Human Resource Planning

An Employment Application's Place in the Selection Process

Friday, August 6, 2010 by Jessica Stephenson

I was recently emailing a newer client during our applicant tracking software implementation process, and asking him to make edits to the standard version of the employment application that we load to our client sites. After all, we can customize applications to the needs of each of our clients.

To this he responded:

"I’m actually wondering if I even want the actual employment application online. At what point is the decision made for someone to actually fill it out? Currently, we only get applications for candidates after they have interviewed face-to-face. Your thoughts?"

This is a great question and one I have fielded before. After all, some of our clients have changed the placement of the employment application in their selection and recruiting process as a result of implementing our ExactHire applicant tracking software (ATS). And so I replied:

"Great question! The ATS portal actually uses the online application as the means by which ExactHire captures an individual's information in order to consider them as an applicant. That is, in order for one to apply for a position with your company, they complete the online application, and if they’d like, they may also attach their cover letter/resume. Without an application, we have no means of recognizing them as an applicant within the ATS for you then to manage them through the selection process.

It is perhaps a bit different of an approach than what you are used to at your company; however, it is nice to not have to worry about having to capture the applicants’ details after the fact and further into the interview process. Plus, you also have the option of asking job-specific questions on the second page of the application so that you may obtain more objective information about each candidate pre-interview so that you can better screen out unqualified applicants based on their answers to what I call “deal-breaker” questions."

If you have any questions about how your employment application can be customized on our portal, please contact us.

New Affirmative Action Reporting Tool

Tuesday, July 6, 2010 by Client Services

For those of you who find your organization subject to Affirmative Action Plan (AAP) reporting, we have just unveiled a new reporting tool that will probably make your lives much easier! This new "EEO/AAP - Job Status" report link allows you to export a great deal of pertinent data from your applicant tracking software (ATS) to a CSV file. Relevant column headers in this tool include job status codes, employee hire date, jobs applied (including dates), and applicant-volunteered ethnicity and disability info...just to name a few.

In order to take advantage of this tool, there are a few behaviors that your team should consistently exercise while using the HR software to manage your applicants (see images below to follow along with numbered items):

Job status codes are your friend - Always utilize "job status codes" (not just applicant status codes) to assign a unique disposition to each candidate for each job to which he/she applies.
Hired? Yes or no - Use the "Hired" yes/no toggle radio button and drop-down date field within the "HR Data" section of an applicant's record. This data feeds into the reporting tool to indicate whether or not an applicant was hired, as well as on what date. Incidentally, these buttons also tell the ATS to display hired applicants in the "Hired Applicants" link under "Applicants" on the gray vertical navigation bar within the site.
Clean slate job listings - When featuring open job listings within your site, always use the "Add New Job Listing" link to upload a job listing rather than the "Modify Job Listing" link in the situations where it is a position for which you post often. This ensures that each time period's batch of candidates stays associated only with the job listing that was open for a definite, finite period of time. That is, when you reuse job listings, you start to see applicants that applied months/years ago tied to current job listings...and that can make accurate AAP reporting more difficult.

For those of you that are subject to AAP reporting, please let us know if you'd like more details about how to use this new report within your human resources software effectively.

It is Your Choice to Have a Positive Day at the Office!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010 by Susan Weaver

Remember the words of wisdom spoken to you by grandparents and parents as you were growing up? Things like: “Be careful for what you wish for, you just might get it”; or “You are what you think”; or “Intentions equal results”.

You may look at your current state of affairs and say, “this is who I am." But it's not...it is who you WERE! So what do I mean by that?

In the book "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne, she unlocks ideas and tools to positive experiences and results. I am a huge fan of this book and it sits beside me at work every day. It is my opinion if the tools are practiced, it can propel us to overcome obstacles and catalyze us to be drawn to success both personally and professionally. I try to apply the same principles to work as I do in my personal life. Now, I’m not always 100% right on target but I do TRY!

That being said, my thinking naturally floated into wondering what the lessons of this book have to do with work, or how they would be applicable if I were job hunting, or my co-workers were for that matter? How do you hone your talent acquisition strategy to select people who fit into your office environment and bring positive results and job performance? If we are being totally honest, we sense and feel a great difference when working with a positive vs. negative co-worker! But, you think to yourself, they all "seemed so nice" and competent when we interviewed them! It is easy to become a great interviewer despite the fact that one might not be a correspondingly great employee. You already know that a great resume does not necessarily always equal great job fit.

So, how do we gauge a person’s soft skills---those intangible traits beyond what the resume and educational background tell you? There are employee assessment tools on the market to accomplish just this. Such tools are an important speaking point in any human resource planning discussion. To start a conversation about what "secret" personality and behavioral traits you want to uncover about your employees, contact us at ExactHire: www.exacthire.com.

I wish you all an enjoyable and successful day at the office!

Pass or Fail? Employee Testing vs. Employee Assessments - Part 2

Friday, May 7, 2010 by Jeff Hallam

Now for the review of the employer group I had referenced at the end of my last blog. This particular group is a small, non-profit organization that employs a number of high-powered people. They move at a fast pace and raise unbelievable amounts of cash. They have been very successful over the years.

So, why were they interested in using assessments?

The organization recently went through some changes within their board of directors and the decision was made to focus more corporate energy on talent management and overall job performance of their key staff members. The goal of this initiative is to help them identify and groom the next group of leaders as they head into the future.

To help with this, this organization engaged us at ExactHire to assess their current key performers to better understand what things they had in common, what differences existed, and what key traits and characteristics stood out as critical for good job fit and employee engagement within their group.

There was good communication with the employees as to the potential changes coming down the road, but many were understandably nervous about this assessment process. Going back to my last post, many of these folks saw this as a "test" that had to be passed.

As we gathered everyone together for group feedback after the assessment results were compiled, it was obvious that many people were still apprehensive. After walking them through what the assessment measured and what various results actually meant, however, it was wonderful to see a visible change in attitude for most of the people in the room. Realizing that there was no "pass" or "fail", most were able to actually confirm that the results really did identify who they were and how they were likely to handle certain work-related situations.

In turn, the HR Director for the organization now plans to use the employee assessment tool results as a platform for internal conflict resolution, in addition to the original career-pathing use.

The moral of the story? Be sure to first know the difference between tests and assessments. From there, go out of your way to make that difference clear to your employees and applicants before asking them to take any assessment. Getting them comfortable and open to what you are doing will always aid your goal of obtaining the best job fit possible for your organization and its employees.

If you want to learn more about ExactHire and our solutions, please visit our website at www.exacthire.com.

Pass or Fail? Employee Testing vs. Employee Assessments - Part 1

Friday, April 23, 2010 by Jeff Hallam

A thought occurred to me last week after a meeting with one of our clients -- why don't more organizations use employee assessments?

Here at ExactHire, we use and promote the use of assessment tools for many employee issues. Among those uses are hiring, team building, succession planning and 360 degree feedback for performance reviews.

Then it hit me...most people (and therefore organizations) see these tools as "tests", not assessments. Tests mean I either pass or fail, right? Flashbacks to high school and college cram sessions start to dance in your head. The knot in your stomach you had when opening your report card becomes a very vivid memory. Sound familiar?

Don't get me wrong, there are lots of true employment "tests" out there. For those positions where one needs to have proficiency in particular areas (technology skills, proficiency with tools & machinery, etc.), tests can be very appropriate.

However, for most positions in most organizations, "tests" are not applicable. But, assessments are. Why?

When hiring or promoting people, organizations want things to work. So do the people involved. Who wants to take a new job or be promoted to a new job where they don't enjoy it? Everyone involved wants the same thing...job fit. Simply put, get the right people in the right positions to achieve maximum efficiency.

Where these processes fall down is that they involve people. To be clear, I'm not suggesting that assessments replace the human element involved in hiring/promoting people. I am suggesting, however, that very few of us are good enough at judging others to consistently make good decisions in these areas. This leads to hires & promotions that regularly either don't work well (at best) or are outright failures (at worst).

As you can probably gather from my remarks to this point, we are big believers in using employee assessments to improve the odds of making better decisions when hiring or promoting people. In my next post, I'll take you through a recent client experience where many of the employees who took part in an assessment pilot initially felt they were being "tested" vs. assessed. What we saw with them may interest you as well. Stay tuned!

If you want to learn more about ExactHire and our solutions, please visit our website at www.exacthire.com.

Applicant Tracking Software and Product Quality

Wednesday, November 11, 2009 by Jeff Hallam

If you work in HR you believe, with all your being, that good human capital management leads to better productivity and better product quality. But, sometimes it’s so hard to prove, especially to a CFO who wants to see short-term financial improvements. As one top HR professional put it, "A financial person is concerned with taking money out of the organization. HR should be concerned with putting investments in." Well, now there is some research to support the connection between successful applicants and product quality.

One of the leaders in this effort is Betty Lou Smith, the vice president of corporate HR at Hunter Douglas. She began investigating the connection between employee turnover and product quality. Divisions with the highest turnover rates, she found, were also those with damaged-goods rates of 5% or higher. And extraordinarily, 70% of employees were leaving the company within six months of being hired.

Visit: http://www.fastcompany.com/node/53319/print . This is a fascinating article that also focuses a great deal on why others in many organizations don't care for human resource planning and talent management in general. While most of us might disagree with some of the points made in the article, it is thought-provoking.

Effective Applicant Tracking Software and assessments can be the first steps in finding those with the right Job Fit. Creating thought-provoking key questions right on the application can save a recruiter time and help focus the search on only those that meet the very highest standards. Using employee assessments can validate those first impressions.

At ExactHire, we love creative HR managers who are ready to use every resource at their disposal--Applicant Tracking, Assessments, Human Resource Management Systems-- to get to that perfect Job Fit. We believe, like you, that putting investment IN an organization will produce the value that makes taking money OUT possible. Check out our new website for more information: www.exacthire.com.

Job Fit---Talent Acquisition in the coming year!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009 by Harlan Schafir

I was driving down the street today watching Holiday decorations going up in the trees, lights being strung, ribbons placed around light poles---so the daydream started.

As you wind down 2009 and look forward to 2010 what are your plans for the coming year?Will you modify your processes to make your businesses more successful next year?

Will any of the people you hired this year or for the holidays have outstanding job performance? Will they transition into great long term employees?

Now is the time for all of us to start planning how we are going to attack 2010. What will we do differently next year to be more successful.

I suggest you look at our applicant tracking software and employee assessments as a way to increase the probability that you will hire employees that are engaged. In a very short period of time you will be able to determine if what we offer is right for your organization. The ROI can be very significant.

Visit www.exacthire.com to learn more about how we can help you meet your objectives in 2010. Proper talent management and employee engagement can make a big difference.

Human Resource Planning---Talent Acquisition

Monday, October 19, 2009 by Jeff Hallam

Human Resource Planning---Talent Acquisition

Keeps You Ahead of the Competition!

There is a higher chance that your competition can replicate your product easier than they can replicate your human capital. So why not invest in the best human resource tools? This does not mean large dollar amounts. What it does mean is investing in highly effective applicant tracking software and career personality tests that can make you the best in human resource planning and management.

The key to staying ahead of the competition is managing your human resource tools to create better employees. If you use effective applicant tracking software that asks applicants for key, job related, information you will increase your ability to create a world class team that can build, market and sell your product far better than your competition.

You spend money and time to protect your product or service secrets, why not find out what little it takes to create the best human resource tools? Even if you have the same product, you’ll win every time with an applicant tracking system that increases the quality of your talent acquisition.

Don’t risk losing your best human capital to your competition. ExactHire can help you. Go to www.exacthire.com.

Intellectual Revolution

Saturday, October 17, 2009 by Harlan Schafir

Your competitive edge is going to be derived from your employees! So, how are you going to do this? Read on.

Physical properties of a business can be cloned. Your intellectual properties can not. Business will realize sustainable value from technological sophistication, creative & superior customer service responsiveness and insightful managers.

Outsource projects that are not core competency to a firm who specializes in that field to allow you to concentrate on your own business!

Our specialty is human capital management, human resource planning, applicant tracking, talent acquisition and assessments! We can give you that competitive edge so visit our site now to see how we can partner together! www.exacthire.com

Human Resource Planning---Talent Acquisition Keeps You Ahead of the Competition

Monday, August 31, 2009 by Harlan Schafir

Don’t risk losing your best human capital to your competition. ExactHire can help you. Go to www.exacthire.com.

Human Capital Management & Talent Acquisition Tools

Monday, August 24, 2009 by Harlan Schafir

If there was ever a time to underscore the importance of Human Resources, it has arrived. In these days of economic woes--phrases that ring loud and clear are; Lean HR, Human Resource Planning, Job Fit, Talent Management & Talent Acquisition. The importance of using hiring assessments and human resource planning when adding colleagues to the team is more critial than ever. Maybe you don't know where to start nor do you have the tools? Visit our site for more info www.exacthire.com

We need a better word for simplicity and efficiency - Lean isn't it...

Friday, May 1, 2009 by Exact Hire

We need to adopt a better phrase than "Lean HR"

It's all in the packaging. We are very sensitive to the words behind a concept. Would you go to a marketing firm named "Red F"? Ick. Yet, they exist. Click here to see how proud they are of their name.

Years ago, RCA came up with a very expensive set of component electronics they named (at great expense) Dimensia. It failed to get market share - somehow sounding like a psychological diagnosis was not helpful.

Which brings me back to Lean HR. In the work that I do simplifying the hiring process, I am often frustrated by the concern that flickers across employee faces when the term Lean is mentioned. This has gotten worse as the employment marketplace has gotten worse.

If I'm working on job fit or pre-hire assessments, fine. But if I start talking Lean Theory, their imaginations jump into the "worry about my job" column and the project gets slowed down. Making matters worse, there are times that when Lean works and the process becomes more efficient, there are extra workers that can be reassigned.

Anyway, the purpose of my rant is to ask the community for a better term for Lean HR...what do YOU use? What should we use?

Why wasn't I hired?

Friday, April 17, 2009 by Harlan Schafir

Before interviewing, you researched the company, donned your best clothes and practical shoes the day of the appointment, planned your route to be early, tucked your updated resume in your portfolio and left for your interview with Human Resources.

In the next hour, you do everything in your power to acquaint them with your skills, explain why you fit the job and why they should hire YOU!

But then, the regret letter arrives saying although they were impressed with your credentials, they have decided to go with another candidate.

You think, what could have I done better in the interview and why wasn't I hired?!!

Well if the company did its job right, it used applicant tracking software system to better refine candidiates and subjected you to taking some employee assessments so they knew more about you before the interview. So if they didn't pick you, maybe they did you a favor? If there was no job fit, how long would you have lasted. Companies need to spend more time focusing on talent acquisition.

On your next job interview if a company using applicant management and pre-employment testing make sure you ask them how they define job fit. It will give you better insight into whether this is a good decision for both of you.

The sky is falling! The applicant flood is coming!

Thursday, April 9, 2009 by Exact Hire

Whoo, man. The flood is coming.

First, let me stress that the more than 90 out of 100 people who want to work in this country are working. Second, most organizations are surviving, and will make it into 2010 with their businesses intact.

That said, the flood is coming. I just read the Bureau of Labor Statistics report on the subject, and it isn't pretty. You can read it here.

"Among the unemployed, the number of job losers and persons who completed tem-
porary jobs increased by 547,000 to 8.2 million in March.  This group has nearly 
doubled in size over the past 12 months."  Yikes.

So...what? It means that the businesses that are hiring are going to get flooded with applicants, and at a time when HR departments are slammed with too much compliance, employee relations and harassment stuff. It means the hiring processes will be quickly overwhelmed, and two things will probably happen.

1 - The best candidates will be drowned in the clutter of all of the volume. Lots of lost opportunities from hiring the first one that fits, rather than the best.

2 - The ability for people who are not a fit to sneak through and get hired is up - because the time to do a good screening job just isn't there. If HR is overwhelmed and understaffed, then bad decisions can sneak through.

What to do? Leverage your technology and raise the standards. Implement a well-thought out talent acquisition strategy, use pre-employment assessments, and focus on metrics that indicate job fit. Then you will have a process that supports good HR and can drive employee engagement.

Then you have a swimming chance against the coming flood...

Lean HR - Five simple rules

Thursday, April 9, 2009 by Exact Hire

I met with some Lean consultants this morning over coffee and eggs. I opened my half of the conversation with the thought that, if a Lean initiative fails, the blame generally falls on the Human Resources. They both blinked, thought, and agreed. Conversely, HR can make a significant contribution to lean success. Lean works if the people are aligned with the processes.

So, which HR practices are helpers of lean success?

First is how performance is calculated, communicated and tied to incentives. Too often, staff go home not knowing (or caring) whether or not they accomplished their goals.

Next is team development. An organization that is based on individual performance will struggle to get the team behaviors needed for lean success.

Then, clarify roles and responsibilities. The job description for a supervisor are different than those of an engineer.

Then, communicate. A lean communication plan must go beyond posters and newsletters into walking the talk and reminding everyone of their success. When you feel you are over communicating, you have it about right.

Finally, celebrate success. A lot of repetitive hard work follows. Before enlightenment, there is chopping wood and carrying water. After enlightenment, there is still chopping wood and carrying water. It's an old saying, but it applies.

Over communicate, celebrate, and clarify roles. Get Human Resources on board, using assessment tools, good HR Management, Human Resources software and a focus on job fit.

Then, and only then, will your Lean initiative survive over time.

Employee Engagement comes back to a simple step...

Wednesday, April 8, 2009 by Exact Hire

I presented this morning on Employee Engagement to a great group of HR professionals. The coffee was fresh, the coffee cake was tasty, and the issues were predictable.

"What metrics really work in today's business environment?"

We worked through what metrics they were using, and got into what metrics they SHOULD be using, and ended on how to measure and project the impact of good employee engagement. We talked about Lean HR, about applicant tracking, and HR services that are aligned with the organization's vision. All good.

As I drove away, I reflected on the wish of everyone in the room for a "silver bullet" that would fix tough employee relations issues and solve the talent management problems of the future.

There is a great first step. Train all of your managers in the skill of active listening. If the managers start to listen better to their staff (or at least appear to) and if they can know more about their staff through the use of valid assessment tools, then the staff will feel well-managed and deliver the goods. Whatever the goods are.

So, there you have it. As an extrovert who does not like to listen, this is tough advice. Just listen to it...the answer is out there.

Job Performance vs. Departure Time

Tuesday, March 31, 2009 by Exact Hire

Things that make you go "Hmmm...."

A call center announced that the planned closing of it's operation in Lafayette, Indiana was NOT going to happen, months after the first announcement. They were able to make some budget changes and survive with the smaller crew, as 80 of the employees had resigned due to the coming closure.

The chatter at the end of the article was cynical - that this had always been planned, and that the move saved the organization from paying for severance for those 80 that quit.

I take a different view. My experience has it that the high performers are the first to leave (because they CAN) and that the remaining employees are the mediocre and below, the ones that do not feel that they can get employment elsewhere.

All of these turnover statistics are misleading at a time of great stress (where we are now...) and most employees are hunkered down and biding their time. When the turnaround comes (which it will) there will be a whole bunch of high quality people moving around. Will the come to you, or move away? Will they join you, or leave just when you need them?

That is what you should be working on - an inclusive culture that promotes high performance...

Talent Acquisition vs. Workforce Planning for 2010

Monday, March 30, 2009 by Exact Hire

"The future is already here. It's just applied unevenly"

Want a competitive advantage in HR? Categorize your current recruiting efforts into one of these three groups to see your strategic progress versus your competition:

   1. Doing what everyone else is doing. Safe, incremental changes. These types of changes are not significant enough to allow an organization to keep up with the rapid changes taking place in the global employment marketplace. If you’re doing what everyone else is doing, you’re falling behind.

   2. Big steps. Significant changes that take months to implement, such as a major ATS upgrade, rebuilding your career website, adding assessments or systemic training for managers. These are essential if you want to maintain your current position in the marketplace.

   3. Bigger steps. These are changes and opportunities designed to increase an organization’s market share of top talent. This requires a rethinking of everything currently being done, including an employer re-branding effort and a reorganization of recruiting.

My advice? While you need to be implementing lots of level 1 changes, you’re not going to see significant improvements unless you move to level 2 and 3, the major steps. This is where you get real traction. Staying busy in level 1 might seem satisfying, but it won’t get you the competitive edge needed for 2010 and beyond.

Kick it up a notch and get ready for the future. What are you doing to get ready?

When Pre Employment Testing fails

Friday, March 27, 2009 by Exact Hire

People are under pressure, and wanting simple answers to complex questions. A silver bullet, if you will. In the past week, I have received several phone calls from prospects that have bothered me.

I have set up employee assessment systems in a lot of different situations. I know the amount of work needed to build a talent acquisition system that produces good job fit. I have set up the feedback loops that are needed for a good Lean HR system. All of this makes sense.

The problem often comes from the corner office. It happens when the CEO or somebody on the senior team goes to a board retreat and falls in love with some particular assessment tool. As this is often the first assessment tool that they have personal skills with, it becomes the window that they start looking through for all HR matters.

As my grandfather said, "When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail." When the CEO hears of other assessments that are different than the one they know, they push back. The project stops.

There are more than 3000 assessment tools out there, all measuring different things. Many are only suited for one or two specific tasks. Many are not suited for organizational use at all, but are for clinical settings. My task is to work backwards from the need, and recommend the tool for the job. Not just the hammer.

So, if you are considering an assessment tool and someone in the "C-Suite" recommends an assessment that they know and love, go ahead and examine it, but be very careful about the validity and reliability of how it measures what you are looking for.

If you need help in selecting or with strategies on how to push back without getting fired, give me a call or ping me with an e-mail. Part of my passion is finding the right tool for the right job fit. Not just the hammer or the silver bullet....

Great Customer Service Experience with Movers

Thursday, March 26, 2009 by Harlan Schafir

There we are planning to move our company with three days notice which I discussed in my last blog.

I'm asking myself, where can I find a mover with 6 hours notice?!! Well one of our employees came to the rescue with a referral to a mover who he knew delivered great customer service. One phone call and the move was on the schedule!

Lets face it, we all have moved at some point. Don't you wonder what kind of moving crew is going to show up, especially with such short notice? Well, the reputation of this mover came through. The team that came was great. What made them great you may ask? They delivered shining service beyond our expectations.

They were professional, accomodating, and kept their cool when the job grew to be twice what was antipicated. They evaluated the situation, called in back-up and finished the job with a smile.

There is no question that when the owner hires employees he ensures they have good Job Fit. However he does employee assessments at hiring, it is working. These employees had been with him for a while. It is clear the owner understands talent acquisition and talent management; remember this is a moving company.

Whatever they do, it was great service. And you know, if anyone asks us about a mover to use, their name will be passed on. If you want their name, feel free to ask!