As life and work begin to morph into a new normal, what can we expect on the talent acquisition and recruitment front when it comes to hiring trends for the last quarter of 2021?
Hiring a new employee is an exciting time for both employee and manager. The first few days and weeks on the job are an essential part of the introductory period. Yet, a poor onboarding experience can ruin a new job for any employee.
As their manager, it is your responsibility to ensure their first impression is a positive one. It’s important they settle in well and overcome any initial hurdles of a new workplace and a new environment as quickly as possible in order to begin adding value to your team and organization.
No matter what industry you’re in, you’re certain to have competitors-- whether it's someone selling a similar product or service, or someone who wants to snag your top job candidate. Whatever the competition is, we all want to beat them and stand out to our clients and consumers.
Yet, in today’s world where everyone claims to be # 1, it’s not so easy to differentiate and build your own authentic identity. Effective differentiation happens to be one of the main challenges small businesses face, as they are forced to compete against the big dogs.
Here are some effective ways to help your company stand out from the rest of the crowd:
Our President Danny Cahill is never one to lack the perfect words to motive, encourage or help close deals... Below is an email he recently sent to our team of recruiters. Hope it makes you think, or at the very least - motivate you on this wintry day!
April 2018 was my second year attending theRSA conferencein San Francisco. The conference is an annual gathering of leading information security companies and professionals from around the world. Since I specialize inrecruiting top talentfor cybersecurity technology leaders, RSA is a MUST on my calendar each spring.
The conference tends to remind me a bit of a carnival for adults:
There are popcorn machines at every corner
Each vendor booth competes to be the flashiest and most eye-catching
Free stuff everywhere: t-shirts and other swag, artists drawing caricatures of people, you name it.
All the way down to the cheap attempts to draw visitors to their booths by having attractive women dressed up in pigtails and short skirts (THAT is a whole separate blog topic…)
I remember that first year thinking“where the hell am I?”Yet once the glitter and shine faded away, I was able to make a better assessment of the experience in its entirety. This year I wasn’t as distracted by the masses of people, food, amusements and flashing lights. I was a smarter, less distracted and way more successful attendee.
I’d like to share some of my observations and experiences–in the event you will be attending the RSA conference, or any large conference in the future, and help you get the most out of it:
June 26 was my 1 year anniversary as an Insurance Recruiter with Hobson Associates, and what a year it has been! Deals came together, deals fell apart, I traveled to Texas for my first conference, learned an ENTIRE industry from the ground up, got over my fear of cold-calling, and was promoted to Associate! How did I achieve all of this in 365 days? I came in early, worked through lunch many times, and some days I made close to 100 recruiting calls! I won’t lie, putting in the hours is not exactly easy, but compared to the mental stamina required to thrive in any career, it’s a walk in the park. That’s why the #1 best piece of advice that I received from my mentor, Robin, this past year-even above all the terminology and protocols for doing my job-was this:
I have been signing a lot of petitions lately. Perhaps it’s naïve of me to think it will make a difference, but I exclaim a loud “YES!” to myself each time I digitally sign to save endangered animals, build a new community playground, or keep a beloved TV show on the air. Most times I am not even sure who the petitions go to for consideration. Probably a database that now knows to target me for merchandise with elephants on it because I really do think hunting them for their ivory is gross … Maybe Oprah. I hope so.
What a world it would be if people wanting something positive to happen could do so just by figuratively putting their hand in the air. With that thought in mind, I decided to start my own set of "petitions". Based on my many years of experience in the recruiting industry, I just think that the world would (or at least in my world!) be a better place if the following were to happen:
“I'm probably starting to sound like a crazy ex or something…”
I am sure this is not news to anyone with their head up in the current job market, but there is a common perception out there that recruiters are too pushy, too salesy, and just downright annoying. Yes, sometimes we are ALL of those things… but despite any negative preconceived stereotypes, the recruiters who continue making tough calls and pushing through the negativity are the ones who find success for their clients and candidates.
“Glamorous” by Fergie and Ludacris was dominating the airwaves as the #1 Billboard song; Will Ferrell and Jon Heder were reveling with their #1 hit “Blades of Glory”: and Carl Pavano of Southington, CT was the Yankees Opening Day pitcher ... this was all happening when I started my recruiting career at Hobson Associates, 11 years ago in March 2007.
Fast forward to 2018:
Fergie dropped her second solo album last September, but was slightly overshadowed by an abysmal performance at the NBA All-Star game, with her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner (and I’m being nice).
Pavano, now 42, retired four years ago with $71.5M in career earnings, finishing with a Win-Loss record a game over .500.
Will Ferrell – seriously, everything that guy touches turns to gold. Some highlights since ’07 include: Step Brothers, The Internship and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.