time. Telling an employee, “that was a great presentation,” is nice but, again, it doesn’t highlight the things that work.

Make sure your feedback is, at a minimum, specific and timely. “Your slides had so many typos. Please ensure you have someone else proofread before you present next time,” is a specific item that someone can act on.

2. Acknowledge top performers

Top performers often work independently, and managers are relieved not to have to directly manage them, opening up the bandwidth to focus on the lower-performing employees. There’s a side effect of this, however – this can result in top performers feeling unappreciated or unsure of their abilities.

Even top performers need feedback and acknowledgment that they’re continuing to perform at a high level. And it is critical that you create career plans for top performers.

Unless they say they don’t want to move up the ladder, you should assume they do. And while it may be difficult to lose a top performer from your department, it’s worse when they leave the company altogether.

Focusing on the top performers, giving them growth opportunities, and rewarding their high performance are all critical management jobs.

3. Use the best management tools available

There are employee management tools everywhere. Of course, employee management software helps you keep track of everyone’s progress and helps you identify areas of concern. But you also need solid training programs for managers and employees alike.

Why is training an important part of this? First of all, training is part of employee development. But second, and more importantly, employees leave managers, not companies. You’re neglecting your most important tool if your managers don’t receive proper training.

Related: What’s included in a good employee management strategy?

4. Identify opportunities for development and progression

While each individual is ultimately responsible for their own career progression, they don’t necessarily know what they need to do to advance. Additionally, they may not know what is available at your company. Good employee managers help develop employees.

Developing employees includes giving stretch assignments and providing cross-training opportunities. A best practice is to use a skills-gap analysis to determine what skills your employee needs and what skills the business will need in the future and then match the two of those together. Sometimes this can include formal education or training outside the business.

Your employees want to succeed. Helping them to achieve their goals benefits your business and your individual employees.

Remember, it’s almost always cheaper to bring your employees’ salaries up to market rate than to replace them.

By focusing on employee development you decrease your turnover and increase your performance. It’s time and money well spent.

The day-to-day of good employee management

It’s easy enough to say you want things to be better, but you have to do something about it, and if you want your goals to be SMART, you’ll need to be able to measure improvement.

Ensuring good management is difficult for any business, but especially as your company grows beyond the original start-up crew.

You’ll need to place more trust in managers you don’t necessarily interact with every day. And you’ll need to make sure your managers follow procedures.

One thing that can help refine your employee management practices is employee management software. This can help automate mundane tasks, remind people to follow up, and give a central location for plans and progress.

The post Mastering employee management: 4 best practices appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

But first, to ensure a good process, you’ll need to address each one of the following aspects of the employee lifecycle to ensure an effective employee management strategy.

1. Employee onboarding

The onboarding process begins when a candidate applies. Every step along that path prepares the future employee for success or failure at the company. Having a clear recruitment process builds trust in the company bureaucracy, which will play a role later in employee management.

When a new employee starts, paperwork is only a tiny part of the onboarding process. A good onboarding program integrates the new employees into the company and the company culture.

By the end of the onboarding process, employees should have their paperwork done, know where the bathrooms are, and know how their role fits into the larger company perspective.

2. Employee development and progression

While some employees may wish to stay in the same position for 20 years; most want to develop and progress.
And even if an employee wants to stay in the same position, the technology, company goals, and general economic environment mean that every employee needs development and progression.

Each employee needs a development plan that indicates a path forward. This should include:

• Possible career paths
• Skills needed
• Plans for developing lacking skills
• Stretch projects
• Cross training opportunities

While not every business will be capable of taking someone from entry-level to CEO, most companies do have the potential for growth for some, if not all, of their employees.

Managers need to provide regular feedback and support candidates through internal movements. Make sure your policies don’t artificially keep people in their current jobs by giving power to current managers to block movement.

Also, remember to keep salary increases at the market rate as employees move up the internal ladder. If you don’t, they will leave for greener pastures.

3. Employee engagement

Employee engagement is a fancy way of saying how involved and happy your employees are at work. Gallup found that five factors lead to high employee engagement levels:

Measure progress

If you aren’t measuring something, you cannot be sure whether it is improving or failing. To have good employee engagement, you need to know your current status and in which direction you are traveling.

Have growth-oriented conversations

If your employees don’t know there is a plan, they will assume there isn’t one. If you don’t speak with them, you won’t know if they are engaged and what it will take to make and keep them engaged.

Provide clear, ongoing conversations

Do your employees know how their roles benefit the company? Do they know where the company stands? Are you keeping things secret just because it’s always been done that way?

While there are some legal reasons to keep some decisions to a small group, your employees should largely be aware of everything going on. Communication is critical to engagement.

Focus on well-being

Gallup identifies five areas of well-being: “career, social, financial, physical and community.” If your employees don’t have the ability to remain well in all these areas, they risk disengagement at work while struggling with the other areas.

Your business cannot be responsible for all aspects of an employee’s life, but you can provide support in these areas.

Have strength-based conversations

Your employees may not be working in their current areas of strength. They may have hidden skills that you don’t know about. Having these conversations can not only increase employee engagement but can also help your business as well.

Employee engagement doesn’t need to be fancy, and it’s not about pizza parties and team-building programs. It’s about communication and meeting employee needs. This leads to the next aspect of your employee management strategy.

4. Talent retention

Turnover is insanely expensive. Gallup estimates that turnover costs vary from one-third of the employee’s salary to twice the employee’s salary. When you balk at giving a 5% raise to a high performer, consider that, at minimum, you’ll pay 33% more just to get someone new in the door and trained – that doesn’t take into account the new salary you have to offer to attract new talent.

Consider that, at minimum, you’ll pay 33% more just to get someone new in the door and trained – that doesn’t take into account the new salary you have to offer to attract new talent.

Retaining employees can be a difficult task. Overall, the average job tenure was 4.1 years in 2022 and varied by profession and industry, with government employees having the longest average tenure (6.8 years) and service industries having the lowest tenure (2.8 years). Your retention plans should reflect the industry and positions.

Employee engagement correlates highly with retention, so listening to your employees’ needs can help you develop retention plans.

5. Internal conflict resolution and reduction

People do not like to work where they don’t feel comfortable. This means that good employee management strategy requires you to reduce internal conflicts. This does not mean everyone has to agree on everything–it means that you need to remove the emotionally charged disagreements that lead to real conflict.

Psychologist and business strategist Liane Davey posits that there is a difference between healthy conflict and destructive conflict.

Passionate idea discussion is a type of healthy conflict, while jockeying for position, gossiping, and undermining people are all examples of destructive conflict.

Your job is to reduce the latter, but not the former. How do you do this?

Set and maintain boundaries

When people know where those boundaries are, they are less likely to push against them, reducing some types of conflicts.

For instance, if your boundary is no f-bombs at work and you maintain that for everyone, you don’t have to sort out if it was a neutral f-bomb (for instance, swearing at a printer) or a conflict one (swearing at a person). The boundary is clear.

Don’t give in to your biological desire to be nice

Davey says humans are wired to get along, but this can go too far for leaders managing employees. Yes, nice is good, but sometimes we have to override the ‘conflict avoidant’ urge to ultimately reduce conflict. Instead of weakly laughing at a sexist joke, a manager must deal with it immediately.

Don’t let bullies run roughshod over the department because confronting them is uncomfortable. As the manager, it is your job to promptly take care of bad behavior.

Set an example

Bullies get away with bullying because leaders allow it. Sexual harassers get away with sexual harassment because the leaders allow it. If the manager encourages destructive conflict, employees will engage in destructive conflict.

Make it OK to discuss ideas

This, again, must come from the top. If the manager doesn’t listen to other people’s ideas, the employees will not either.
Be transparent

When people know why X and Y happened, it reduces conflict and backbiting. If you cannot explain a decision, it’s possible it’s wrong.

6. Clear organizational goals

Without organizational goals, you cannot effectively manage employees. Until this point, employee management strategies have focused on the people side of things, but without organizational goals, it doesn’t matter how warm and welcoming an environment you’ve created.

Managers need to inform employees what the company goals are and how their part fits into the organization. Break down goals into workable targets with rewards (which can be simple praise) at each step.

While there should be a discussion (good conflict) before the leadership sets the goals, once the CEO signs off on the goals, managers need to promote those goals, even if they disagree. (Excluding, of course, morally or legally wrong things.) It is critical that everyone work toward the same goals.

7. Succession planning

Who will take over the marketing function if the chief marketing officer leaves? Who will run payroll if the payroll manager gets sick and needs to take six weeks of protected FMLA leave?

Succession planning isn’t just about the big positions but every task that needs to be done. When you think about succession planning, remember that the average tenure is only four years. People will leave, or they will be promoted, and you need to work on your pipeline.

You should correlate your succession planning with your career planning for your employees. You create an internal pipeline that saves time and money and preserves institutional knowledge.

8. Clear objectives and expectations

Do your employees know exactly what you expect? When the job description said “flexible schedules,” did you clearly define that? Sometimes expectations can be as simple as explaining whether people generally eat at their desks or go out to lunch.

For achieving business goals, how often should people meet to discuss progress? Should employees provide progress reports? Do employees present their own work to the senior team, or do department heads compile it and present it? What measurable goals do you assign to each person?

There are many ways to set expectations and goals, but one helpful acronym is SMART. Goals should be:

Specific

For example, a goal of “increase sales” sounds great. A specific goal would be even better, such as: “increase sales by 5%”.

Measurable

If you can’t count it, the goal isn’t measurable. So, “be nicer to customers” isn’t a measurable goal. “Decrease customer complaints by 5%” is.

Achievable

Is this goal realistic? Increasing revenue from $150K to $150,000,000 is probably not achievable, as nice as that outcome would be. Make sure you can actually meet the goal.

Relevant

There are lots of great things but is this relevant to your job and your company? Giving everyone in the company a sales goal probably isn’t relevant for everyone.

Time-bound

If there’s no deadline, there is no goal. Make sure you put time parameters around the goals. Often it’s best to break the goals down into manageable time periods. It’s better to say you’ll accomplish X in one month than 100 times that in five years.

With those things in mind, you can set goals for your company, department, and employees.

If you want your employees to succeed which in turn will help your business succeed – focusing on employee management can make a direct impact.

Make sure you create a clear plan for managing your employees and train your management team in order to maintain a uniform experience throughout the organization.

With all of these in place, you’ll have the groundwork for a solid employee management strategy.

The post What’s included in a good employee management strategy? appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

First things first, let us take a moment to elaborate on what employer branding actually is. Employer branding is all about how people see a company’s values and work environment. It includes everything the company does, whether on purpose or not, to promote its unique identity as an employer to current and potential employees.

Employer branding has become a critical factor in attracting and retaining top talent. According to a survey conducted by LinkedIn, 77% of candidates say that the reputation of a company is important while 80% of HR leaders think that an employer brand has an impact on their recruiting.

However, the evolving nature of work and the increasing expectations of candidates and employees pose unique challenges to effective branding.

This is where the power of AI tools in HR comes into play.

By harnessing the capabilities of generative AI algorithms, you can transform your company’s branding efforts and create a lasting impact to your employees and to the world.

But how does it happen? Let’s go further to understand better the value that AI automations put in your company.

AI in the HR environment

As an HR professional, you already know the magical benefits that AI can offer. AI tools have shortened the time to ramp, alleviating concerns about the screening process, candidate communication, and tracking. This allows you to focus on more creative tasks while leaving automation to handle the mundane tasks.

At the same time, AI can push forward your efforts for better company branding.

Generative AI can be leveraged to enhance various aspects of branding, from employer branding to internal communication. By tapping into the potential of generative AI, you can elevate your company’s brand identity and establish a compelling narrative that resonates with your audience.

Therefore, the result is that effective branding has a positive impact on potential candidates, as well as on the external world and the power of word-of-mouth. Does this sound like marketing to you?

Marketing obviously has a huge payoff – for example, Avatar: The Way of Water was able to make until now $2.320 billion at the box office on an estimated $200M marketing budget. Of course, you don’t have that much money in your recruitment budget, which means you will need to utilize tools like AI to boost your brand.

Allow us to elaborate.

How AI can be used to boost employer branding

Good branding reflects positively on others. The image a company projects to the public can be reshaped using AI tools. A company that uses automation and keeps up with the latest technological developments to handle repetitive processes, while leaving room to utilize people in more creative processes, appears larger in the eyes of others. This creates a positive perception of your business in the public opinion.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) reports that 88% of companies worldwide were already using AI in their HR practices, even before the COVID-19 pandemic. This technology is particularly helpful for talent recruitment and selection, and can also enhance employer branding to attract new talent.

Are you still wondering how these concepts could be applied to your company? Let’s take a look at an example.

AI cheat sheet for better employer branding

Imagine a three-year-old company in a crowded startup market which had sought to revamp its branding and establish a strong reputation after the latest developments in AI. They begin experimenting with these tools to transform their approach.

By leveraging generative AI algorithms, this company has developed personalized and captivating employer branding messages. These messages communicate the organization’s mission, vision, and values, express a commitment to employee growth and development, highlight the culture and work environment, share success stories and employee testimonials, and indicate the company’s impact more clearly in the community.

The company utilized AI to create engaging and informative internal communications that fostered a sense of unity among employees.

At the same time, the organization utilized generative AI to create personalized job postings that would catch the attention of potential candidates. By analyzing large amounts of data, generative AI algorithms produced compelling narratives that would resonate with their intended talent pools. This approach enabled them to customize their employer branding messages for various demographics and increased the chances of attracting suitable candidates.

Moreover, the HR department introduced a new referral system to attract more talent with the help of satisfied employees within the company.

As a result, this company witnessed a surge in qualified applicants, an enhanced candidate experience, and improved employee engagement.

Their innovative use of AI tools propelled their brand reputation, positioning them as a forward-thinking and desirable employer in the industry.

Adopting such tools can help your business in two ways. Firstly, it positions your company as one that people want to work for. Secondly, it establishes a reputation as a company with the very best people working for it.

Intensify candidate attraction with AI

In today’s candidate-driven market, providing an exceptional candidate experience is paramount. Research shows that candidates who have a positive experience are more likely to accept job offers, refer others, and even become customers.

More specifically, in a recent survey, 49% of job seekers confirmed that they have rejected a job offer due to an unfavorable experience with the prospective employer. The way that HR professionals handle communications between candidates can boost or harm your brand reputation.

AI tools can transform the whole process of hiring by paying attention to creating a good rapport with those who apply for a vacancy in your organization. The outcome of achieving that can be very beneficial to your company.

Jacob Rios, Co-Founder and CEO of JobSage said: “You don’t have to spend much time on the internet to learn that most online reviews tend to skew negative, so it’s great to see such a high percentage of candidates also sharing their positive experiences.”

“You don’t have to spend much time on the internet to learn that most online reviews tend to skew negative, so it’s great to see such a high percentage of candidates also sharing their positive experiences.”

“It is so helpful and empowering to future candidates,” Jacob continues. “We’ve spoken to many jobseekers in our line of work and most simply want to learn the truth, both the good and the bad.”

Through generative AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants, candidates can receive personalized responses to their inquiries, obtain relevant information about the company and position, and even receive guidance throughout the application process.

This level of personalized engagement not only enhances the candidate experience but also showcases your company’s commitment to providing a seamless and tailored journey.

AI algorithms can analyze your company’s values, mission, and culture to generate internal communications that resonate with employees. From employee newsletters to internal social media posts, generative AI can help you craft compelling content that captures attention and drives engagement.

The 30-60-90 day onboarding framework and AI copilot by Workable are all examples of how AI tools can increase brand reputation and retention rates.

Employer branding equals reputation

As an HR expert, you should consider brand reputation and employer branding as one. Their parameters overlap, and together they create a whole that affects both the internal and external environment of the company. AI tools can assist you throughout this process, but human intervention will always be decisive when it comes to branding.

A business is driven to progress through its people. Therefore, welcome your people, help them become a part of your culture, provide feedback to those who were declined, and keep your eyes on the positive outcome.

The post Boost your employer branding & retention using AI appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

10 good team player interview questions

1. Describe a group project you worked on. What was your role and what did you achieve?
2. Describe a time you had to gather input from employees outside your team. How did you approach them, and how did you ensure you’d get information on time?
3. Tell me about a time you had to work with a colleague you didn’t get along with.
4. Has your team ever failed to reach a goal? If so, what went wrong, and what did you learn from that experience?
5. What would you do if your team didn’t want to implement your idea?
6. What’s your preferred way of working on a group project: each member works on an assigned task independently, or the entire team meets and works together? Why?
7. How would you onboard a new team member?
8. What’s the best way to give credit to an employee for their good work?
9. What work habits promote team spirit? (e.g., regular meetings, cross-departmental projects, team-bonding activities)
10. How would you approach a disengaged employee who tanks the team’s productivity?

1. Describe a group project you worked on. What was your role and what did you achieve?

This question helps evaluate a candidate’s past experience in collaborating with others and their ability to contribute effectively to a team project.

Sample answer:

“In my previous role, I participated in a cross-functional team project to launch a new product. My role involved conducting market research, analyzing customer feedback, and coordinating with the product development team. Through effective collaboration and utilizing each team member’s expertise, we successfully launched the product, exceeding sales targets by 20% in the first quarter.”

2. Describe a time you had to gather input from employees outside your team. How did you approach them, and how did you ensure you’d get information on time?

This question assesses a candidate’s ability to engage with colleagues from different teams, seek their input, and effectively manage communication to accomplish project goals.

Sample answer:

“In a recent project, I needed input from the engineering team to develop a new feature. I approached them by scheduling a meeting to discuss the project’s objectives and the information I needed. To ensure timely responses, I provided a clear timeline and emphasized the importance of their input. By maintaining open communication channels and following up on deadlines, I received the necessary information on time, enabling the successful completion of the project.”

3. Tell me about a time you had to work with a colleague you didn’t get along with.

This question explores a candidate’s ability to handle challenging interpersonal dynamics and find effective ways to collaborate despite differences.

Sample answer:

“In a previous role, I had to work closely with a colleague with whom I initially had conflicting personalities. To overcome this challenge, I made an effort to understand their perspective and find common ground. We scheduled regular check-ins to discuss project updates, shared our ideas openly, and actively sought areas where our skills complemented each other. Over time, our working relationship improved, and we were able to deliver successful outcomes together.”

4. Has your team ever failed to reach a goal? If so, what went wrong, and what did you learn from that experience?

This question assesses a candidate’s ability to reflect on past failures, identify areas for improvement, and demonstrate a growth mindset.

Sample answer:

“Yes, in a previous project, our team faced challenges that resulted in not meeting our goal within the given timeframe. Upon reflection, we identified poor communication as a key factor. We realized that we needed to establish clearer lines of communication, set realistic expectations, and improve our coordination. This experience taught me the importance of proactive communication, regular progress assessments, and swift problem-solving to avoid similar setbacks in the future.”

5. What would you do if your team didn’t want to implement your idea?

This question evaluates a candidate’s flexibility, adaptability, and ability to navigate disagreements while maintaining a collaborative approach.

Sample answer:

“If my team didn’t want to implement my idea, I would first seek to understand their concerns and perspectives. I believe in open dialogue and active listening to identify potential obstacles and find common ground. I would present a compelling case for my idea, considering their feedback and incorporating any necessary adjustments. Ultimately, if the team consensus leaned against my idea, I would respect their decision and focus on finding alternative solutions that align with our collective goals.”

6. What’s your preferred way of working on a group project: each member works on an assigned task independently, or the entire team meets and works together? Why?

This question examines a candidate’s preference for collaboration styles and their ability to adapt to different team dynamics.

Sample answer:

“I believe that a combination of both approaches is valuable, depending on the project’s requirements. In the initial stages, it’s beneficial for each team member to work independently on their assigned tasks to leverage their expertise and generate diverse ideas. However, as the project progresses, collaborative team meetings are essential to share progress, brainstorm collectively, and ensure alignment. This approach maximizes individual contributions while fostering a cohesive team environment.”

7. How would you onboard a new team member?

This question assesses a candidate’s ability to integrate new members into a team, promote effective communication, and facilitate a smooth transition.

Sample answer:

“When onboarding a new team member, I would start by providing a warm welcome, introducing them to each team member, and providing an overview of our projects and processes. I would ensure they have access to relevant documentation, schedule one-on-one meetings with team members to establish connections, and pair them with a mentor to facilitate their learning and integration. Regular check-ins and open communication channels would be maintained to address any questions or concerns they may have.”

8. What’s the best way to give credit to an employee for their good work?

This question explores a candidate’s ability to recognize and appreciate team members’ contributions, fostering a positive work environment.

Sample answer:

“I believe in openly acknowledging and celebrating team members’ achievements. When a colleague performs exceptionally well, I would publicly recognize their efforts during team meetings, share their accomplishments with higher management, and express gratitude for their contributions. Additionally, I encourage team members to appreciate each other’s work through peer recognition programs or informal expressions of gratitude. Creating a culture of recognition and appreciation strengthens teamwork and motivates individuals to strive for excellence.”

9. What work habits promote team spirit? (e.g., regular meetings, cross-departmental projects, team-bonding activities)

This question assesses a candidate’s understanding of work habits that foster a positive team environment and their ability to contribute to building team spirit.

Sample answer:

“Several work habits promote team spirit, such as conducting regular team meetings to share updates, align goals, and encourage open communication. Cross-departmental projects provide opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing, fostering a sense of unity across the organization. Team-bonding activities, whether virtual or in-person, can strengthen relationships and create a positive work atmosphere. Additionally, establishing clear channels for feedback and empowering team members to contribute their ideas can enhance team spirit and engagement.”

10. How would you approach a disengaged employee who tanks the team’s productivity?

This question evaluates a candidate’s ability to address and resolve conflicts within a team, promoting productivity and cohesion.

Sample answer:

“When dealing with a disengaged team member, I would approach them with empathy and seek to understand the underlying reasons for their disengagement. I would schedule a one-on-one conversation to listen to their concerns and provide support. By addressing their needs, discussing any challenges they might be facing, and exploring potential solutions together, I aim to re-engage them and help them rediscover their motivation. Additionally, I would encourage open and honest communication within the team, fostering a culture of feedback and continuous improvement.”

Why assess teamwork in interviews

Teamwork skills are key in all positions. Some employees might work on their own occasionally (e.g. a developer who debugs a program), but the results of their work impact their entire team.

Good team players:

• Resolve issues before they escalate
• Nurture healthy work environments
• Understand each person’s unique strengths
• Accept feedback and try to improve their work

Depending on the company and the position, teamwork might mean something different. Teamwork is when:

• Senior-level candidates are able to handle conflicts and motivate their team members.
• Entry-level candidates work with experienced coworkers to learn their roles.
• Remote team members prioritize good verbal and written communication to work with their teams.
• HR professionals organize company activities to build team spirit.

The post Team player interview questions and answers appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

10 good problem-solving interview questions

1. Describe a time when you had to solve a problem without managerial input. How did you handle it, and what was the result?
2. Give an example of a time when you identified and fixed a problem before it became urgent.
3. Share a situation where you predicted a problem with a stakeholder. How did you prevent it from escalating?
4. Describe a time when you faced challenges in doing your job efficiently. How did you overcome them?
5. Recall a time when you successfully used crisis-management skills.
6. How would you handle a new project with great revenue potential but potential legal implications for the company?
7. How do you determine when to solve a problem on your own or ask for help?
8. Describe a time when you faced a difficult situation at work that required critical thinking and decision-making under pressure.
9. Have you ever used intuition or prior experience to anticipate and address a problem effectively? Provide an example.
10. Share an example of a project or task that initially seemed overwhelming. How did you approach it, and what strategies did you use to ensure successful completion?

1. Describe a time when you had to solve a problem without managerial input. How did you handle it, and what was the result?

This question assesses candidates’ ability to take initiative and solve problems independently. Look for their problem-solving approach, the actions they took, and the outcome of their efforts.

Sample answer:

“In my previous role, we encountered a sudden technical issue that disrupted our operations. As the team lead, I gathered all available information, analyzed the root cause, and facilitated a brainstorming session with the team. We implemented a temporary workaround and collaborated with the IT department to resolve the issue. Our proactive approach ensured minimal disruption, and we were able to restore normal operations within 24 hours.”

2. Give an example of a time when you identified and fixed a problem before it became urgent.

This question evaluates candidates’ ability to anticipate and address problems proactively. Look for their ability to identify potential issues and take preventive measures.

Sample answer:

“While working as a project manager, I noticed a potential bottleneck in our production process that could have led to delays if left unaddressed. I conducted a thorough analysis, identified the root cause, and proposed process improvements. By implementing these changes proactively, we eliminated the bottleneck and increased efficiency. As a result, we consistently met project deadlines, and our team’s productivity significantly improved.”

3. Share a situation where you predicted a problem with a stakeholder. How did you prevent it from escalating?

This question assesses candidates’ ability to identify and mitigate potential conflicts. Look for their communication and problem-solving skills in managing stakeholder relationships.

Sample answer:

“While working on a cross-functional project, I anticipated a miscommunication issue that could arise with a key stakeholder due to conflicting expectations. I scheduled a meeting with the stakeholder, listened to their concerns, and facilitated a discussion among the team members. By proactively addressing the issue, we established clear communication channels, built trust, and ensured a smooth collaboration throughout the project.”

4. Describe a time when you faced challenges in doing your job efficiently. How did you overcome them?

This question evaluates candidates’ ability to handle challenges and find solutions to improve efficiency. Look for their problem-solving strategies and their adaptability to overcome obstacles.

Sample answer:

“In a previous role, I faced a situation where the workload significantly increased due to unexpected circumstances. To maintain efficiency, I assessed the situation, identified tasks that could be delegated, and communicated with my colleagues to seek their support. By redistributing responsibilities and fostering a collaborative environment, we successfully managed the increased workload without compromising quality or missing deadlines.”

5. Recall a time when you successfully used crisis-management skills.

This question assesses candidates’ ability to remain calm and make effective decisions under pressure. Look for their problem-solving approach and their ability to handle high-stress situations.

Sample answer:

“In a previous role as a customer service representative, we experienced a sudden surge in customer complaints due to a product quality issue. I quickly coordinated with relevant departments, identified the root cause, and developed an action plan. By prioritizing urgent cases, maintaining open communication with affected customers, and providing timely updates, we regained customer satisfaction and prevented further damage to our brand reputation.”

6. How would you handle a new project with great revenue potential but potential legal implications for the company?

This question assesses candidates’ ability to balance potential risks and rewards. Look for their ethical considerations, problem-solving approach, and willingness to seek guidance when faced with legal implications.

Sample answer:

“If faced with a project that carries both revenue potential and potential legal implications, I would approach it with caution and thorough evaluation. I would research and seek legal guidance to fully understand the implications and compliance requirements. I would then collaborate with legal experts, cross-functional teams, and stakeholders to develop a comprehensive plan that minimizes legal risks while maximizing revenue potential.”

7. How do you determine when to solve a problem on your own or ask for help?

This question assesses candidates’ judgment and collaboration skills. Look for their ability to assess situations and make decisions about when to seek assistance.

Sample answer:

“When faced with a problem, I first evaluate its complexity and impact on the project or task at hand. If it’s within my capabilities and doesn’t significantly hinder progress, I take the initiative to solve it on my own. However, if the problem is complex or could have a significant impact, I believe in seeking help from relevant team members or subject matter experts. Collaboration often leads to more comprehensive and effective solutions.”

8. Describe a time when you faced a difficult situation at work that required critical thinking and decision-making under pressure.

This question assesses candidates’ ability to think critically and make sound decisions in challenging situations. Look for their problem-solving approach, decision-making process, and the outcomes of their decisions.

Sample answer:

“In a previous role, I faced a tight deadline for a project with limited resources. It required careful resource allocation and prioritization. I gathered all available data, analyzed the project requirements, and consulted with team members. Through strategic planning and effective delegation, we managed to complete the project successfully within the given timeframe, exceeding client expectations.”

9. Have you ever used intuition or prior experience to anticipate and address a problem effectively? Provide an example.

This question assesses candidates’ ability to leverage intuition and past experiences to navigate problem-solving situations. Look for their ability to reflect on past situations, apply lessons learned, and make informed decisions.

Sample answer:

“In a previous role, I noticed a recurring issue in our supply chain that had caused delays in the past. Drawing upon my prior experience, I anticipated the problem and suggested process improvements to streamline the supply chain. By implementing these changes, we minimized delays and improved overall efficiency, resulting in cost savings for the company.”

10. Share an example of a project or task that initially seemed overwhelming. How did you approach it, and what strategies did you use to ensure successful completion?

This question assesses candidates’ ability to tackle complex projects and break them down into manageable tasks. Look for their problem-solving approach, organization skills, and ability to persevere in the face of challenges.

Sample answer:

“I once undertook a project that involved a significant amount of data analysis and reporting within a tight deadline. Initially, it felt overwhelming, but I broke it down into smaller tasks and created a detailed timeline. I prioritized the most critical aspects and sought assistance from colleagues with specialized skills. Through effective time management, collaboration, and diligent effort, we successfully completed the project on time and delivered high-quality results.”

Why you should ask candidates problem-solving interview questions

Employees will face challenges in their job. Before you decide on your next hire, use your interview process to evaluate how candidates approach difficult situations.

Problem-solving interview questions show how candidates:

• Approach complex issues
• Analyze data to understand the root of the problem
• Perform under stressful and unexpected situations
• React when their beliefs are challenged

Identify candidates who are results-oriented with interview questions that assess problem-solving skills. Look for analytical and spherical thinkers with the potential for technical problem solving.

Potential hires who recognize a problem, or predict one could potentially occur, will stand out. Candidates should also demonstrate how they would fix the issue, and prevent it from occurring again.

These sample problem-solving interview questions apply to all positions, regardless of industry or seniority level. You can use the following questions to gauge your candidates’ way of thinking in difficult situations:

Tips to assess problem-solving skills in interviews

• During your interviews, use hypothetical scenarios that are likely to occur on the job. It’s best to avoid unrealistic problems that aren’t relevant to your company.
• Examine how candidates approach a problem step-by-step: from identifying and analyzing the issue to comparing alternatives and choosing the most effective solution.
• Pay attention to candidates who provide innovative solutions. Creative minds can contribute fresh perspectives that add value to your company.
• When problems arise, employees should show commitment and a can-do attitude. Test candidates’ problem-solving skills in past situations. If they were determined to find the best solution as soon as possible, they will be great hires.
• Most complex situations require a team effort. Candidates’ previous experiences will show you how they collaborated with their colleagues to reach decisions and how comfortable they felt asking for help.
• If you’re hiring for a technical role, ask questions relevant to the work your future hires will do. Technical problem-solving interview questions, like “How would you troubleshoot this X bug?” will reveal your candidates’ hard skills and their ability to effectively address problems on the job.

Red flags

• No answer. If a candidate can’t recall an example of a problem they faced in a previous position, that’s a sign they may avoid dealing with difficult situations.
  Canned answers. A generic answer like “Once, I had to deal with a customer who complained about the pricing. I managed to calm them down and closed the deal,” doesn’t offer much insight about the candidate’s thought process. Ask follow-up questions to get more details.
• Focus on the problem, not the solution. Identifying the problem is one thing, but finding the solution is more important. Candidates who focus too much on the problem may be too negative for the position.
• Feeling stressed/uncomfortable. It’s normal to feel slightly uncomfortable when put on the spot. But, if candidates are so stressed they can’t answer the question, that’s an indicator they don’t handle stressful situations well.
• Superficial answers. Candidates who choose the easy way out of a problem usually don’t consider all aspects and limitations of the situation. Opt for candidates who analyze the data you’ve given them and ask for more information to better dig into the problem.
• Cover up the problem or minimize its significance. Unaddressed problems could quickly escalate into bigger issues. Employees who leave things for later mightn’t be result-oriented or engaged in their jobs.

In conclusion, problem-solving interview questions provide valuable insights into candidates’ abilities to approach challenges, think critically, and provide effective solutions. By asking these questions and considering the tips provided, you can assess candidates’ problem-solving skills and make informed hiring decisions that align with your organization’s needs.

The post Problem-solving interview questions and answers appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Here, we put together a list of the best human resources interview questions for candidates, plus sample answers.

10 good HR interview questions

1. Why did you decide to apply to this role?
2. What experience do you have that would be relevant to this role?
3. Tell me about your experience in …
4. What did you like most about the job description?
5. Why are you leaving your current job? / Why did you leave your previous job?
6. What do you know about our company’s product/services?
7. Tell me about this gap in your resume.
8. Describe the workplace where you’ll be most happy and productive.
9. What are your salary expectations?
10. Do you have any questions?

1. Why did you decide to apply to this role?

This question aims to evaluate the candidate’s interest in the role. Are they really motivated to get hired for this specific job or do they just mass-apply to every job ad under the sun? Candidates should show that this application was a conscious decision on their part.

Sample answer:

I have been following your company’s successes for some time now and I know you have a great software development team. I was thinking that this would be the best environment for me to apply the skills I acquired during my internship and Master’s degree. So, I checked your careers page regularly and when I saw this job ad, I thought it was finally time to try my hand. I have experience in web development and I’m really interested in the projects you’re mentioning in the job ad – in fact, one of them was the subject of my thesis. I really think I’m a good fit for the job and can grow even more in your workplace.

2. What experience do you have that would be relevant to this role?

With this question, recruiters can assess whether candidates have truly understood the role’s requirements and whether they think they can do the job. The best candidates will readily explain how their previous experience relates to the job ad.

Sample answer:

In your job ad, you mention you want someone with talent in inbound sales. I was actually a sales associate at a local store in my area for about three years. During this time, I learned how to approach customers and ask them the right questions to understand what they need. I learned to handle difficult customers and solve crises. I can also be persistent without being pushy, which I think is a great asset for any salesperson.

3. Tell me about your experience in …

While similar to the previous question, this question proactively asks about the most important aspects of the role. For example, if a company is hiring for a copywriter, they’ll certainly ask about the candidate’s experience in different types of writing or editing.

Sample answer:

During my time as a marketing specialist in Acme Inc., I got to write a lot of marketing copy. I was solely responsible for writing emails we sent to prospects and customers, including newsletters. I also wrote short copy for social media and, occasionally, articles for our blog.

4. What did you like most about the job description?

This is one of the best HR interview questions to ask to start a conversation on requirements and responsibilities. And, it’s useful to assess how much the candidate has understood the role.

Sample answer:

First, the job description itself was very well-written and gave me a good idea of what the role was about. Second, I really liked the fact that this accounting role involves collaboration with others. I love accounting, but I don’t want to sit at my desk to look at numbers all day – I want to have the chance to work as part of a team where we can exchange opinions and knowledge of new accounting methods and organize the company accounting department in the best way possible.

5. Why are you leaving your current job? / Why did you leave your previous job?

The best candidates will cite good reasons for moving on from their previous role. Being negative or badmouthing their employer is a red flag. Of course, there’s a balance – honest candidates will often give an honest answer, and sometimes, their previous employer really is at fault for the end of their employment relationship. Attitude is what matters in these HR interview questions. For example, it’d be reasonable if a candidate mentioned they left their previous job because their employer wasn’t paying their workers the fair market rate. But, it’d be a red flag if they launched a tirade on what a fraud their previous employer was.

Sample answer:

I really liked my previous job and team. I started as a junior and worked my way up to a team lead in marketing. However, I think that my time in this company has come full circle – I’m actually the one who coaches others while I don’t learn anything myself anymore. Learning is important to me, so I want a new job that will challenge me and help me develop further.

6. What do you know about our company’s product/services?

The purpose of these types of HR questions is clear: the HR professional wants to ensure that the candidate has researched the company and understands what they’re applying to. Candidates don’t need to show deep knowledge of the company and its products, but they should certainly know everything that can be discovered via a simple online search – of course, if they have already used the company’s products/services or they know someone who works there, that’s a plus.

Sample answer:

I know that your company manufactures machinery and factory equipment. Actually, I used your brand when I was working at Acme SA a couple of years ago. I was really impressed with how high-quality and durable that equipment was. I also saw your company has recently opened a new manufacturing branch, a good sign for your company’s success.

7. Tell me about this gap in your resume.

This is one of several very common HR interview questions that may refer to anything “out of the ordinary” or interesting in a candidate’s resume, such as a job that lasted for only a few months or that was seemingly unrelated to the candidate’s background, or an outright gap in the candidate’s employment history. The purpose of these HR interview questions is to clarify these points and make sure there aren’t any red flags.

Sample answer:

After I finished my master’s degree, I started working non-stop for six years. That’s why I decided to take a break from work and travel to other countries to volunteer. This helped me clear my mind and help other people, while acquiring new skills (like communication and organizational ability).

8. Describe the workplace where you’ll be most happy and productive.

This can take other forms, too, such as “What can we do to keep you happy if you were hired?” or “What do you like about your current job that you’d like to find here as well?” These are examples of culture fit interview questions that aim to assess the candidate’s suitability as an employee of the company. Usually, there’s no right or wrong answer. It all depends on whether each candidate is a fit for each individual company.

Sample answer:

I like workplaces that emphasize both autonomy and teamwork. I like collaborating with others and exchanging ideas, but I also want to have flexibility to work uninterrupted for some time. Also, I value the absence of restrictions, such as a casual dress code unless I’m meeting with customers or partners.

9. What are your salary expectations?

Similar HR questions to this have to do with various “technical” aspects of the job, such as willingness to travel or relocate, or ability to follow a shift schedule. HR professionals use this question to ensure they’re not speaking to a candidate who has excessively high salary expectations (or who is generally unable to meet the demands of the job). Candidates shouldn’t be asked to divulge their salary history or current salary – in fact, it’s downright illegal to do so in some jurisdictions – but expectations are a good way to make sure both parties are in sync.

Sample answer:

I’ve done some research on the average salaries for this type of role in my area and I think I would expect this role to pay between X and Y. But I think we can discuss this further at a later time if you think I’d be a good fit for the role. Could you tell me the salary range you have in mind?

10. Do you have any questions?

Regardless of the stage in the hiring process, candidates should always have the opportunity to ask questions themselves so they can decide if the job is a good fit for them. The other reason that HR uses this question is to find out if candidates are truly interested in knowing more. They should ask smart questions about the company, and preferably, questions related to the role, too.

Sample answer:

Could you tell me what the next steps in the hiring process are? Also, I read an online interview where your CEO said that your company wants to work with voice recognition technology. I’m fascinated by that. Will this role involve work on these types of projects?

We hope you liked these HR interview questions and answers. In addition to these typical HR interview questions, you can see many more common or advanced questions in our complete interview questions library. It includes hundreds of questions about the HR interview and the next phases of the hiring process, by role and type.

The post HR interview questions: The top 10 questions asked in the HR interview appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Which bears the question: how do businesses recognize Juneteenth in a way that shows substantive support both now and in the future? And more importantly – it’s not just for the actual holiday itelf. Consider this a primer on how to ensure a truly inclusive working environment throughout the year and to recognize the day going forward.

Let’s start from the beginning:

What is Juneteenth?

A portmanteau of the words “June” and “Nineteenth”, Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas to announce the abolishment of slavery in the state under President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.

Also called Jubilee Day, Black Independence Day and Emancipation Day, Juneteenth is regularly celebrated across the United States but until Biden’s announcement was only a paid holiday in eight states including Massachusetts, New York, and Washington.

Five ways for employers to offer substantive support

While it’s important for employers to recognize this federal holiday, it’s also critical to strike the right tone considering the day’s historical significance and gravitas. Striking the right balance between celebratory and serious is essential.

With that in mind, here are five ways for employers to effectively show their support:

1. Offer paid time off

While employers aren’t obligated to offer time off — or holiday premium pay if staff work on federal holidays — this is the gold standard of support. If this isn’t logistically possible given the short time between the presidential announcement and the holiday itself, consider adding an extra day’s paid leave to staff accounts for them to use later this year, and subsequently recognizing Juneteenth as a paid holiday every year thereafter.

This is the approach taken by Workable. According to a recent email from CEO Nikos Moraitakis to US-based employees, “Workable will honor Juneteenth in 2021 by adding 1 bonus day to employee time-off balances. Going forward, Juneteenth will be observed following the federal holiday calendar.”

2. Create corporate events

Another way to show support for Juneteenth is by creating corporate events. These could include in-person information sessions or digital webcasts featuring guest speakers and experts who can help explain the history of Juneteenth, why it matters and how it relates to other U.S. holidays such as the Fourth of July. Here, your best bet is creating a healthy mix of fun events that celebrate the impact of Juneteenth while also paying respect to its more painful legacy.

3. Invest in worthy causes

Investment in causes such as fundraisers, charity drives or memorial races can also highlight the impact of Juneteenth and help corporate team-building efforts. If your company takes this approach, two components are critical: Finding the right cause and ensuring staff buy-in.

Before spending on any support effort, do your research so you understand the backstory of the event, are confident in where donations are going, and are clear about the expectations. Once you find the right cause, encourage staff participation by making it a full-day event during the regular work week that’s focused on both social recognition and socializing, rather than asking staff to show up on their own time.

4. Connect with black-owned businesses

Money talks. And with a host of black-owned businesses operating in every state and city across the United States, companies can show their support for Juneteenth by supporting black businesses owners that are instrumental in their communities.

While it doesn’t matter what product or service your company chooses to support, it does matter that this is an ongoing relationship — if you’re only supporting these businesses in June, expect some backlash.

5. Share staff stories

You can also recognize the federal holiday by highlighting the stories of your own employees and what Juneteenth means to them. Sharing these stories (with permission) across both internal networks and external social media accounts can serve to showcase your support — but must be done with caution. While posting on social media is quick, easy and offers substantive reach, this approach will appear self-serving unless it’s paired with more substantive support efforts.

Ready to show your support for Juneteenth? Just remember the three Rs — relevant, responsible and respectful — and you’re on the right track to highlight this federal holiday.

The post Juneteenth: 5 ways employers can recognize the holiday appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Name of New Employee:

Role:

Department / Function:

Manager:

Planned Start Date:

Some assets you may want to create as an use info guide for your new starter:

• Tools they will use: A document with links / logins / guides
• Local area fact sheet: Coffee/cafe options, lunch tips, local gym/classes, nearest park, etc.
• Social profiles: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube
• Fact sheet or glossary: Industry/company terminology
• Slack channels: Which channels to join to make them feel welcome and so they don’t miss company updates, etc.
• Company timeline and history – always makes for a nice story
• Welcome letter from CEO or another executive – a video message can be powerful
• SWAG where applicable
• Benefits: How to access, manage, etc.
• Mental health signposting sheet and supporting documents / services
• Do and don’ts: How we do things around here
• Fob and building access/security codes, etc.
• Info about Workout room/ parking / where to clock in, etc.
• Team or culture activities invites / social calendar

The post New employee checklist appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

How to onboard interns

• Contact interns prior their first day to confirm:
  • Their exact start date
  • Their time of arrival
  • Documentation they need to bring with them (like their ID)
  • Their first-day schedule (for example, trainings, product demos, meetings with managers)
• Ensure hiring managers are well-prepared for their interns. They should know their interns’:
  • Seating area
  • Project(s) they’ll participate in
  • Regular job duties
  • First tasks
• Provide interns with necessary hardware and software. If applicable, let them choose their preferred computer accessories (for example, let them select between a mouse or a trackpad.)
• Ask your IT team to set up intern email and software accounts. For as long as they’re employed with you, interns should be able to communicate with their coworkers and access tools they need for their job, including:
  • Company email
  • Group messaging app
  • Project management software
• Help interns fill out HR paperwork. This might be a recent graduate’s first professional job. They may not be familiar with employment terms and tax documents. Make sure a member of your HR team is by their side to answer any questions.
• Help interns set up their work stations. Inexperienced employees mightn’t be familiar with company equipment and software. Give them simple instructions, provide manuals and ask your IT department to check whether they’ve properly installed necessary tools, like anti-virus systems.
• Offer welcome kits and company swag. Show interns you’re excited they’re joining your company by offering personalized gifts and branded merchandise. Here are some ideas:
  • A mug or water bottle with your company logo
  • Tech accessories, like headsets
  • Gift cards to local cafes and restaurants
• Schedule role-specific trainings. To make sure that interns make real contributions to your business, train them on tasks they’ll undertake and tools they’ll use.
• Assign a work buddy or mentor. If you don’t have the time to run a full training session on company policies and work habits, assign an employee as a mentor to guide interns and answer their questions.
• Present your departments, functions and organizational chart. Interns might not have the chance to interact with everyone in the company, so give them an overview of your operations and your teams’ structure.
• Announce interns’ hiring to the company. You could send a mass email or share a message on your company’s chat tool. Prompt your employees to introduce themselves to your new intern during their first day and week at work.
• Arrange group meetings and activities. It’s important that interns become part of your company culture, like your long-term employees. So, make them feel comfortable and help them get to know their coworkers by inviting them to a group lunch or an after-work activity.

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That’s why a structured onboarding framework is so critical – it’s more important than onboarding itself.

That’s the 30-60-90 day onboarding framework for you – it’s to provide a consistent, uniform and thorough onboarding experience. It clearly outlines the activities, resources, and expectations for those first three months of an employee’s journey, setting them up for success in their role.

The benefits for the employee are clear – they reach higher productivity in a shorter time (in other words, their ‘time to ramp’ is shorter).

They’re more vividly engaged, they understand what’s expected of them, and they know how to do the work.

For the organization, this results in greater average revenue per employee, lower turnover, and a stronger reputation as an employer that believes in developing their people.

This 30-60-90 day onboarding blueprint is structured in three phases with end goals for each: at the 30-day mark, you’ve set a foundation for that employee.

By the 60-day mark, you’re establishing a clear momentum for the employee to thrive.

And, finally, at the 90-day mark, you’re ensuring that this fully onboarded employee is ready to work autonomously and independently because they’ve learned what they need to know to succeed in their role.

Let’s go into these three stages in depth.

30-day plan: the foundation

We’ll start the 30-60-90 onboarding plan with this famous adage: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”

It’s a given that you’ll be spending a fair bit of time during the first 30 days giving job-specific training to your new starters. But equally, a key focus should be on embedding them into the company culture and helping them build connections.

Here are some ideas to get started:

1. Designate a work ‘buddy’

This should be someone from the team who isn’t their manager. They can be the go-to person who shows them the ropes and gives advice. As this person will be a peer, rather than a manager, they’ll probably have gone through the same experience themselves so can empathize.

Link up new starters who are in a similar boat to each other. For example, you could set up a dedicated Slack or Teams channel which joiners are part of for their first few weeks.

2. Organize a team lunch

Ideally this can be done together in the same place, but if it’s not possible, you can still do it virtually. Why not send the new starter a voucher for them to order the meal of their choice?

Regardless, you should send them a small reward and note of appreciation after their first week – it’s a nice gesture which will put a smile on their face!

3. Set up casual meetings

Arrange “get to know” meetings with people the new starter will be working closely with. This is not a work-related induction, but more of a social meeting to break the ice and find out about each other. These meetings should be quite casual and don’t need any sort of agenda beforehand.

You can group people together – for example, instead of meeting all the web developers individually, they can be part of the same meeting. At the same time, try to keep the number of people in these chats quite small, perhaps to a maximum of four or five. Any more can make them feel daunting, which is the opposite of what you’re trying to achieve!

Basically, it should feel more like a coffee date, and less like you’re being grilled on a reality show!

4. Set up daily syncs

At this stage, managers should have a quick 10-minute catch-up with the employee at the end of each day, just to see how they’re getting on. Meeting lots of different people can be a little overwhelming, so having a regular chat with the same person each day adds a sense of routine.

5. Keep a finger on their pulse

One constant throughout the 30-60-90 day onboarding plan (and beyond) is wellbeing, so ensure managers are still checking in regularly. Pay particular attention to signs of burnout – it’s not uncommon for employees to push themselves extra hard during these opening few weeks.

6. Ensure a solid training plan

As mentioned earlier, training is very important during this stage of the 90 days plan. If you aren’t giving people the tools they need to be successful, it won’t work out for you or them. Things which should be included within the training plan are:

• Company strategy
• Sales positioning
• Department objectives
• Individual KPIs
• Best practice methods
• Systems and ways of working

7. … and be clear about those KPIs

A quick word on those individual KPIs: ensure you are completely clear on what these are – the employee needs to know three things, exactly:

• what’s expected of them
• how that links into the wider organization goals
• what metrics you’ll be using for their work

Setting expectations properly reduces the chances of confusion later on down the line.

8. Make it a two-way street

When it comes to training, try to make this as interactive as possible. People should be able to ask questions and even make suggestions. When training them for the tasks they’ll be doing, incorporate a mix of different learning methods. There may be some things which they can study and practice in their own time, whereas others may require them to learn on the job or be shown step by step.

If you have an online L&D program in place, select the courses which you think will be most relevant to their job. This tailors their training and saves them from having to scroll through lots of different ones.

9. Keep it fun and engaging!

As for the actual work your new starter will be doing, this can vary based on the role and level of seniority. Try to make it engaging though – enthusiasm levels are normally super high at this stage, so you want to tap into this as much as possible. Perhaps you could set them a list of things to do each week and turn it into a fun challenge with points and prizes?

60-day plan: the momentum

Now you’re at one month in the onboarding plan. Your employee should be mostly familiarized with their work and the company’s processes, but that’s just the first step to success. Here’s what you need to think about in the second month of the 30-60-90 day onboarding plan.

1. Maintain a feedback loop

Feedback is crucial, and it’s a very important way to keep the new starter engaged and focused. Managers should give this on each piece of work. Remember it’s still early days, so don’t expect perfection.

At the same time, employees appreciate honesty so give them constructive feedback, and ask for theirs as well. Is there anything they think should have been done differently in the opening weeks?

2. Check on goal progression

It’s also a good time for managers and employees to have an honest discussion about the goals that were set early on. Does anything need to change? Does the employee feel like there are more things they could take on? Either way, do what you did the first time and communicate clearly.

3. Celebrate the small ‘wins’

It’s also important that people feel appreciated. Make sure you celebrate the small successes. If they work in Customer Service, make a big deal of the first ticket they resolve. If they’re in Marketing, recognise them for that first blog they wrote.

This could be a formal shoutout on the recognition platform you use, or even just a round of applause during your end of week wrap-up.

Try and link these recognitions to your company values – this is a great way to remind the employee what you stand for. Try to back the recognitions up with a reward as well. By getting a reward for displaying the right behaviors or for good work, it gives them a morale boost and a sense of gratitude.

You’re now building on the learning

Remember, learning doesn’t just stop after day 30 – but now it continues with the act of building. This is where you trust them to do more independent work and go deeper into their responsibilities. Normally, there are two routes you can take.

If there’s a specific project that was earmarked for them before they joined, allow them to run with this.

If the type of work they do is naturally quite repetitive – perhaps they work on the tills at a shop – ask them to come up with ideas to improve some aspect of what you do. This is a great way to keep them engaged and shows that you see them as a valuable part of the business. It also usually involves them needing to collaborate with other departments, which brings its own benefits in terms of relationship building.

Whichever one of the two routes you choose, ask them to follow the Plan, Develop, Implement model. Here’s a quick breakdown.

Plan

This is where the employee does their research, asks the questions they think are relevant, and puts together a strategy for what they think needs to be done. Give them the time, space and tools to do this.

Develop

Once the plan has been put together, the employee uses it to develop a solution. For example, if they’re in Business Development, maybe they have a better way to reach out to prospects. They can get these new ideas together and test them internally.

Implement

Now the employee takes the results from their tests and puts them into practice. This is where they’ll feel like they’re doing what they were brought in to do, and managers will be able to judge how far along they are.

At all times, managers should ensure help is available if needed – but allow the employee to take control.

Now, we mentioned how this type of task allows employees to build relationships with others in the company. But there’s other ways to do this as well, for example organizing social events. For example, Perkbox has monthly ‘Meet ‘n’ Greet’ events which are an opportunity for new starters to meet with people in social settings.

90-day plan: the independence

This last phase of the 30-60-90 day onboarding plan should help employees feel like they’re a fully-fledged part of the business. All being well, by the end of this period, they should have less of a ‘new starter’ feeling.

The employee should by now be nicely bedded in from a cultural point of view. This doesn’t necessarily mean they run to the karaoke machine on nights out – but they should feel comfortable with their colleagues. If they still seem a little uncomfortable, it’s the manager’s job to get to the bottom of this.

1. Assign full ownership and independence

A core measure of success at the 90-day stage is whether or not you’re able to grant full ownership to the employee. You should be able to confidently assign them projects without walking them through the steps of how to see it through to completion.

At the 90-day mark, that employee is equipped with the knowledge – and experience – to independently make decisions to move the project forward. They no longer will need to ‘check in’ with their manager or seek approval or validation before moving forward.

Of course, there’s always that question of making a mistake – can you trust your employee to do the right thing to ensure success? Well, that’s what onboarding is for in the first place – when you can trust your employees, you’ve onboarded them successfully.

2. Conduct a performance review

What else? Performance reviews. While you no longer require the employee to be checking in with you or other colleagues to get a job done, you do check in with them at the end in the performance review.

This is your opportunity to go through their performance, both in the first 90 days and in the long-term, and identify areas where they can do better and shine a light on areas where they’ve done well. In fact, it’s not simply a review – think of it as a refinement.

3. Ask them about their onboarding experience

A little different from the performance review is a simple check-in with HR. Ask the employee how they’ve found the onboarding process to date. Is there anything they feel should’ve been done differently?

Not only does this help you improve the process for the future, but it shows the employee you take their opinions seriously.

4. Identify their passions – and support them

Hopefully by now they can also let some of their other passions shine through. For example, do you have any Employee Resource Groups or social clubs that appeal to them? Send a reminder of these and encourage them to put themselves forward if they want.

Often, people who join up with these things early on in their time at a company, develop really strong connections with colleagues. This can only be a good thing from a retention point of view!

Those first three months are key for success

Those first 90 days of an employee’s journey within an organization, a new strategy, a different process, etc., sets the tone for their entire tenure going forward. A bad onboarding plan has obvious adverse effects – someone who isn’t properly familiarized with their roles won’t be able to rise to expectations. They get frustrated, demoralized, and worst of all, toxic. Cue ‘quiet quitting’, costly turnovers, and overall disenchantment.

Think of it as keeping a car properly maintained. When every part of the car is well-maintained, the engine is tuned regularly, the tires are leveled, the exterior is washed, the interior deep-cleaned, then the car lasts longer and performs better.

Your organization is your ‘car’ – keep it attuned, updated and optimized with a well-structured, 30-60-90 day onboarding plan for every step of the way, and it’ll pay dividends for you in the long run.

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The typical employee lifecycle in a company often involves transitions, restructurings, developments, new product releases, changes in strategy, and many other aspects that impact one’s day-to-day work processes.

All of these require an ‘onboarding’ if they want to continue to succeed.

Let’s look at the various situations that can benefit from onboarding plans. Keep in mind that all of them can have the same goal at the end: to prepare an employee for something new.

1. New hires

This is the most common type of onboarding plan. It’s designed to introduce new employees to the company’s culture, policies, procedures, org charts, and ultimately their own role in the organization.

Typically, this plan includes orientation sessions, one-on-one meetings, job-specific training, training on tools and softwares, introductory lunches, and so on.

The objective is to help new employees feel welcome and integrated into the team, and shorten the ramp to full productivity.

2. New project launches

Often, a company will launch a new feature, product or service that will involve new campaigns, processes, strategies and so on to get that out into the marketplace, introduce it to existing/new customers, and bring in new revenue.

This involves onboarding the various teams and employees who will be a part of that launch – and this includes details such as project goals, timelines, roles and responsibilities, and even learning the new product or service itself.

3. New sales strategies

Whether it’s due to the launch of something new, a restructuring of the sales function, a new market penetration or a sales kickoff, sales teams will need to be updated on new strategies so they can be set for success.

This can involve trainings on new sales techniques, product/service knowledge, customer research and market trends – all of which can be conducted through classroom or virtual sessions, role-playing, or one-on-one coaching.

4. Training and development

Learning & development is fast becoming a staple of any human resource strategy. L&D can be focused on new hires and existing employees alike – with a focus on both intangible and tangible skills growth.

Examples include trainings on diversity, equity and inclusion, effective communications, compliance assurance, and any other form of employee growth and development that can be carried through with an effective onboarding plan.

5. Acquisitions and mergers

Often in business, you’ll see acquisitions of other companies or technologies, or mergers with the same. When two divergent groups of employees or technologies come together, this necessitates an onboarding plan to ensure that they work together without losing traction.

This can include training on how to use and integrate new technologies, how to work with others, what the “other” company’s focal product or service is, familiarization with new policies and procedures, and understanding new systems, processes and tools.

Keep the eye on the prize

Let’s tie all this back to the core concept of “onboarding”. It is, ultimately, familiarizing an employee with an area with the goal of setting them for success.

Whether that’s getting a hire acquainted with their new job and company or building up an existing employee’s repertoire of skills, the end result is the same: they are getting the knowledge and resources they need to do their job better.

And, of course, if your employees are better at their work, your bottom line benefits.

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Use this Physical Therapist job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is a Physical Therapist?

A Physical Therapist is a healthcare professional who specializes in helping patients restore mobility, manage pain, and improve their physical function and quality of life. They use various techniques, exercises, and interventions to address musculoskeletal, neurological, and cardiopulmonary conditions.

What does a Physical Therapist do?

A Physical Therapist evaluates patients’ conditions, develops personalized treatment plans, and implements therapeutic interventions to enhance their physical well-being. They work closely with patients, guiding them through exercises and techniques to improve mobility, strength, and flexibility. Physical Therapists also educate patients on injury prevention, provide pain management strategies, and monitor progress throughout the treatment process. Their goal is to optimize patients’ functional abilities and help them regain independence in their daily lives.

Physical Therapist responsibilities include:

• Identifying and meeting patients’ goals and needs
• Offering cost-effective treatments that help improve clients’ motion and mobility
• Reducing the need for medications and providing alternatives to surgery

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This Webmaster job description template is optimized for posting to online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

What is a Webmaster?

A Webmaster is a professional responsible for maintaining and managing websites and servers to meet user needs. They ensure the functionality, security, and efficiency of web infrastructure while optimizing loading speeds, fixing issues, and updating website content.

What does a Webmaster do?

A Webmaster builds, maintains, and troubleshoots websites, tests their compatibility across different platforms, and monitors online traffic and performance. They configure and manage web servers, implement security measures, and review search engine optimization (SEO) to enhance website visibility. Webmasters also address user complaints, collaborate with team members, and stay updated on web standards and technologies to deliver functional and user-friendly websites.

Webmaster responsibilities include:

• Testing websites across browsers, operating systems and devices
• Monitoring online traffic and conversions
• Ensuring functionality and efficiency of sites and web servers

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Use this structural engineer job description template to advertise your job openings and find qualified employees for your construction company. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is a structural engineer?

Structural engineers oversee the completion of construction projects and ensure structures are durable and safe.

What does a structural engineer do?

Structural engineers design buildings, bridges, and other types of structures. They build 2D and 3D models using computer-aided design technology (e.g. AutoCAD). They measure loads and presses to secure structural soundness. Structural engineer duties also include collaborating with contractors and guiding construction workers onsite. 

Overall, structural engineer job responsibilities include:

• Building structures based on technical specifications
• Tracking project progress and reporting on results
• Choosing appropriate materials to ensure durability

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Use this Retail Stylist job description template to attract qualified salespeople for boutiques and luxury clothing stores.

What is a Retail Stylist?

A Retail Stylist is a fashion professional who assists clients in selecting stylish outfits that complement their body types and personal style. They provide personalized styling tips, create complete looks from head to toe, and stay updated on fashion trends.

What does a Retail Stylist do?

A Retail Stylist welcomes customers, identifies their needs, and helps them find clothing items that fit their body types. They create complete looks that match clients’ styles, offer personalized styling tips, and recommend shoes and accessories to complement outfits. Retail Stylists also inform customers about fashion trends, provide product details, and ensure proper product presentation and stock replenishment.

Retail Stylist responsibilities include:

• Identifying clients’ needs and helping them find clothing that suits their body types
• Creating complete looks from head to toe to match clients’ style
• Offering personalized styling tips

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This Product Owner job description template is optimized for posting on online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

What is a Product Owner?

A Product Owner is a professional who organizes, prioritizes, and assesses work for a scrum team. They are responsible for incorporating feature requests, grooming and prioritizing backlog, and developing user stories and acceptance criteria. They play a crucial role in planning releases, coordinating sprints, and ensuring products align with the company’s vision.

What does a Product Owner do?

A Product Owner’s main responsibility is to manage the product development process. They gather feature requests, schedule releases, and coordinate sprints. They work closely with cross-functional teams, identify user needs, and ensure the product meets customer expectations. Additionally, they refine the agile methodology based on feedback, track industry trends, and address production issues during sprints.

Product Owner responsibilities include:

• Incorporating feature requests into product roadmap
• Grooming and prioritizing backlog
• Developing user stories and defining acceptance criteria

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Use this Illustrator job description template to attract and hire qualified candidates. Feel free to modify this template to meet your specific design needs.

What is an Illustrator?

An Illustrator is a creative professional who combines hand-drawing and painting with digital media to produce visually captivating illustrations. They use their artistic skills and software expertise to create original artwork for print and digital publications.

What does an Illustrator do?

An Illustrator creates illustrations by preparing rough drafts, refining designs with illustration software, and using various colors, graphics, and effects to bring concepts to life. They collaborate with clients, editors, and marketers to understand their needs and create appealing visuals that communicate messages effectively. Illustrators utilize computer-aided design (CAD) software and stay updated with new techniques to produce high-quality illustrations within specified time and budget constraints.

Illustrator responsibilities include:

• Combining hand-drawing and painting with digital media to create complete illustrations
• Refining designs with illustration software
• Using various colors, graphics and effects to better convey each concept

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Use this HR Clerk job description template to advertise open administrative positions in your Human Resources department.

What is an HR Clerk?

An HR Clerk is an entry-level role in the Human Resources department responsible for various administrative tasks, such as publishing job ads, scheduling interviews, maintaining employee records, and assisting with payroll preparation. They provide support to the HR team and contribute to the smooth functioning of HR operations.

What does an HR Clerk do?

An HR Clerk is responsible for publishing and updating job ads, scheduling interviews, maintaining employee records, preparing payroll-related documents, screening resumes, updating databases, and addressing employee queries. They assist in onboarding, training, and compensation processes, ensuring accurate record-keeping and efficient HR operations.

HR Clerk responsibilities include:

• Publishing and updating job ads on careers pages
• Scheduling interviews
• Maintaining employee records (e.g. vacation and sick leaves)

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This Hotel Manager job description template is optimized for posting on online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

What is a Hotel Manager?

A Hotel Manager is an experienced professional responsible for overseeing the daily operations of a hotel, ensuring efficient management, and providing strategic direction. They are in charge of supervising staff, managing budgets, implementing marketing strategies, and maintaining compliance with laws and guidelines.

What does a Hotel Manager do?

A Hotel Manager supervises work at all levels, plans activities, manages budgets and financial information, develops marketing strategies, communicates with customers, addresses maintenance issues, collaborates with external parties, and enforces health and safety standards. They play a vital role in enhancing customer satisfaction, expanding clientele, and upholding the hotel’s reputation.

Hotel Manager responsibilities include:

• Proven experience as Hotel Manager or relevant role
• Fluency in English; knowledge of other languages is a plus
• Understanding of all hotel management best practices and relevant laws and guidelines

The post Hotel Manager job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Use this Headhunter job description template to attract and hire HR professionals. You can also easily customize this template for in-house or agency Recruiter roles.

What is a Headhunter?

A Headhunter is a recruitment professional who specializes in finding qualified candidates for open positions within an organization. They work closely with hiring managers to define job requirements, actively search for potential candidates, and engage with them through various channels.

What does a Headhunter do?

A Headhunter is responsible for coordinating with hiring managers to define job requirements, sourcing potential candidates through various channels such as social media and resume databases, and reaching out to prospects via email or phone. They maintain candidate databases, attend job fairs, and utilize sourcing techniques to find qualified candidates for hard-to-fill roles. Additionally, they measure the source of hire and time-to-fill for each role, conduct benchmark research on compensation and benefits, and recommend new sourcing tools and techniques.

Headhunter responsibilities include:

• Coordinating with hiring managers to define necessary requirements for open roles.
• Sending recruiting emails to passive candidates and following up when necessary.
• Browsing resume databases and portfolio sites.

The post Headhunter job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

This Contract Administrator job description template can help you attract qualified candidates for your company’s contract management roles. Modify this template with specific administrative duties to meet your company’s needs.

What is a Contract Administrator?

A Contract Administrator is a professional responsible for preparing, negotiating, and reviewing company contracts, including sales, purchases, and business partnerships. They ensure compliance with legal requirements, analyze potential risks, and maintain organized records.

What does a Contract Administrator do?

A Contract Administrator’s main responsibilities include preparing sales and purchase contracts, negotiating contract terms with internal and external partners, reviewing and updating existing contracts, explaining terms and conditions to managers and interested parties, and ensuring compliance with company contracts. They analyze potential risks, stay up-to-date with legislative changes, and maintain organized records of contracts.

Contract Administrator responsibilities include:

• Preparing sales and purchase contracts
• Negotiating contract terms with internal and external partners
• Reviewing and updating existing contracts

The post Contract Administrator job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Use this Biochemist job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is a Biochemist?

A Biochemist is a professional who specializes in studying the composition, functions, and chemical processes of living organisms. They analyze various life forms to gain insights into how they are affected by chemical reactions and processes.

What does a Biochemist do?

A Biochemist conducts experiments, records data, and studies the functions, chemical processes, and composition of living organisms. They collaborate with other departments, design and conduct experiments, and analyze findings. They also write scholarly articles to share their research and may propose research projects to raise funds.

Biochemist responsibilities include:

• • Collaborating with other departments to design and conduct experiments and record findings
  • Studying the functions, chemical processes and composition of living organisms
  • Writing scholarly articles about findings and proposals to raise funds for research efforts

The post Biochemist Job Description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Use this Park Ranger job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is a Park Ranger?

A Park Ranger is a professional who protects and conserves forests and conservatories. They work in outdoor areas such as parks, wildlife reserves, and natural habitats to ensure the safety of visitors, enforce park rules, conduct educational tours, maintain trails, and contribute to the preservation of the natural environment.

What does a Park Ranger do?

A Park Ranger performs a range of duties to safeguard natural areas and provide visitor services. They greet and educate visitors about park rules and safety regulations, patrol and maintain campsites and trails, conduct tours and educational presentations, perform emergency care and wildlife management tasks, and develop environmental educational programs. Their primary objective is to protect and preserve the natural environment while ensuring the safety and enjoyment of visitors.

Park Ranger responsibilities include:

• Greeting visitors and explaining the park rules and safety regulations
• Patrolling the campsite and ensuring visitors are following the rules and not disrupting the natural environment or other guests
• Working in the visitors center to hand out maps and point out areas of interest or areas that are off-limits

The post Park Ranger job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Use this Landscaping Architect job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is a Landscaping Architect?

A Landscaping Architect is a professional who specializes in the planning, design, and development of outdoor spaces for residential homes and organizations. They use their expertise to create visually appealing and functional landscapes that meet the needs and preferences of their clients.

What does a Landscaping Architect do?

A Landscaping Architect is responsible for various tasks, including creating detailed plans using CAD software, analyzing environmental reports, providing recommendations on conservation and sustainability, writing proposals, liaising with architects and project managers, and preparing cost estimates. They collaborate with clients, vendors, and community members to ensure successful project delivery and create outdoor spaces that are aesthetically pleasing, environmentally friendly, and meet the functional requirements of the intended users.

Landscaping Architect responsibilities include:

• Creating rough drawings and more sophisticated plans with computer-aided design (CAD) programs
• Analyzing complex environmental reports and using the knowledge gained in designs/plans
• Providing recommendations on conservation and sustainability issues

The post Landscaping Architecture job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Use this Exercise Physiologist job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is an Exercise Physiologist?

An Exercise Physiologist is a medical professional who specializes in analyzing a patient’s medical history and designing personalized exercise and fitness regimens to improve their overall health and aid in recovery from various conditions.

What does an Exercise Physiologist do?

An Exercise Physiologist assesses a patient’s medical history, conducts fitness and stress tests, measures vital signs, and develops individualized exercise prescriptions. They educate patients on health and fitness topics, teach safe exercise techniques, and collaborate with healthcare professionals to ensure comprehensive care for their patients. Their goal is to enhance cardiovascular function, strength, endurance, and flexibility while addressing specific health conditions or recovery needs.

Exercise Physiologist responsibilities include:

• Analyzing a patient’s medical history to assess any potential risks that exercise may pose
• Performing fitness and stress tests on patients to determine their strengths, limitations and the most appropriate starting point for a new program
• Measuring and monitoring patient vital signs, such as heart rate, blood pressure, heart rhythms and oxygen levels

The post Exercise Physiologist Job Description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Use this Aerospace Engineer job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is an Aerospace Engineer?

An Aerospace Engineer is a professional who utilizes mathematical, scientific, and engineering principles to design, improve, and repair various components of air and spacecraft. They work on materials, safety regulations, manufacturing processes, and facility improvements to ensure compliance with quality and functionality requirements.

What does an Aerospace Engineer do?

An Aerospace Engineer conducts research, analysis, and design activities to develop and improve air and spacecraft. They utilize their expertise in mathematics, science, thermodynamics, mechanics, robotics, aerodynamics, and production methods to solve problems, develop designs, and ensure safety and functionality. Additionally, they test aircraft and spacecraft to identify and address potential issues, while also contributing to the advancement of aerospace technology through innovation and collaboration with engineering teams.

Aerospace Engineer responsibilities include:

• Using mathematical, scientific and engineering principles to design, repair and improve air and spacecraft component parts, facilities, materials, safety regulations and manufacturing processes
• Researching and analyzing information to develop designs and solve problems
• Testing aircraft, rockets and spacecraft to find and correct potential problems and to ensure compliance with quality, safety and functionality requirements

The post Aerospace Engineer job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

This Treasurer job description template is optimized for posting on online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

What is a Treasurer?

Treasurer is a financial professional who manages various financial aspects of an organization, including cash management, risk management, investment activities, and financial planning. They play a crucial role in ensuring the long-term financial stability and success of the business.

What does a Treasurer do?

A Treasurer performs a range of responsibilities, such as conducting risk management activities related to liquidity, interest rates, and ventures. They assume responsibility for cash management procedures and make decisions regarding the company’s investments. Additionally, they assist in developing financing strategies, maintain relationships with banks and rating agencies, prepare budgets, monitor expenditures, and provide advice on matters of corporate finance. A Treasurer plays a vital role in maintaining financial stability, compliance with regulations, and supporting informed decision-making within the organization.

Treasurer responsibilities include:

• Performing risk management (liquidity, interest rates, ventures etc.)
• Assuming responsibility for cash management procedures
• Managing the company’s investment activity and make decisions

The post Treasurer job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

This IT Consultant job description template is optimized for posting to online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

What is an IT Consultant?

An IT Consultant is a knowledgeable professional who helps businesses develop, integrate, and maximize the value of IT systems. They provide strategic advice, troubleshoot technical issues, and offer expertise in areas such as hardware, software, networks, and project management.

What does an IT Consultant do?

An IT Consultant understands customer requirements and business objectives, providing strategic advice on utilizing technology to achieve goals. They manage IT initiatives, collaborate with technical staff, design IT systems and networks, support new technology implementation, train users, troubleshoot hardware and software issues, suggest system improvements, and produce reports. Their role involves analyzing problems, offering solutions, and ensuring effective utilization of technology to drive business success.

IT Consultant responsibilities include:

• Understanding customer requirements and business objectives
• Providing strategic advice on using technology to achieve goals
• Managing IT initiatives and collaborating with in-house technical staff

The post IT Consultant job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

This Help Desk Manager job description template can help you identify your ideal candidates to manage your company’s technical support team.

What is a Help Desk Manager?

A Help Desk Manager is a professional responsible for leading a technical support team, overseeing customer service operations, and ensuring the timely resolution of technical issues. They possess a solid technical background and customer service experience.

What does a Help Desk Manager do?

A Help Desk Manager manages and evaluates the performance of a help desk team, ensuring timely and accurate customer service. They recruit, train, and support help desk representatives and technicians. They establish customer service standards, contribute to improving customer support, and provide feedback to internal teams. Their role involves developing reports on team productivity and maintaining a problem-solving attitude to ensure high-quality technical support and enhance client satisfaction.

Help Desk Manager responsibilities include:

• Managing the help desk team and evaluate performance
• Ensuring customer service is timely and accurate on a daily basis
• Recruiting, training and supporting help desk representatives and technicians

The post Help Desk Manager job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Use this Clinical Coordinator job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is a Clinical Coordinator?

A Clinical Coordinator is a professional responsible for overseeing administrative tasks and managing supplies in hospitals or healthcare facilities. They work closely with medical professionals and ensure smooth daily operations.

What does a Clinical Coordinator do?

A Clinical Coordinator performs a variety of tasks, including budget planning, supply management, and coordination of administrative activities in healthcare facilities. They work with doctors and other professionals to ensure efficient operations and timely provision of resources. Their role involves maintaining detailed records, multitasking, and reacting effectively in emergency situations.

Clinical Coordinator responsibilities include:

• Overseeing all day-to-day administrative activities at a healthcare facility
• Evaluating personnel and preparing daily reports as needed by other departments
• Assisting with recruitment, consenting, screening and enrollment of personnel

The post Clinical Coordinator job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

This Manager of Quality Assurance job description template is optimized for posting on online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

Manager of Quality Assurance responsibilities include:

• Devising procedures to inspect and report quality assurance issues
• Monitoring all operations that affect quality
• Supervising and guiding inspectors, technicians and other staff

The post Manager of Quality Assurance job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Workable CFO Craig DiForte has been through this himself numerous times. He gets straight to the point: “There are two main things you want to look at,” he says. “Cost per hire and time to hire.”

Craig explains that you must break those down into manageable and measurable chunks, and identify the areas where you can optimize to get more bang for your buck.

“You had a budget that said that you were going to spend this much, and that HR was going to cost this much. What really happened? That’s where you need to look deeper.”

“You had a budget that said that you were going to spend this much, and that HR was going to cost this much. What really happened? That’s where you need to look deeper.”

1. Cost per hire

“The first thing to look at is your cost per hire for the past year,” Craig says. Cost per hire is the average cost invested in hiring X people in a time period – it’s easy to measure on the surface. But the solution isn’t as simple as saying, ‘Let’s cut back on our cost per hire.’ You need to drill down to specifics.

First, before planning your recruitment budget, go back to your last recruitment budget (if you have one) to use as an example and baseline. Because 2020 and 2021 are quite the financial anomalies for any company, you probably want to skip further back to 2019 – the last ‘normal’ year. Once you’ve lined up your projected numbers against your actual numbers for the previous recruitment budget, sort out all the costs related to your recruitment into sections, such as:

• Posting job ads
• Sourcing candidates
• Utilizing assessment services
• Running background checks

There are many more, of course, but when you have a list, you can start assigning individual expenses to each step. Then, determine where you went over budget and where you ended up under budget.

You can also include costs related to the hours taken away from someone’s normal workflow in the hiring process, if they’re not in HR. A hiring manager, for instance, will take a number of hours out of their normal workweek every week to look at the final list of candidates, assess them, interview them, and so on.

Assign costs to those invested hours by breaking down the annual salaries of each member of the hiring team into hourly chunks – from there, you can start allocating hours at a fixed “cost” to each section listed here.

(By the way – this highlights the importance of a clear, standardized recruitment process. It’s not just about being organized and uniform in the process itself; it also provides clarity into where you’re putting your money. With a standardized setup, you can start comparing past, present and future budgets by measuring them against established benchmarks.)

2. Time to fill and time to hire

When you put actual costs aside, the rest of it becomes less tangible, says Craig. “It’s not only money that you’re looking at. It’s also your time. How long did it take you to get those sales reps onto your team? Remember, time is money.”

The way he explains it, the time it takes to go from the very first day you start talking about filling a position to the day the new hire signs on the dotted line (or, in some cases, when they’re fully onboarded) – that’s your time to fill.

Time to hire is similar, except that it’s the time elapsed between the date that a specific candidate applied for a job and the date that they’re hired.

Look at your company’s work hours invested in the following categories, for example:

• Hiring team communications to determine the needs for a new position
• Writing the job description, posting and promoting it
• Drafting assessments and assignments
• The selection process itself, multiplied with each additional application:
  • resume screening
  • phone screening
  • one-way video interviews
  • interviewing (drafting questions, arranging time/place, carrying out actual interview)
  • analyzing assessments
  • reviewing assignments
  • contacting references
  • negotiating with selected candidate
  • job offer and follow-up
• Further hiring team communications at each step of the way, both within the team and with the candidate

Again, this is not an exhaustive list.

Time to ramp

Calculating your recruitment “time” budget can also include time to ramp, Craig recommends. He uses the recruiting of a sales team as an example, asking: “What’s the ramp time for a sales rep in your company? Let’s say a sales rep ramps up over three months. If I’m going to hire someone in January, that means I’m going to have only nine months of full productivity from that over the next year.”

In other words, if a sales rep hired on Jan. 1 is expected to close $1 million a year, this means you can actually only plan for that sales rep to close $750,000 that year. It gets worse the longer you wait, especially if you’re building a sales team from scratch. Plus, if you onboard poorly, turnover increases, and you’re back to square one. So looking at time to ramp – and the resources invested in that – is crucial to planning your recruitment budget for the upcoming year.

“That’s the type of ‘cost’ related to your time to hire and time to fill,” Craig explains.

He highlights another scenario: the launch of a new feature.

“Let’s say I was going to launch a new feature in March, and I want my team hired and in place to be able to put it together between January and February, so it’ll be ready to go in March.”

And if you didn’t hire everyone you needed in that time frame?

“Obviously, then, your feature is not going to be ready in March. Now, the feature that was supposed to help generate an extra $200K a month in revenue for the sales team is now delayed by two months to May. And so, I’ve just lost $400K that I had budgeted for.”

There are multiple scenarios here that show the compounding effect of breakdowns in hiring processes. It’s not as simple as backfilling a position – you need to plan ahead of schedule. There are multiple parts that need to fall into place ahead of time so you can meet goals later on. And that of course has an impact on planning your recruitment budget whether that’s directly related, delayed, or indirect.

3. Also crucial: Turnover rate

Yes, even your best people leave for other opportunities. But they don’t always leave because of an offer they couldn’t refuse – they also leave because they’re unhappy where they are, because they don’t feel like the job was a good fit for them, and so on. That’s on you as a company.

So where does budget fit in here? Craig will consult with HR and find out what the company’s turnover rate is – here’s a tutorial on how you can calculate that yourself. Your current turnover rate for the last 12 months also helps you predict the number of hires you can anticipate over the next fiscal year on top of your planned upscale. For instance, if your company plans to add 30 sales reps over the next year, add your anticipated turnover to that, and multiply your cost per hire by that final number to get a good estimate of how much you can expect to put into the recruitment process.

Meanwhile, you can also see how your turnover rate stacks up against the standard, and adjust accordingly. According to Craig, you should look at your numbers and ask:

“Are you hiring effective people? Are you hiring the right people efficiently for the right cost? It’s all about the right person at the right time for the right cost.”

“Are you hiring effective people? Are you hiring the right people efficiently for the right cost? It’s all about the right person at the right time for the right cost.”

The right person hired at the right time will stick around, and that’s good for the bottom line. That means investing the right amount of money and time in the right spots. For instance, you could invest more in employee engagement initiatives – such as a corporate retreat, holiday or summer function, even a new, improved office environment.

Or, as Craig suggests, invest in a referral program to get more internal referrals – because referred candidates tend to stay longer with the company, your recruitment costs will go down.

4. Look to the past, to plan for the future

As Craig says, you need to look at your cost to hire, time to hire, and time to ramp, and figure out where you performed as projected/planned, and where you didn’t, and address the following questions in planning your recruitment budget:

• Did we use too many agencies?
  • Solution:  Bring it in-house.
• Did we not do enough internal recruiting?
  • Solution:  Build an internal recruitment strategy.
• Should we have done a better job sourcing?
  • Solution: Use Workable’s AI Recruiter and People Search and build up your sourcing strategies.
• Can we get people to stay longer?
  • Solution: Implement a formal employee retention program.

You can then ask the more interesting questions:

• Should we have hired quicker rather than waiting for the “perfect” candidate?
• Should we have waited longer for a better candidate to come along?
• What’s going to make it easier and more cost-effective for you to hire?
• What’s going to make it easier and more cost-effective to stay on plan?

Planning your recruitment budget

For many, hiring is about people, but for Craig, it’s about money: “It’s all about how much it costs you to do it. Am I doing it for the right cost, and am I doing it fast enough? That’s why you look at this and see what happened, and then you ask; ‘Where can I make an investment to make this better? Where did I do things that were wrong or expensive? Maybe I should have a better ATS.’”

Obvious plug aside, what may seem intangible in a company budget can easily be dissected and optimized. Think about where you’re overspending, and follow the domino effect – such as the delay in a features release – and trace it back to its cause. It’s all interrelated. Craig sums it up: Start thinking about how to allocate your budget smartly for 2023 so you improve in all areas.

“Once you do that, you can then develop your action plan.”

Need new hiring software but unsure of the cost-benefit? Check out our step-by-step guide to calculate the ROI of an ATS.

The post Planning your recruitment budget for 2023: top tips from Workable’s CFO appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Use this Speech Pathologist job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is a Speech Pathologist?

A Speech Pathologist is a healthcare professional who specializes in diagnosing, treating, and preventing speech, language, and swallowing disorders.

What does a Speech Pathologist do?

A Speech Pathologist assesses patients’ conditions, develops individualized treatment plans, and provides therapy to address speech disorders. They educate patients and their families, keep records, and collaborate with other professionals to improve communication abilities.

Speech Pathologist responsibilities include:

• Diagnosing, treating and preventing speech, language and swallowing disorders
• Creating treatment and therapy plans to suit the individualized needs of patients
• Performing screenings to detect voice or speech disorders

The post Speech Pathologist job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Use this Radiology Technician job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is a Radiology Technician?

A Radiology Technician is a healthcare professional who specializes in conducting imaging examinations, such as X-rays, CT scans, or MRI scans, to assist doctors in diagnosing and treating patients. They operate radiographic equipment, position patients, and ensure the production of clear images while prioritizing patient safety.

What does a Radiology Technician do?

A Radiology Technician performs imaging procedures on patients, capturing images of specific areas of the body using radiographic technology. They prepare patients for the procedure, position them correctly, and operate the necessary equipment to produce high-quality images. Additionally, they maintain patient records, collaborate with Radiologists, and ensure the proper functioning and sterilization of equipment. Their role is crucial in helping doctors and healthcare professionals diagnose and treat patients accurately.

Radiology Technician responsibilities include:

• Completing the patients’ intake process and taking patients’ histories
• Reviewing patients’ charts and Doctors’ notes before the examination
• Preparing radiopharmaceuticals for contrast in the diagnostic images

The post Radiology Technician job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Use this Pathologist job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is a Pathologist?

A Pathologist is a medical professional who specializes in researching and diagnosing diseases. They analyze bodily fluids and tissue samples, perform laboratory tests, and provide pathology reports to assist in disease study, diagnosis, and treatment.

What does a Pathologist do?

A Pathologist plays a crucial role in the healthcare team by running various medical tests and helping doctors reach accurate diagnoses. They analyze blood samples, study cell morphology, and use medical equipment to perform laboratory tests. Pathologists also stay updated with developments in the field of pathology, conduct research to improve testing methods, and suggest potential treatment options based on research and test results.

Pathologist responsibilities include:

• Suggesting potential treatment options based on research and tests
• Writing pathology reports detailing specimens tested, results of tests and the final diagnosis
• Undertaking research to improve identification and testing methods and finding innovative ways to treat disease

The post Pathologist Job Description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Here is what you can do to foster a truly inclusive workforce in your organization.

Making workplaces LGBTQ inclusive

Let’s start by looking at the numbers. A Human Rights Campaign survey found that:

• 46% of LGBTQ workers are closeted at work
• Half of non-LGBTQ employees reported there were no openly LGBTQ employees in their company
• 1 in 5 LGBTQ workers have been told or had coworkers imply that they should dress more feminine or masculine (compared with 1 in 24 non-LGBTQ workers)
• 54% of non-LGBTQ workers said that they would be very comfortable working with an LGBTQ coworker; of those who wouldn’t be very comfortable, a majority said it was because they “didn’t want to hear about their coworker’s sex life.”

LGBTQ employees are not comfortable everywhere they work, and there are some misperceptions out there. No one wants or needs to hear about their coworker’s sex life, which shouldn’t even be an issue on the table regardless of preference.

We share five tips on how to make your workplace more LGBTQ inclusive:

1. Speak with your pocketbook, not your rainbow logo

It’s easy to change a logo, put up a flag, or tweet about happy Pride Month. But LinkedIn took a step further and started paying the heads of their affinity groups $10,000 a year for the extra work. This demonstrates their desire to support all diversity groups, including LGBTQ groups.

Nothing says real support and inclusion like cash which recognizes the hard work these employee resource group leaders put in.

2. Be thoughtful about pronouns

This is a hot button issue at work, and you need to tread carefully. For example, look at the following exchange on Twitter:

Katrina Kibben: One of my Pride wishes this year is to ban the phrase “preferred pronouns.” They are not preferred. This isn’t steak or shrimp. It’s a human’s identity.

Dr. “Coach” Dawn Reid #ReidReady: I respect how you feel and I ask if you can consider preference is about a label choice. I.e., My son is non-binary. He has a pref of they/she/he depending on his affect. It’s his pref of a social label in the moment. Not who he is as a person.

Katrina Kibben: Every experience is different. I respect it. For me? My first thought is that your child may be code-switching for their safety (I do it too), not changing pronouns.

Dr. “Coach” Dawn Reid #ReidReady: Agreed. It’s different for each person. Code switching is another topic. We all do that for communication clarity. The original term/use is from linguistics. And that’s not it for them. It’s his preference. We are talking about this now.

In other words, there is no way to get it right. An October 2020 survey by Tallo found that 88% of Gen Z candidates think it’s important for recruiters to ask them their pronouns. But many Baby Boomers and Gen Xers find it offensive to ask their pronouns. This leaves you to guess, but there are some things you can do.

Listen to what people want to do. Respect and use their pronouns. (But it’s not reasonable for an employee to expect everyone to follow regular pronoun changes.) Allow people (but don’t require) to list their pronouns on email signatures and other work-related things.

3. Don’t make assumptions

Does someone look gay? Is that person trans? Whisper, whisper, whisper. This type of thing makes for a very unwelcoming environment for everyone.

Instead, make sure your staff understands employees treat every other employee and client equally across the board. Everyone gets respect. If you allow people to bring personal items to decorate their cubicles, then everyone gets to bring a family picture – regardless of what their family looks like.

Make sure you schedule and provide promotions and perks based on performance and seniority, not the perception that so-and-so needs a bump in pay because his wife just had a baby. If an employee announces the impending birth of a baby, don’t speculate about just how that baby was conceived or carried. Instead, just say, “Congratulations! Let me get you the FMLA paperwork!”

4. Remove bias from your recruiting process.

EPM Scientific gave five tips for reducing bias in hiring. These are:

• Anonymizing resumes in the review process
• Encouraging validated pre-employment testing
• Pre-employment testing, such as work samples, predict job success.
• Encouraging a diverse interview panel and hiring committee
• Challenging bias in recruitment and hiring decisions

All these things help you ensure you hire the person who is best for the job regardless of their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, or national origin. Letting candidates know you do through these processes helps them feel like they have a chance based on their skills.

5. Educate your leadership on the benefits of diversity

You can only increase LGBTQ candidates when you have a welcoming environment. But, to make a welcoming environment, senior leadership needs to be on board. Presenting the business case for making workplaces LGBTQ inclusive will help.

People who have to hide their identities at work experience more stress. Higher stress results in more days off and an increase in medical costs. It’s saving you money to have a welcoming environment.

Consulting giant McKinsey reported in May 2020 that companies with diverse leadership have higher financial returns than those that don’t. While they looked only at gender and race, it stands to reason that bringing in people with different sexual orientations would bring additional viewpoints that would help the company reach different audiences and support all employees.

Finally – candidates, especially Millennials and Gen Z, want to work for inclusive organizations and leaders. They’ve made that clear. So make sure you let them know what your company is doing to ensure everyone feels comfortable.

The critical point of all this is that everyone deserves a job based on their knowledge, skills, and abilities. Everything else should be irrelevant. This means ensuring that everyone is welcome in your company. A simple concept that goes far.

The post 5 tips on making workplaces LGBTQ inclusive appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

This VP of HR job description template is optimized for posting on online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

What is a VP of Human Resources?

A VP of Human Resources, also known as a Vice President of Human Resources, is a senior executive responsible for leading and overseeing an organization’s HR function. They play a strategic role in developing and implementing HR plans, policies, and initiatives that align with the company’s vision and mission.

What does a VP of Human Resources do?

A VP of Human Resources collaborates with the management team to shape the company’s vision and mission. They develop strategic HR plans and policies, including recruitment, training, and compensation. They hire, guide, and evaluate HR executives, ensure compliance with labor laws, and analyze HR operations using metrics and analytics. Their role involves promoting equal opportunity and diversity, managing labor and employee relations, and re-engineering processes for efficiency. They provide reports to the CEO and play a crucial role in driving the long-term success of HR and the organization as a whole.

VP of Human Resources responsibilities include:

• Collaborating with management team to craft the company’s vision and mission
• Developing strategic HR plans and policies
• Hiring, guiding and evaluating the work of HR executives

Hiring a VP of HR? Sign up for Workable’s 15-day free trial to post this job and hire better, faster.

The post VP of HR job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Use this Medical Transcriptionist job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is a Medical Transcriptionist?

A Medical Transcriptionist is a professional who listens to audio recordings made by physicians and healthcare professionals and transcribes them into written reports. They play a crucial role in converting spoken medical information into accurate written documentation.

What does a Medical Transcriptionist do?

A Medical Transcriptionist’s primary responsibility is to transcribe audio recordings of medical dictations into written reports. They use specialized equipment and software to ensure accurate and timely transcription. They also review and edit transcriptions for accuracy and completeness. Their role contributes to maintaining accurate patient records and supporting effective communication among healthcare professionals.

Medical Transcriptionist responsibilities include:

• Listening to the recorded dictation of physicians and other healthcare professionals
• Using specialized transcription equipment such as headsets and foot pedals
• Editing and correcting medical dictation performed by speech recognition software

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Use this Management Analyst job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is a Management Analyst?

A Management Analyst is a professional who evaluates an organization’s performance, identifies areas for improvement, and provides recommendations to enhance efficiency and productivity. They analyze data, interview personnel, and collaborate with managers to develop strategies that help the organization achieve its goals.

What does a Management Analyst do?

A Management Analyst conducts research, gathers relevant information, and analyzes data to identify problems and propose solutions. They assess financial and employment reports, interview personnel, and meet with management to make recommendations for process improvement. Their role involves providing insights and advice to help organizations optimize their operations, streamline workflows, and achieve better outcomes.

Management Analyst responsibilities include:

• Researching an organization’s problems and solutions
• Gathering relevant information and data
• Compiling reports and giving presentations

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This Insurance Sales Representative job description template is optimized for posting in online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

What is an Insurance Sales Representative?

An Insurance Sales Representative is a professional who is responsible for selling insurance contracts to individuals or businesses. They offer various insurance plans and assess the needs of customers to provide suitable coverage.

What does an Insurance Sales Representative do?

An Insurance Sales Representative designs and implements effective marketing strategies to sell insurance contracts. They reach out to potential clients, establish rapport, and understand their requirements. They offer suitable insurance plans based on the clients’ needs and collect information to provide the best solutions. They also prepare reports on business performance, maintain records, and ensure compliance with company policies. Ultimately, their goal is to acquire new clients, build strong relationships, and contribute to the growth of the insurance business.

Insurance Sales Representative responsibilities include:

• Designing and implementing effective marketing strategies to sell new insurance contracts or adjust existing ones
• Contacting potential clients and creating rapport by networking, cold calling, using referrals etc
• Appraising the wishes and demands of business or individual customers and selling the suitable protection plans

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This Human Resources Consultant job description template is optimized for posting on online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

What is a Human Resources Consultant?

A Human Resources Consultant is a qualified professional who specializes in providing HR advice, leading projects, and formulating strategic plans to address human resource matters in organizations.

What does a Human Resources Consultant do?

A Human Resources Consultant initiates and leads HR programs and projects, conducts research to identify issues, provides advice and recommendations, formulates strategic plans, and assists in recruitment, training, and management of personnel. They also help establish control systems, review processes, and stay updated with advancements in the field.

Human Resources Consultant responsibilities include:

• Initiating and leading human resource programs and projects
• Conducting research through various methods to identify a problematic situation or find the cause
• Providing advice and recommendations to HR personnel for resolution of daily issues

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Use this Chiropractor job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is a Chiropractor?

A Chiropractor is a medical professional specializing in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of neuromusculoskeletal conditions. They focus on providing holistic care to patients, particularly in the areas of pain management and improving overall well-being.

What does a Chiropractor do?

A Chiropractor works with patients to assess their physical condition, identify health concerns, and develop personalized treatment plans. They use various diagnostic tests, such as x-rays or ultrasounds, to understand the patient’s condition better. Chiropractors administer holistic treatments, including spinal manipulation, adjustments, massage, and other therapeutic techniques, to alleviate pain and improve the function of the musculoskeletal system. Their goal is to help patients achieve better health and alleviate discomfort through non-invasive and drug-free approaches.

Chiropractor responsibilities include:

• Working with patients to identify health concerns and create a plan for treatment or management
• Using tests, such as x-rays or ultrasounds, to better understand a patient’s condition
• Administering holistic treatments, such as spinal manipulation, adjustments, massage and hot and cold compresses

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This is a Marketing Associate job description template to help you attract qualified candidates for your open positions. This template is also easy to post to online job boards and careers pages.

What is a Marketing Associate?

A Marketing Associate is a professional who assists in planning and implementing marketing and advertising activities. They work to analyze market research, gather consumer behavior data, and create reports on marketing and sales metrics.

What does a Marketing Associate do?

A Marketing Associate manages daily administrative tasks, conducts market research, gathers consumer behavior data, creates reports on marketing metrics, assists in organizing promotional events, and coordinates with other teams to create advertising material.

Marketing Associate responsibilities include:

• Managing daily administrative tasks to ensure the Marketing department runs smoothly
• Conducting market research to identify new revenue opportunities
• Gathering and analyzing consumer behavior data (e.g. web traffic and rankings)

The post Marketing Associate job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

What is a Forensic Accountant?

A Forensic Accountant is a professional who collects and analyzes financial evidence for use in court. They specialize in identifying inaccuracies, tracing discrepancies, and preventing financial fraud. Their role is crucial in investigating complex business cases and providing litigation support through detailed financial analysis.

What does a Forensic Accountant do?

A Forensic Accountant performs forensic research and analysis of financial data to identify potential fraud and revenue loss. They review financial documents, analyze data, and trace discrepancies. They also forecast and prevent financial frauds, report on revenue losses, and investigate complex business cases to minimize risk. Additionally, they provide litigation support and present findings as trial evidence, ensuring compliance with laws and accounting procedures. Their work helps uncover financial evidence and supports decision-making processes in legal proceedings.

Forensic Accountant responsibilities include:

• Reviewing financial documents to identify inaccuracies
• Analyzing financial data and tracing discrepancies
• Forecasting and preventing financial frauds

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This Corporate Attorney job description template is optimized for posting on online job boards or careers pages and is easy to customize for your company.

What is a Corporate Attorney?

A Corporate Attorney is a legal professional specializing in corporate law and serving as an in-house counsel for a company. They handle complex legal matters, provide legal guidance, and ensure the legality of commercial transactions.

What does a Corporate Attorney do?

A Corporate Attorney consults and handles various corporate legal processes such as intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions, financial/securities offerings, compliance issues, transactions, agreements, lawsuits, and patents. They develop company policies, research and guard against legal risks, ensure compliance with rules and regulations, and represent the company in legal proceedings. They also draft and review legal documents, negotiate deals, and administer contracts. Ultimately, their role is to protect the company’s legal interests and provide guidance on legal rights and duties.

Corporate Attorney responsibilities include:

• Consulting and handling all corporate legal processes
• Developing company policy and position on legal issues
• Researching, anticipating and guarding company against legal risks

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Use this HR & Admin Officer job description template to attract and hire junior candidates for your Human Resources department.

What is an HR & Admin Officer?

An HR & Admin Officer is a professional responsible for supporting the day-to-day activities of the Human Resources department. They handle tasks related to personnel records, data management, policy creation, and recruitment assistance.

What does an HR & Admin Officer do?

An HR & Admin Officer maintains personnel records, updates databases, and creates guidelines and FAQ documents about company policies. They gather payroll data, publish job ads, schedule interviews, and prepare HR-related reports. They also develop training materials and respond to employee inquiries about benefits. Overall, their role is to ensure smooth HR operations and provide support to the HR department.

HR & Admin Officer responsibilities include:

• Maintaining physical and digital personnel records like employment contracts and PTO requests
• Updating internal databases with new hire information
• Creating and distributing guidelines and FAQ documents about company policies

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Share this aircraft mechanic job description template on job boards and career pages to advertise your vacancies. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is an aircraft mechanic?

Aircraft mechanics maintain and repair aircraft systems and their components. They oversee the operation of various aircraft types, including helicopters and jets.

What does an aircraft mechanic do?

Aircraft mechanics inspect mechanical, hydraulic and structural systems and diagnose malfunctions. They use power and hand tools (e.g. saws, grinders) to repair aircraft parts. For example, they fix broken wings and leaks. Aircraft mechanics also ensure compliance with aviation safety rules and regulations.

Aircraft mechanic duties include:

• Using complex manuals and blueprints
• Updating maintenance and repair logs
• Running diagnostic tests

What skills do you need to be an aircraft mechanic?

Aircraft mechanics usually hold a certification for aviation mechanics (e.g. from the Federal Aviation Administration in the US). Troubleshooting, attention to detail, and manual dexterity are some of the most essential aircraft mechanic skills to have.

When building your own aircraft mechanic job description, make sure to include these skills along with any other specific requirements you may have.

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Use this Forensic Pathologist job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is a Forensic Pathologist?

A Forensic Pathologist is a medical professional specializing in conducting autopsies and examining biological samples to determine the cause of death and investigate suspicious or unnatural deaths. They work closely with law enforcement agencies and provide expert analysis and testimony in legal proceedings.

What does a Forensic Pathologist do?

A Forensic Pathologist performs autopsies, examines tissues and bodily fluids, and investigates the circumstances surrounding a person’s death. They use their expertise to determine the cause, manner, and mechanisms of death, and provide crucial information to law enforcement agencies and medical professionals. Additionally, they may be involved in collecting evidence, preparing reports, and giving expert testimony in legal proceedings.

Forensic Pathologist responsibilities include:

• Performing autopsies to determine cause of death
• Undertaking examinations of specimens, tissues, organs, fluids, and blood to determine abnormalities
• Investigating sudden and/or unnatural deaths, in conjunction with law enforcement when needed

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This Executive Secretary job description template is optimized for posting on online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

What is an Executive Secretary?

An Executive Secretary is a competent professional who supports high-ranking officials by organizing schedules, attending meetings, managing correspondence, and performing various administrative tasks. They possess excellent time-management and organizational skills, proficiency in office software, and a strong understanding of business administration.

What does an Executive Secretary do?

An Executive Secretary maintains the executive’s agenda, plans appointments and meetings, attends meetings and takes minutes, handles phone calls, manages correspondence, arranges travel, maintains records, and assists in various administrative tasks. They ensure efficient coordination and support to executives, allowing them to focus on their managerial responsibilities.

Executive Secretary responsibilities include:

• Maintaining executive’s agenda and assist in planning appointments, board meetings, conferences etc.
• Attending meetings and keep minutes
• Receiving and screening phone calls and redirecting them when appropriate

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This Application Developer job description template is optimized for posting on online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

What is an Application Developer?

A Application Developer is a professional who designs and codes functional software programs and applications. They collaborate with teams to set specifications, write high-quality code, conduct testing, and troubleshoot applications.

What does an Application Developer do?

A Application Developer translates client requirements into application features and ensures the timely delivery of fully functional software applications. They are responsible for understanding client needs, designing prototypes, writing code, performing testing, and maintaining technical documentation.

Application Developer responsibilities include:

• Understanding client requirements and how they translate to new application features
• Collaborating with development team and other IT staff to set specifications for new applications
• Writing high-quality code to program complete applications on schedule 

The post Application Developer job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Use this Translator job description template to attract qualified candidates. Feel free to modify language requirements based on your needs.

What is a Translator?

A Translator is a professional who specializes in converting written or spoken material from one language to another while maintaining the original meaning, format, and tone. They play a crucial role in facilitating communication and understanding between different language speakers.

What does a Translator do?

A Translator reads and comprehends given material, researches industry-specific terminology, and uses specialized dictionaries and translation tools to convert text and audio recordings from one language to one or more others. They ensure that the translated content accurately conveys the original meaning and tone. Translators also proofread and edit their work, collaborate with team members and clients, and stay updated on new translation tools and practices.

Translator responsibilities include:

• Reading material and researching industry-specific terminology
• Converting text and audio recordings in one language to one or more others
• Ensuring translated texts conveys original meaning and tone

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This Safety Officer job description template is optimized for posting on online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

What is a Safety Officer?

A Safety Officer is an individual responsible for ensuring compliance with occupational health and safety (OHS) guidelines in a workplace. They play a crucial role in promoting a safe working environment by advising on safety measures, conducting risk assessments, and enforcing preventative measures. Their primary goal is to establish a safe workplace according to legal standards and foster a culture of attention to health and safety.

What does a Safety Officer do?

A Safety Officer is responsible for supporting the development of OHS policies and programs, advising and instructing on various safety-related topics, conducting risk assessments, and enforcing preventative measures. They review existing policies and measures, organize OHS training, inspect premises and work activities, investigate incidents, and prepare reports on occurrences. Their role also includes identifying hazards, ensuring compliance with legislation, and promoting a culture of health and safety in the workplace.

Safety Officer responsibilities include:

• Supporting the development of OHS policies and programs
• Advising and instructing on various safety-related topics (noise levels, use of machinery etc.)
• Conducting risk assessment and enforcing preventative measures

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This Nutritionist job description template is optimized for posting on online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

What is a nutritionist?

A nutritionist is a licensed professional who assesses clients’ dietary needs, evaluates their health and exercise levels, sleep patterns, and food habits to provide comprehensive advice on nutrition. They help individuals improve their eating habits and overall well-being through personalized nutrition plans and counseling.

What does a nutritionist do?

A nutritionist evaluates clients’ dietary needs, clarifies information about the effects of nutrients on overall health, and offers counseling to suggest positive alterations in nutrition. They create personalized nutrition plans, set objectives, and provide support to help clients achieve their goals. Additionally, nutritionists conduct scientific research, write articles, and make presentations to educate the public about the impacts of nutrition on various aspects of life.

Nutritionist responsibilities include:

• Evaluating the dietary needs of a client by assessing their health and exercise levels, sleep and food habits etc.
• Clarifying information to clients and explaining the effects of nutrients on overall health condition
• Offering counseling and suggest positive alterations in nutrition to address clients’ dietary restrictions

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This Shipping Manager job description template is optimized for posting on online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

What is a Shipping Manager?

A Shipping Manager is a professional who oversees daily shipping and distribution operations within an organization. They are responsible for tracking orders, managing shipping documents, directing package flow, and ensuring timely delivery of complete orders.

What does a Shipping Manager do?

A Shipping Manager is responsible for using software to track, check, prioritize, and route orders. They manage important shipping documents such as advanced shipping notice, pick slips, and bills of lading. Additionally, they oversee the entire process of preparing packages for shipment, inspect completed orders, supervise subordinates, control the shipping department’s budget, collaborate with other managers, resolve order-related issues, ensure compliance with regulations and company policies, and report activities and issues to management.

Shipping Manager responsibilities include:

• Using software to track, check, prioritize and route orders
• Managing all important documents such as advanced shipping notice, pick slips, bills of lading etc.
• Directing the flow of packages from preparation to shipment

The post Shipping Manager job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Use this Private Equity Associate job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is a Private Equity Associate?

A Private Equity Associate is a business executive who works in the field of investment banking and assists clients in identifying and managing investment opportunities. They analyze market trends, evaluate potential investments, and cultivate relationships with fund managers to ensure client success.

What does a Private Equity Associate do?

A Private Equity Associate conducts industry and market research, maintains relationships with fund managers, and analyzes potential investment opportunities on behalf of clients. They draft proposals, negotiate fund documentation, and support fundraising activities. Their role involves providing insights and directions to clients, attending investor meetings, and serving on advisory boards of portfolio entities.

Private Equity Associate responsibilities include:

• Conducting industry and market research to learn about fund management teams on behalf of their clients
• Cultivating and maintaining relationships with those fund managers to ensure client success
• Analyzing potential fund investment opportunities, including evaluating the fund manager’s track record, investment strategy, value-add, and investment team

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This Pastry Chef job description template is optimized for posting on online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

What is a Pastry Chef?

A Pastry Chef is a skilled culinary professional who specializes in creating a wide variety of delicious desserts, pastries, and sweet goods. They have expertise in baking techniques, recipe development, and pastry decoration, using their creativity to craft enticing treats.

What does a Pastry Chef do?

A Pastry Chef is responsible for preparing and baking various goods, such as cakes, cookies, pies, and bread, following traditional and modern recipes. They also create new and exciting desserts to enhance menus and engage customers. Additionally, Pastry Chefs decorate pastries using different icings and toppings to ensure visually appealing presentations. They manage ingredient stocks, maintain equipment, guide and train staff, and ensure compliance with sanitation and safety standards.

Pastry Chef responsibilities include:

• Preparing a wide variety of goods such as cakes, cookies, pies, bread etc. following traditional and modern recipes
• Creating new and exciting desserts to renew our menus and engage the interest of customers
• Decorating pastries using different icings, toppings etc. to ensure the presentation will be beautiful and exciting

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Use this Environmental Services Worker job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is an Environmental Services Worker?

An Environmental Services Worker is a professional who performs cleaning and sanitation tasks in an organization to maintain clean and sanitary environments for workers and visitors. They handle duties such as mopping, sweeping, and disinfecting surfaces to ensure a safe and hygienic workplace.

What does an Environmental Services Worker do?

An Environmental Services Worker is responsible for maintaining cleanliness and sanitation in an organization. They perform tasks such as mopping, sweeping, and dusting to ensure areas are clean and safe. They also handle duties like replenishing supplies and disinfecting high-traffic areas. Their goal is to create a clean and hygienic environment for employees and visitors.

Environmental Services Worker responsibilities include:

• Performing a range of cleaning tasks like mopping, sweeping, and floor buffing
• Distributing linens and tracking the linens used in each department
• Refilling toilet paper and other paper products as needed

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Use this Cloud Architect job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is a Cloud Architect?

A Cloud Architect is an IT professional who oversees the management and maintenance of an organization’s cloud computing system. They are responsible for developing cloud strategies, evaluating cloud applications and hardware, and organizing cloud systems to meet the operational needs of the organization.

What does a Cloud Architect do?

A Cloud Architect designs and implements cloud solutions for an organization, ensuring the smooth functioning of cloud systems with minimal downtime. They evaluate and select cloud providers, establish best practices for cloud adoption, and work with IT teams to monitor cloud privacy and address technical issues. Their role also involves staying updated on cloud computing technologies and trends, and effectively communicating complex cloud reports to management and IT partners.

Cloud Architect responsibilities include:

• Creating a well-informed cloud strategy and managing the adaptation process
• Evaluating cloud applications, hardware, and software
• Developing and organizing cloud systems

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Use this surveyor job description to advertise your open roles and find reliable candidates for your company. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is a surveyor?

Surveyors estimate property boundaries for construction projects. They also provide useful data for mapmaking, mining, and legal purposes.

What does a surveyor do?

Surveyors measure land features, such as depth and shape, based on reference points. They examine previous land records to verify data from on-site surveys. Surveyors also prepare maps and reports, and present results to clients.

Surveyor job duties include:

• Measuring property boundaries 
• Creating records of survey results
• Supervising staff on-site

What skills do you need to be a surveyor?

Surveyors usually hold a degree in Civil Engineering or relevant field and a valid surveyor certificate. They have excellent mathematical and problem-solving skills. These professionals also have the ability to effectively collaborate with diverse disciplines, such as engineers and architects. To succeed in this role, knowledge of CAD software, GPS and GIS systems are important.

When creating your own surveyor job description, make sure to mention these skills along with other specific requirements of the role.

The post Surveyor job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Use this Respiratory Therapist job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is a Respiratory Therapist (RT)?

A Respiratory Therapist (RT) is a medical professional who specializes in caring for patients with breathing or cardiopulmonary disorders. They play a critical role in assessing and treating respiratory conditions, conducting diagnostic tests, and administering respiratory therapy. RTs work collaboratively with healthcare teams to provide comprehensive care for patients with respiratory diseases, aiming to improve lung function and enhance overall respiratory health.

What does a Respiratory Therapist (RT) do?

A Respiratory Therapist (RT) is responsible for assessing patients with respiratory disorders, conducting diagnostic tests, developing treatment plans, and administering respiratory therapy. They operate medical devices, monitor patient responses, and provide emergency care when needed. RTs work closely with healthcare teams to manage respiratory conditions, improve lung function, and enhance patient well-being. They also educate patients about respiratory health and disease prevention.

Respiratory Therapist responsibilities include:

• Monitoring patient physiological responses to therapy 
• Working as part of a team of health care professionals to manage patient care 
• Setting up and operating devices

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Use this OB-GYN job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is an Obstetrician-Gynecologist (OB-GYN)?

An Obstetrician-Gynecologist (OB-GYN) is a medical professional who specializes in women’s health, specifically in reproductive organs and related conditions. They provide comprehensive care for women throughout various stages of life, including pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care.

What does an Obstetrician-Gynecologist (OB-GYN) do?

An OB-GYN performs a wide range of medical duties related to women’s health. They conduct examinations, diagnostic tests, and screenings, such as pap smears, pelvic exams, and breast exams. They diagnose and treat disorders and diseases specific to the female reproductive system. Additionally, OB-GYNs provide prenatal care, assist in childbirth, and offer guidance on family planning and reproductive health.

OB-GYN responsibilities include:

• Performing a wide range of tests, including pap smears and pelvic and breast exams
• Diagnosing and prescribing treatments for disorders and diseases
• Conducting routine check-ups on patients

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This Junior Designer job description template is optimized for posting to online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

What is a Junior Designer?

A Junior Designer is a creative professional who works under the guidance of a Senior Designer to create engaging designs and solutions for various projects. They bring ideas to life by producing drafts, prototypes, and final design solutions.

What does a Junior Designer do?

A Junior Designer participates in design projects from start to finish, utilizing their creativity and attention to detail. They use design software and techniques to create drafts and prototypes, collaborate with team members, and pitch creative ideas. They also incorporate feedback to continuously improve their designs and contribute to the successful launch of projects.

Junior Designer responsibilities include:

• Participating in various design projects from concept to completion
• Producing drafts, prototypes and engaging design solutions
• Listening to feedback to hone skills and improve design

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Use this Chemical Engineer job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is a Chemical Engineer?

A Chemical Engineer is a professional who applies scientific and engineering principles to improve processes and equipment used in the production of various products. They work with chemicals, fuels, drugs, food, and other substances to optimize efficiency and ensure quality standards are met.

What does a Chemical Engineer do?

A Chemical Engineer conducts research, analyzes data, and designs solutions to improve production processes and equipment. They work on minimizing waste, increasing product quality, and implementing safety procedures. They collaborate with a team of engineers, run simulations, and communicate findings to stakeholders. Overall, their role involves optimizing production, solving problems, and enhancing efficiency in chemical-related industries.

Chemical Engineer responsibilities include:

• Using scientific, mathematical and engineering principles to solve problems and improve processes
• Designing, proposing, implementing, reviewing and correcting plans to ensure company goals are achieved
• Observing production processes, conducting research and finding ways to increase efficiency and quality

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Use this estimator job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

Estimator responsibilities include:

• Understanding the project/program and its requirements
• Determining key variables for cost and other estimates
• Gathering first-hand information from sites, warehouses or other venues

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Use this Cafe Manager job description template to attract and hire qualified candidates for your coffeehouse, coffee shop or cafe.

What is a Cafe Manager?

A Cafe Manager is an individual responsible for organizing and managing the day-to-day operations of a cafe. They oversee staff, ensure excellent customer service, handle ordering and inventory, and track financial records to increase profitability and customer engagement.

What does a Cafe Manager do?

A Cafe Manager is responsible for managing the daily operations of a cafe, including scheduling staff, training employees, ordering supplies, monitoring finances, and maintaining a clean and inviting environment. They also nurture customer relationships, resolve issues, and strive to create a popular and reputable local cafe.

Cafe Manager responsibilities include:

• Managing day-to-day operations of the cafe
• Hiring and onboarding new wait staff and baristas
• Training employees on drinks preparation and proper use of coffee equipment

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Use this Forensic Psychologist job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is a forensic psychologist?

A forensic psychologist is a specialist who applies their knowledge and understanding of psychology to the criminal justice system, either as an expert witness or practitioner. They assess individuals, conduct psychological evaluations, and provide expert opinions on competency and criminal behavior.

What does a forensic psychologist do?

A forensic psychologist assesses individuals to establish cognitive abilities and behavioral/mental health. They perform competency, triage, and suicide risk assessments, compile reviews of each patient, and provide expert testimony in court. They also consult with multidisciplinary teams, educate on psychological issues, and administer psychological tests.

Forensic Psychologist responsibilities include:

• Assessing individuals to establish cognitive abilities and behavioral/mental health
• Helping those in need by performing competency, triage, and suicide risk assessments
• Compiling quantitative and qualitative reviews of each patient

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Use this Sommelier job description template to attract and hire wine experts for your restaurant, hotel or resort. Feel free to customize job duties and requirements based on your needs.

What is a Sommelier?

A Sommelier is a wine expert who curates wine lists, recommends food and wine pairings, and advises guests on wine selections based on their preferences and food choices. They possess extensive knowledge of wines, vineyards, and the winemaking process.

What does a Sommelier do?

A Sommelier creates and updates wine lists, collaborates with chefs to pair wines with food, advises guests on wine choices, ensures proper wine service, manages the wine cellar, and conducts wine tastings. They also stay informed about different wine varieties, prices, and regional production.

Sommelier responsibilities include:

• Creating and updating the wine list in coordination with chefs and the Food and Beverage Manager
• Recommending food and wine pairings
• Advising guests on wines based on their personal tastes and food choices

The post Sommelier job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

This HR Business Partner job description template can help you attract the best candidates for your Human Resources Department and is easy to customize to meet your company’s specific job requirements.

What is an HR Business Partner?

An HR Business Partner is a professional who oversees HR operations, provides guidance to management, analyzes HR metrics, resolves employee relations issues, and suggests HR strategies aligned with business goals.

What does an HR Business Partner do?

An HR Business Partner consults with line management, provides daily HR guidance, analyzes trends and metrics, resolves complex employee relations issues, improves work relationships and productivity, and suggests HR strategies. They act as consultants, aligning HR practices with business goals to support the organization’s success.

HR Business Partner responsibilities include:

• Consulting with line management and provide daily HR guidance
• Analyzing trends and metrics with the HR department
• Resolving complex employee relations issues and address grievances

Hiring an HR business partner? Sign up for Workable’s 15-day free trial to post this job and hire better, faster.

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Use this Film Director job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is a Film Director?

A Film Director is a creative professional who oversees the artistic aspects of a film production. They are responsible for guiding and managing the actors and film crew, interpreting scripts, and ensuring the visual storytelling aligns with the desired narrative style.

What does a Film Director do?

A Film Director plays a pivotal role in the filmmaking process. They collaborate with actors, read and develop scripts, and motivate the cast and crew to deliver their best performances. They also make critical decisions regarding set locations, budget management, and artistic execution. Ultimately, their goal is to bring the script to life through visual storytelling and create a cohesive and engaging final film.

Film Director responsibilities include:

• Ensuring that actors and the film crew interpret a script based on the film’s narrative style
• Motivating actors to produce their best dramatic performance
• Reading scripts and working on its continued development

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Use this Employee Relations Specialist job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is an Employee Relations Specialist?

An Employee Relations Specialist is an HR professional who specializes in maintaining positive relationships between employees and the organization. They handle various employee-related tasks such as counseling, recruitment, background checks, and ensuring compliance with employment laws.

What does an Employee Relations Specialist do?

An Employee Relations Specialist is responsible for providing counseling services to employees, participating in recruitment and dismissal processes, and performing employee background checks. They also communicate HR policies, collect and analyze employee data, and oversee employee training. Their role is crucial in maintaining a productive work environment and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.

Employee Relations Specialist responsibilities include:

• Offering counseling services to employees
• Participating in recruitment and dismissal processes
• Performing employee background checks and verifying information

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This Electronic Technician job description template is optimized for posting in online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

What is an electronic technician?

Electronic technicians are responsible for set up, repair, and maintenance of electronic systems and equipment.

What does an electronic technician do?

Electronic technician duties include running performance analyses on electronic devices and reporting on results. They create prototypes based on complex manuals. They also troubleshoot and replace faulty materials.

Overall, electronic technician job responsibilities include:

• Installing and repairing electronic equipment
• Aligning and calibrating cables and wiring
• Monitoring and reporting on project progress

When building your own electronic technician job description, make sure to tailor these responsibilities and requirements to the position at hand.

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Use this Campus Recruiter job description template to hire qualified HR professionals who’ll recruit college students and recent graduates to work for your company.

What is a Campus Recruiter?

A Campus Recruiter is an HR professional who specializes in attracting and hiring students and recent graduates for organizations. They engage with universities, attend career fairs, and host career days to connect with potential candidates. Their responsibilities include screening resumes, conducting interviews, and assessing skills for entry-level positions and internships. By building relationships with educational institutions, they contribute to the company’s employer branding efforts and attract talented individuals from college communities.

What does a Campus Recruiter do?

A Campus Recruiter plays a crucial role in the recruitment of students and recent graduates. They organize in-house career days, attend college career fairs, and promote the employer brand to attract potential candidates. They are responsible for screening resumes, conducting interviews, and performing skills assessments for junior positions and internships. Additionally, they maintain relationships with universities, advertise open roles, and design internship programs. Their goal is to attract high-potential employees from college communities and build a strong employer brand among students and recent graduates.

Campus Recruiter responsibilities include:

• Hosting in-house career days for students and recent graduates by department or field of expertise
• Attending college career fairs, interacting with students and promoting our employer brand
• Screening resumes, conducting interviews and performing skills assessment tests for junior positions and internships

The post Campus Recruiter job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

This Animator job description template is optimized for posting on online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

What is an Animator?

An Animator is a creative professional who brings scripts and storylines to life through visually captivating computer-generated animations. They use their expertise in animation techniques and CGI software to create models, illustrations, and special effects, ultimately giving life to characters and storylines in films, games, or videos.

What does an Animator do?

An Animator is responsible for reading scripts and storylines to understand animation requirements, developing storyboards for the initial stages of production, and creating visual frames using 2D/3D or other animation techniques. They collaborate with production crews, utilize CGI software, and ensure synchronization of frames and audio to deliver impressive computer-generated animations that enhance storytelling and engage audiences.

Animator responsibilities include:

• Reading scripts and storylines to understand animation requirements
• Preparing presentations with raw designs to customers
• Developing storyboards for the initial stages of production

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Use this Recruitment Assistant job description template to attract qualified people who can support and improve your hiring process.

What is a Recruitment Assistant?

A Recruitment Assistant is a professional who supports recruiting teams by coordinating hiring activities, scheduling interviews, screening resumes, and maintaining candidate databases. They assist with onboarding and handle administrative tasks to ensure a smooth hiring process.

What does a Recruitment Assistant do?

A Recruitment Assistant is responsible for coordinating hiring activities, scheduling interviews, screening resumes, and maintaining candidate databases. They assist with onboarding processes and handle administrative tasks such as drafting offer letters and preparing job ads. Additionally, they support interviewers and candidates by managing calendars and resolving issues promptly. A Recruitment Assistant plays a crucial role in ensuring efficient and organized recruitment processes within an organization.

Recruitment Assistant responsibilities include:

• Supporting recruiting teams with clerical duties
• Scheduling interviews and balancing calendars for interviewers and candidates
• Helping with initial applicant screening

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This Assistant Controller job description template is optimized for posting to online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

What is an Assistant Controller?

An Assistant Controller is a professional who supports accounting management, assists in formulating internal controls, and helps prepare financial statements. They work closely with the controller to ensure compliance with regulations and accounting guidelines.

What does an Assistant Controller do?

An Assistant Controller is responsible for various tasks, including supporting accounting management, formulating internal controls and policies, preparing financial statements, managing journal entries, assisting in budgeting and forecasting, and reviewing accounting information for accuracy. They utilize accounting software, analyze data, and contribute to the financial reporting and control processes of the company.

Assistant Controller responsibilities include:

• Supporting most aspects of accounting management
• Assisting in the formulation of internal controls and policies to comply with legislation and established best practices
• Assisting in the preparation of financial statements in compliance with official guidelines and requirements

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This Photographer job description template is optimized for posting in online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

What is a Photographer?

A Photographer is a skilled professional who specializes in capturing moments on film and using images to convey stories. They work closely with art teams, understand specifications, and develop concepts to create visual narratives. A Photographer’s role involves taking photographs, processing images, and ensuring they meet the desired results. They also utilize editing techniques, maintain and operate photography equipment, and adhere to specifications for lighting, composition, and background. A Photographer’s goal is to produce high-quality images that communicate effectively and evoke emotions.

What does a Photographer do?

A Photographer is responsible for capturing moments and telling stories through images. They collaborate with art teams, understand project requirements, and develop concepts accordingly. Photographers take photographs, process them using various editing methods, and continuously strive to improve image quality. They work with traditional and modern photography equipment, arrange objects and scenes, and direct participants during photoshoots. Photographers maintain archives of photographic images, stay updated with best practices and techniques, and apply them effectively. Their ultimate objective is to produce visually compelling and impactful photographs.

Photographer responsibilities include:

• Taking the brief to understand specifications and working closely with our art team to develop the concept
• Capturing and processing images until you achieve desired results
• Shooting poses that don’t look posed

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Post this Budget Analyst job description template to online job boards and careers pages to attract qualified candidates for your positions.

Budget Analyst responsibilities include:

• Reviewing budget proposals and funding requests
• Conducting cost/benefit and other types of analyses
• Submitting budget recommendations for approval or rejection of funding requests

The post Budget Analyst job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Post this Talent Acquisition Coordinator job description template to online job boards and careers pages to attract qualified candidates for your recruiting positions.

What is a Talent Acquisition Coordinator?

A Talent Acquisition Coordinator is a professional who supports the recruitment team by handling administrative tasks, crafting job descriptions, preparing job offer letters, and maintaining candidate databases.

What does a Talent Acquisition Coordinator do?

A Talent Acquisition Coordinator assists in the hiring process by providing administrative support, conducting compensation analyses, organizing candidate data, coordinating interviews, and assisting with new hire onboarding.

Talent Acquisition Coordinator responsibilities include:

• Crafting and updating job descriptions.
• Preparing job offer letters.
• Conducting compensation and benefits analyses for various roles.

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This .NET Developer job description template is optimized for posting to online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

What is a .NET Developer?

A .NET Developer is a professional who builds software applications using languages and technologies of the .NET framework.

What does a .NET Developer do?

A .NET Developer develops, tests, and deploys software applications using .NET programming languages. They collaborate with internal teams to design software architecture, write clean and scalable code, and provide technical support throughout the software development lifecycle.

.NET Developer responsibilities include:

• Producing code using .NET languages (C#, VB .NET)
• Upgrading, configuring and debugging existing systems
• Providing technical support for web, desktop or mobile applications

The post .Net Developer job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

This Data Manager job description template is optimized for posting on online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company as you grow your data management team.

What is a Data Manager?

A Data Manager is a professional responsible for overseeing the development and use of data systems within an organization. They ensure effective data management, formulate data collection techniques, implement secure procedures for data handling and analysis, and establish data sharing rules.

What does a Data Manager do?

A Data Manager creates and enforces policies for effective data management, formulates techniques for quality data collection, devises and implements efficient and secure procedures for data handling and analysis, establishes data sharing rules, and supports others in the daily use of data systems. They also monitor and analyze information and data systems, troubleshoot data-related problems, and ensure data security and integrity.

Data Manager responsibilities include:

• Creating and enforcing policies for effective data management
• Formulating management techniques for quality data collection to ensure adequacy, accuracy and legitimacy of data
• Devising and implementing efficient and secure procedures for data management and analysis with attention to all technical aspects

The post Data Manager job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

This Pantry Cook job description template lists key requirements and job duties to help you attract qualified candidates for your restaurant.

What is a Pantry Cook?

A Pantry Cook is a culinary professional responsible for preparing cold appetizers, garnishing dishes, and creating vinaigrettes and dips in a restaurant or kitchen setting. They specialize in cold food items and contribute to delivering a pleasant dining experience for guests.

What does a Pantry Cook do?

A Pantry Cook is in charge of making cold appetizers such as salads, vegetable and meat roll-ups, and bruschettas. They garnish dishes with spices, nuts, fruit, and vegetables, and prepare vinaigrettes, dips, and herb-infused oils. Additionally, they perform meal-prep activities, monitor food plating and temperature, maintain cleanliness, and manage stock inventory in the pantry.

Pantry Cook responsibilities include:

• Making cold appetizers, including salads, vegetable and meat roll-ups and bruschettas
• Garnishing dishes with spices, nuts, fruit and vegetables
• Preparing vinaigrettes, dips and herb-infused oils

The post Pantry Cook job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Use this Corporate Recruiter job description template to attract and hire qualified candidates for your HR department.

What is a Corporate Recruiter?

A Corporate Recruiter is a professional responsible for managing the recruitment process within a company. They work closely with hiring managers to define hiring needs, set goals, and execute the recruitment plan. Their role involves sourcing candidates, conducting interviews, and overseeing communication with candidates throughout the hiring process.

What does a Corporate Recruiter do?

A Corporate Recruiter is responsible for the full spectrum of the hiring process. They work closely with hiring managers to understand their recruitment needs, track recruitment metrics, and manage communication with candidates. They source candidates from various channels, conduct interviews, and use assessment tools to evaluate candidate suitability. Additionally, they maintain the company’s employer brand, participate in job fairs, and contribute to the overall talent acquisition strategy.

Corporate Recruiter responsibilities include:

• Working closely with hiring managers to define needs and structure the recruitment plan
• Crafting the company’s talent acquisition strategy
• Organizing all communications with candidates

The post Corporate Recruiter job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Use this Community Health Worker job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

Community Health Worker responsibilities include:

• Helping individuals and families access health resources
• Facilitating communication and client empowerment in interactions with health care/social service systems
• Helping health care and social service systems become culturally relevant and responsive to their service population

The post Community Health Worker Job Description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

This Territory Manager job description template is optimized for posting to online job boards or careers pages and is easy to customize for your company. Similar job titles include Territory Sales Manager.

What is a Territory Manager?

A Territory Manager is a professional responsible for maintaining customer relationships, meeting sales targets, and ensuring efficient sales operations within a specific geographic area. They devise sales strategies, analyze data, address customer concerns, and identify sales opportunities. A Territory Manager plays a crucial role in driving revenue growth and expanding business within their assigned territory.

What does a Territory Manager do?

A Territory Manager is responsible for developing and executing effective sales and marketing strategies within their designated geographic area. They analyze data to identify the most efficient sales methods, meet with customers to address their needs, present products and services, and participate in industry events to foster customer relationships. A Territory Manager also monitors competition, assesses sales performance, and prepares reports for the Sales Director. Ultimately, their role involves driving sales growth and ensuring customer satisfaction within their territory.

Territory Manager responsibilities include:

• Maintaining customer relationships
• Setting and meeting sales targets to increase revenue
• Finding ways to ensure efficiency of sales operations

The post Territory Manager job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Use this Technical Recruiter job description template to attract and hire qualified HR candidates who will manage your IT recruitment process.

What is a Technical Recruiter?

A Technical Recruiter is an HR professional responsible for sourcing, screening, and selecting qualified candidates for technical roles. They play a crucial role in attracting and hiring skilled professionals for IT positions within an organization.

What does a Technical Recruiter do?

A Technical Recruiter is responsible for writing and posting technical job descriptions, sourcing potential candidates from niche platforms, screening resumes based on specialized skills, and conducting interviews using various methods. They collaborate with IT team leaders to understand hiring needs, promote the company’s employer brand, and onboard new hires. Additionally, they stay updated with technological trends and products and participate in networking events to connect with IT professionals.

Technical Recruiter responsibilities include:

• Writing and posting technical job descriptions
• Sourcing potential candidates on niche platforms, like Stack Overflow and Github
• Parse specialized skills and qualifications to screen IT resumes

The post Technical Recruiter job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Use this Order Filler job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is an Order Filler?

An Order Filler is a warehouse professional who ensures that customer orders are accurately selected and packed for delivery, utilizing barcodes and inventory systems to locate and retrieve items.

What does an Order Filler do?

An Order Filler is responsible for reading incoming orders, selecting the correct products from the warehouse, and staging them for delivery. They operate handling equipment, update inventory counts, and perform general warehouse duties. Their primary role is to ensure that customer orders are fulfilled correctly and efficiently.

Order Filler responsibilities include:

• Collecting order notes to fulfill deliveries
• Selecting ordered items from storage shelves or rooms using barcodes and serial numbers
• Securely shrink-wrapping items before packing them in envelopes or boxes

The post Order Filler Job Description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Use this Mail Carrier job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is a Mail Carrier?

A Mail Carrier is a professional who is responsible for delivering and collecting mail to homes and businesses. They follow designated routes, sort mail, load it onto vehicles, and ensure timely delivery and collection of letters, documents, and parcels.

What does a Mail Carrier do?

A Mail Carrier performs various tasks related to the delivery and collection of mail. They sort mail, load it onto trucks or carry it by hand, travel along planned routes, and deliver mail to homes and businesses. They also collect outgoing mail and handle postage payments. Additionally, they maintain delivery logs, obtain signatures for registered mail, and provide customer service by selling postal products and addressing customer inquiries.

Mail Carrier responsibilities include:

• Delivering letters, documents, and parcels to businesses and homes
• Traveling along planned routes on foot or by truck
• Collecting outgoing mail along the route and collecting money for postage due

The post Mail Carrier job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

This Bank Teller job description template is optimized for posting in online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

Bank Teller responsibilities include:

• Conducting dozens of banks’ routine transactions within time limits and established guidelines
• Assessing customer needs and introduce new products and services
• Making sales referrals, suggest alternate channels and cross-sell products and services

The post Bank Teller job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Use this Ophthalmologist job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is an Ophthalmologist?

An Ophthalmologist is a medical professional who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. They are trained to provide comprehensive eye care, including conducting eye examinations, prescribing corrective lenses, and performing surgeries to correct injuries and conditions of the eyes.

What does an Ophthalmologist do?

An Ophthalmologist diagnoses and treats various eye disorders and performs medical and surgical procedures related to the eyes. They provide routine eye care, such as vision testing and prescribing glasses or contact lenses. Additionally, they perform advanced surgical procedures, such as repairing injuries, removing cataracts, and utilizing laser surgery techniques. Ophthalmologists work with patients to understand their medical needs, diagnose eye conditions, and provide appropriate treatments and interventions to improve their eye health.

Ophthalmologist responsibilities include:

• Providing routine care like vision testing and prescribing glasses and contact lenses
• Performing corrective surgeries, such as repairing injuries and corneas and removing cataracts
• Performing advanced surgical procedures, such as a keyhole or laser surgery

The post Ophthalmologist Job Description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Use this Fashion Designer job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is a Fashion Designer?

A Fashion Designer is a creative professional who designs and creates clothing, accessories, and footwear. They use their artistic skills to develop unique and fashionable designs for the fashion industry.

What does a Fashion Designer do?

A Fashion Designer is responsible for researching trends, creating design concepts, sketching designs, selecting fabrics and trims, and overseeing the production process. They collaborate with teams to bring their designs to life and ensure they align with the business strategy and current market trends. Ultimately, their role is to produce visually appealing and innovative fashion products.

Fashion Designer responsibilities include:

• Overseeing the research and development of new styles for an organization
• Managing the design process from conception through to final styling
• Conducting market research to identify new trends, fabrics and seek design inspiration

The post Fashion Designer job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

This Strategic Planner job description template is optimized for posting to online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

What is a Strategic Planner?

A Strategic Planner is a professional who is responsible for shaping the overall business strategy of a company, developing strategic plans, and assessing company performance to achieve business objectives.

What does a Strategic Planner do?

A Strategic Planner develops and implements plans to materialize the company’s strategy, conducts research and data analysis to inform business decisions, and aligns department goals with the overall strategy. They also monitor industry trends, provide insights into organizational changes, and support senior executives in making effective decisions.

Strategic Planner responsibilities include:

• Shaping the company’s overall business strategy
• Developing strategic plans and assessing company performance
• Conducting research and data analysis to inform business decisions

The post Strategic Planner job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Use this Notary job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is a Notary?

A Notary is a legally appointed professional who serves as an impartial witness to the signing of important documents, verifying the identity of all participants and ensuring the authenticity of signatures.

What does a Notary do?

A Notary’s primary role is to witness the signing of official documents and verify the identity of the signees. They administer oaths and affirmations, maintain notary journals, and handle various legal documents such as contracts, affidavits, and loan documents. Their responsibilities also include detecting fraud or coercion during the signing process and providing oversight during official proceedings.

Notary responsibilities include:

• Witnessing legally binding signatures on documents
• Affirming the state of mind of all signees
• Identifying fraud or coercion at the time of signing or other official situation

The post Notary job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

This Electrician job description template is optimized for posting on online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

What is an Electrician?

An Electrician is a skilled professional who specializes in installing, maintaining, and repairing electrical systems in buildings and structures. They are responsible for ensuring the proper functioning of electrical wiring, fixtures, and equipment to provide electricity for various purposes.

What does an Electrician do?

An Electrician performs a variety of tasks, including executing electrical wiring plans, installing fixtures and equipment, troubleshooting malfunctions, and repairing electrical appliances. They work with different electrical systems, tools, and safety regulations to ensure the efficient and safe distribution of electricity. Their responsibilities also include conducting inspections, replacing old wiring, and performing maintenance tasks to prevent system breakdowns and maximize electrical usability.

Electrician responsibilities include:

• Executing plans of electrical wiring for well functioning lighting, intercom and other electrical systems
• Installing electrical apparatus, fixtures and equipment for alarm and other systems
• Installing safety and distribution components

The post Electrician job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Use this Ramp Agent job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is a Ramp Agent?

A Ramp Agent is a professional who provides under-wing services for aircraft, including guiding and parking aircraft, loading and unloading luggage and cargo, and performing cabin maintenance tasks. They ensure the smooth operation of aircraft on the ground.

What does a Ramp Agent do?

A Ramp Agent oversees various tasks related to aircraft operations, such as guiding aircraft to and from gates, parking them, loading and unloading luggage and cargo, and performing cabin maintenance services. They work as part of a team to ensure that aircraft run on time and that baggage handling and other ground services are carried out efficiently.

Ramp Agent responsibilities include:

• Guiding aircraft to and from gates and reversing them for take-off
• Parking arriving and departing aircraft
• Placing chocks and cones around aircraft for safety

The post Ramp Agent job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

This Public Relations Specialist job description template is optimized for posting on online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

What is a Public Relations Specialist?

A Public Relations Specialist is a professional who is responsible for shaping and protecting the corporate image of a company. They develop and execute PR strategies, manage media relations, write PR copy, plan events, and analyze public opinion to maintain positive public awareness of the company and its brand.

What does a Public Relations Specialist do?

A Public Relations Specialist formulates PR plans and strategies, enhances the company’s voice and presence through online and offline channels, manages media relations and requests, writes press releases and other PR copy, plans and supervises events, supports promotional plans, and facilitates dispute resolution with the public or external vendors. They also lead survey initiatives and analyze public opinion to guide PR efforts.

Public Relations Specialist responsibilities include:

• Formulating PR plans and strategies
• Enhancing the company’s voice and presence through online and offline channels
• Managing media relations and requests

The post Public Relations Specialist job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

This Category Manager job description template is optimized for posting on online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

What is a Category Manager?

A Category Manager is a professional responsible for managing a specific group or category of products within a company. They analyze industry and consumer trends, develop strategies, and oversee pricing, promotion, and product range management to maximize sales and profitability.

What does a Category Manager do?

A Category Manager analyzes data and insights to identify industry and consumer trends, devises long-term strategies for product categories, develops exit strategies for unsuccessful products, fosters relationships with vendors, determines product positioning, collaborates with marketing teams, and forecasts product demand. They are responsible for the overall management and profitability of a specific product category within a company.

Category Manager responsibilities include:

• Analyzing data or insights to determine industry and consumer trends
• Devising long-term development strategies for product categories
• Developing exit strategies for unsuccessful products

The post Category Manager job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

This Training Specialist job description template is optimized for posting in online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

What is a Training Specialist?

A Training Specialist is a professional who designs and conducts training programs to enhance the skills and competencies of employees. They assess training needs, develop curriculum, and deliver training sessions to improve workplace performance and align with the company’s core values.

What does a Training Specialist do?

A Training Specialist identifies training needs by evaluating strengths and weaknesses, translates requirements into training programs, and builds annual training programs with teaching plans. They develop instructional materials, conduct training sessions, and assess the effectiveness of training programs. They stay updated on trends in employee development and ensure that training reflects any changes in the organization.

Training Specialist responsibilities include:

• Identifying training needs by evaluating strengths and weaknesses
• Translating requirements into trainings that will groom employees for the next step of their career path
• Building annual training program and preparing teaching plans

The post Training Specialist job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

This Food Expeditor job description template is optimized for posting to online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

What is a Food Expeditor?

A Food Expeditor is a professional responsible for ensuring efficient order flow between waitstaff and kitchen, prioritizing orders, and assisting in final dish preparation.

What does a Food Expeditor do?

A Food Expeditor ensures the smooth and timely flow of orders from waiters to the kitchen, checks dishes for accuracy and presentation, assists in final dish preparation, maintains fast service, handles customer complaints, and upholds quality and sanitation standards.

Food Expeditor responsibilities include:

• Ensuring the efficient flow of orders from the waiters to the kitchen
• Ensuring orders are being prepared with the correct priority
• Assisting in the final preparation of dishes

The post Food Expeditor job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Use this Engineering Manager job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

What is an Engineering Manager?

An Engineering Manager is a professional responsible for planning and coordinating projects, supervising teams, and researching new products in the field of engineering.

What does an Engineering Manager do?

An Engineering Manager oversees the development and execution of projects, manages budgets, and supervises multiple teams. They collaborate with other management personnel, provide instructions to engineering teams, and ensure the successful completion of projects on time and within budget. They also conduct research and development for new designs, products, and processes, while maintaining technical accuracy and coordinating work with other managers and staff.

Engineering Manager responsibilities include:

• Planning and executing strategies for completing projects on time
• Proposing and managing budgets for projects
• Supervising the work of multiple teams

The post Engineering Manager job description appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

That’s right. Signatures in the digital medium.

But first, the burning question: what is e-signature software?

E-signature software is a digital solution that enables you to affix your signature to documents electronically. It provides an efficient and secure method of handling documentation – without needing to navigate the cumbersome in-person requirements, fax machines and paperwork of yesteryear.

The e-signature concept has matured over the years since its inception in the late 20th century. Now, with advanced technology and the shift towards remote and distributed work patterns, e-signature software is more than just a modern replacement for ink-and-paper signatures.

It’s an essential component of a digital-first strategy and is widely adopted by businesses across various industries – with North American businesses expected to lead the way with 35% of global market share by 2023, and other regions rapidly catching up.

Now, let’s go into details about how e-signature software works, the various types of software available, and the benefits of having it in your business. You’ll also learn how to choose the right e-signature software for your needs.

You’ll ultimately gain a comprehensive understanding of e-signature software and why it’s a critical tool for your business or personal transactions.

First, let’s understand how e-signature software works and what types are available in the marketplace.

How e-signature software works

E-signature software simplifies the process of signing and validating digital documents. Its primary function is to facilitate the electronic replication of your signature on digital files, making the endorsement of documents faster and more convenient.

Here’s how e-signature software typically works for you:

Document Preparation: You upload a document to the e-signature platform. It could be a contract, a form, an agreement, or any other type of document that requires a signature.

Signature Request: You specify the individuals who need to sign the document and send them a request via email. The platform generates a unique, secure link for each recipient.

Signing: The recipients click the link, open the document, and electronically sign it within the platform. They can use a pre-designed e-signature, draw their own, or type their name, depending on the software’s capabilities.

Verification & Storage: Once signed, the platform verifies the signature and securely stores the document. You, the sender, will receive a notification once all signatures are in place.

This process varies somewhat between different software providers, but the core functionalities are consistent across the board. It’s a more efficient and secure alternative to the traditional way of signing and managing documents.

Different types of e-signature software

There are several types of e-signature software available on the market, all with their own features, advantages, and limitations. The three primary categories of e-signature softwares are:

Basic e-signature tools: These are simple tools that allow for the creation and addition of a signature to a document. They typically lack advanced features like audit trails or integration capabilities. Examples in this category include DocuSign, Dropbox Sign, and Acrobat Sign.

Integrated e-signature software: These tools come with additional features like CRM or document management system integrations, which are beneficial for businesses looking for a more comprehensive solution. Workable, PandaDoc, SignNow, and the business & enterprise versions of Acrobat Sign fall into this category.

Specialized e-signature platforms: These software platforms are designed to meet specific industry needs, such as real estate or legal services, where unique compliance standards and document types exist. Notarize, dotloop, and Secured Signing are leaders in this area.

When choosing the right software for your needs, consider the nature and scope of your operations, the volume of documents you handle, and the level of security and compliance required.

Now, we’ll delve into how e-signature software can be utilized in various settings.

Applications of e-signature software

Really, there are two main uses for e-signature software: professional/business and personal.

1. Business applications

Business operations can gain immensely from the adoption of e-signature software. Here are some typical uses:

Contracts and agreements: E-signature software makes the signing of contracts and agreements swift and straightforward, saving businesses the time and resources usually spent on physically signing and sending documents.

Human resources: From offer letters to policy acknowledgments, HR departments often need a secure and efficient way of getting signatures from employees. E-signature software provides a solution for these needs.

Sales and marketing: Sales contracts and marketing agreements can be signed and processed rapidly with e-signature software, accelerating sales cycles and improving customer experiences.

Legal documents: Legal teams can use e-signature software to sign and store important legal documents securely, ensuring compliance and accessibility.

2. Personal use

On a personal level, e-signature software can be used to sign various types of documents electronically, including:

Tax Documents: Filing tax returns can be made easier and more secure with e-signature software.

Lease/rental agreements: Whether you’re renting a car or leasing an apartment, e-signature software allows for quick, convenient signing.

Personal contracts: Any form of personal contract, from loan agreements to freelance work contracts, can be signed using e-signature software.

Next up, we’ll explore the benefits of e-signature software.

Benefits of e-signature software

There are many different benefits to using e-signature software in place of traditional signing processes.

1. It’s more efficient

E-signature software increases the speed at which documents are signed and exchanged, thereby improving workflow efficiency. The software eliminates the need for printing, signing, scanning, or mailing paper documents, thereby reducing delays and manual errors.

2. It saves on cost

Think about the costs associated with traditional paper-based signatures: the paper itself, ink, mailing, and storage. E-signature software significantly reduces these expenses. Furthermore, by expediting workflows, it indirectly contributes to cost-savings by freeing up time that can be used for other productive activities.

3. It’s more secure and compliant

E-signature software comes with robust security features such as encryption and access controls, ensuring that your documents are kept safe. Additionally, it can provide detailed audit trails, which are crucial for compliance and legal validity.

4. It’s easier to use

Whether you’re working from home, on vacation, or on a business trip, as long as you have internet access, you can sign or send documents for signature. This convenience isn’t limited to a particular industry; anyone can take advantage of it.

5. It’s better for the environment

By reducing the use of paper, e-signature software is an environmentally friendly solution. It’s a simple and effective way for your business to contribute to sustainability efforts.

Now let’s take a look at how to choose the right e-signature software for your needs.

Choosing the right e-signature software

As always when shopping for new tools or products, there are several factors to consider when selecting the right e-signature software.

1. User-friendliness

A good e-signature software should be easy to use and navigate, both for you and for the people signing your documents. A software with a user-friendly interface reduces the learning curve and increases efficiency.

2. Security

As mentioned earlier, security is paramount when dealing with sensitive documents. Ensure that the e-signature software you choose has robust security features like encryption, two-factor authentication, and secure storage options.

3. Integration

If you’re using other business software like CRM or document management systems, consider an e-signature software that integrates with these platforms. It simplifies your workflow and allows for more seamless operations.

4. Customization

Look for software that allows you to customize the signing process to fit your needs. This could include custom branding, adjustable signature fields, or tailored notifications.

5. Pricing

E-signature software comes at various price points, usually based on features, number of users, and the number of documents signed per month. Choose one that fits your budget but also meets your needs effectively.

6. Customer Support

Consider software providers that offer reliable customer support. It can prove invaluable when you’re faced with technical issues or have questions about the software.

Choosing the right e-signature software is an essential step in optimizing your document signing process. By considering these factors, you’ll be able to select a solution that best fits your needs. I hope you found this guide helpful as you embark on your journey to adopting e-signature software.

E-signing into the future

Remember, adopting e-signature software isn’t just about changing how you sign documents. It’s not even an evolution – it’s ultimately about stepping into a more efficient, secure, and eco-friendly future.

Interested in how Workable’s own e-signing tools can help you in HR? Check it out for yourself.

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