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Tips for High Volume Hiring

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Organizations pursuing high-volume hiring propel job creation and fuel economic growth. Unfortunately, filling high-volume requisitions isn’t for the faint of heart.

When you’re dealing with mass hiring, you need creative and practical ways to complete it. Talent is one of the most coveted assets, and organizations succeed only when they have the right skills and talent in the pipeline.

What is High-Volume Hiring?

High-volume hiring refers to the practice of filling a high-number open requisitions within a short timeframe. High-volume hiring seeks to fill many available job positions within a limited time.

Organizations and sectors that use high-volume hiring face seasonal hiring periods and experience massive organizational growth or shifts. For instance, a construction company may conduct a mass-hiring exercise to find construction workers for an unusually large project. If that same company specializes in an area like road repair that is impacted by climate, they may hire hundreds for the spring and summer months, but wind hiring down in the fall.

High Volume Hiring Challenges

The Covid-19 pandemic had far-reaching implications on individuals, families, and organizations. Businesses sustained job losses, mass resignations, and supply chain disruptions. They are still finding it hard to identify, train and keep new hires–not to mention their struggle to keep mass hiring initiatives organized.

So obviously, high volume hiring is a challenge at a time of mass resignation with employees are quitting jobs at record highs. HR managers must respond to these dynamic shifts with creativity and agility in attracting, hiring, and retaining talent that’s in high demand.

And with mounting pressure, industries that rely on mass hiring are getting more creative by the day. For instance, TikTok is maximizing video resumes, with companies such as Chipotle, Great Clips, Target, and Shopify trying out TikTok to fill entry-level positions.

Other common challenges for dealing with mass hiring include:

  • Time crunch. It takes a lot of time to place an ad and to officially onboard the first group of new hires. Where possible, look to automate common, repetitive tasks.
  • Interview process overload. Successful high-volume recruitments rely heavily on efficient application screening. Software can help hiring managers quickly focus on the best qualified applicants, while also supporting DEI initiatives.
  • Analysis paralysis. High volume application processes need to be strategically conducted and executed to manage stress and anxiety. This means having a screening plan in place before recruiting begins.
  • Providing a positive candidate experience. It’s easy to focus on getting the job positions filled, but don’t forget about the people behind the job applications. Provide positive feedback and highlight benefits and positive experiences to new hires.

Strategies for High Volume Hiring

Let’s discuss tips for high-volume hiring. These tips will help you navigate the existing challenge of mass resignations and help you identify, attract, and retain high-demand employees facing high turnover rates.

  1.) Alignment with hiring managers

Misalignment is the source of all problems in recruitment and onboarding exercises. The slightest disconnect with the hiring team can cause major problems in the recruitment process. Ensure that you’re on good terms with all the hiring managers before going far in the hiring process.

You can use the following three tips to ensure internal alignment with hiring managers:

  • Identifying overarching key performance goals
  • Identify different tasks that support or complement each performance goal
  • Identify the skills and proficiencies that will help the hire succeed in their work

By identifying the relevant skills needed to succeed in a certain position, you enable new hires to develop feedback mechanisms and understand and respond to customer needs.

  2.) Put quality first

When you have a pile of requisitions, it doesn’t mean you need more candidates. It means you need quality new hires to get the job done. One way to get quality candidates is to write job descriptions that match the people you want to hire.

Your job description will appeal to the caliber of people you want to hire. Quality job descriptions will clarify the values and attitudes needed for the job and appeal to the right candidates for an open requisition.

You can use the following tips to craft a job description that targets the best candidates:

  • Tell job stories. Tell your candidates why the position is the ideal place to work based on a job story that transcends the job description.
  • Communicate your culture. Clearly state the values and characteristics defining your company’s culture and describe how you view and reward success.
  • Emphasize and impact. Every job candidate has this question in mind, “what’s in it for me?” when they skim dozens of job postings. Most candidates are looking for something intangible – something rewarding and satisfying and worth their time and effort. So, ensure that your job description stipulates the rewards and benefits, tangible and intangible, that come with the job position.

For instance, LinkedIn job postings encourage quality applicants. LinkedIn postings give candidates a personalized window that clarifies the open position and helps them decide whether it’s right for them.

  3.) Create a ‘candidate-first application’ process

Research by Indeed found that 42% of applicants find lengthy job postings intimidating. They found long applications as the most frustrating parts of the application process.

So, while Snapchat’s snaplication model may seem impractical at first glance, it presents a creative and unique opportunity for creating mobile-first and super-speedy applications. Mobile phones and mobile apps will help organizations deploy a candidate-first application process.

Some of the best practices for candidate-first application include:

  • Talent intelligence. Always be where your applicants are – TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter; surround yourself with potential candidates and hires. Talent intelligence drills down on candidates based on geography or location.
  • Mobile-optimization. Ensure that your job application process is mobile-optimized. According to Indeed, more than 50% of job applicants use their mobile phones to navigate job postings.

Using and optimizing mobile phones is especially significant to hourly workers who don’t have access to desktop computers. So, ensure that your application process supports a pipeline of potential candidates who may not necessarily have the means or access to application materials or devices.

  • Keep it short. Create a one-click application process and reduce candidate friction. If this model doesn’t work for you, keep the application questions to a minimum. Enable candidates to apply using their social profiles and pre-populate text boxes to avoid lengthy applications.

Focusing exclusively on job candidates helps you fill open positions faster, saving you time and money on resume screening processes.

  4.) Expand your reach

Now that you’ve created crafty job descriptions and targeted quality candidates, it’s time to put your job posting in front of as many eyes as possible. The more people you reach, the higher the likelihood that you’ll receive more quality applications.

Some of the tactics you can use to amplify the reach of your job postings include:

  • Encourage current employees to share postings with their network and add personal touches
  • Give people something creative and compelling to talk (and share) about by adding images and video
  • Consider sponsoring job posts through job boards, or boosting your social posts

Tip: It’s crucial to keep an eye on who comments, shares, or likes your job postings on social and say thank you. Expressing gratitude may go a long way in attracting the pipeline of potential candidates and new hires.

  5.) Speed up with talent rediscovery

Talent rediscovery involves digging and searching your resume databases to find relevant but old applications.

A prime concern for employers is recruiters failing to examine their resume databases. However, this complaint is slowly being phased out now that Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) have internal search functionality.

ATS technology is useful in today’s volatile labor market. Most organizations are channeling their focus toward rebuilding internal talent and re-skilling in response with an unpredictable labor market. Talent intelligence provides visibility, enhancing your understanding of your workforce’s skillset requirements.

  6.) Automate candidate screening

Perhaps the most unique and innovative way of dealing with mass hiring is the automation of candidate screening. Research shows that 75% of resumes collected from high-volume job postings are considered unqualified. Organizations without an ATS spend time and money screening applications instead of focusing on the bottom line.

A manual, hands-on approach to mass hiring wastes countless hours in skimming unqualified paperwork and documentation. Screening dozens of applications can be mind-numbing for HR teams,  but recruiting software can help you stay organized with high volume hiring and give you back time to focus on other key areas.

 

Contact ExactHire to stay organized when dealing with mass hiring–consider using our ATS software, or let us do the hard work of filling your candidate pipeline, so you can focus on final hiring decisions and onboarding new hires.

 

 

What are the characteristics of a good employee?

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Knowing the characteristics of a good employee positions an employer to hire best fit job candidates and build a culture that supports positive employee engagement. Many employers will define what makes a good employee as a combination of soft and hard skills. But skills can only go so far in making someone a great employee. Personal characteristics such as hard work, determination, and critical thinking are crucial in identifying great employees too.

In this post, we explore seven characteristics or traits that make good employees.

7 Characteristics of Good Employees

Improve productivity, build a stronger work culture, and increase employee engagement by hiring good employees with the following characteristics.

1. Dedication

Dedication is the trait of having a strong sense of commitment and loyalty to your career role or business. Moreover, dedicated employees are purpose-driven in their careers. Dedication is exemplified by the following traits:

  • A strong passion for work or profession
  • A positive attitude towards profession or job
  • Punctuality for work-related events, meetings, or projects
  • Flexibility when assigned roles, duties, or tasks

Dedicated employees don’t need extensive experience to succeed. Rather, they’re willing to learn, train, or sacrifice the hours required to excel in their work. These employees are purpose-driven and goal-oriented. They’re ready to strengthen any areas that may need reinforcement to excel in their careers.

2. Confidence

Confidence, performance, and productivity go hand-in-hand. Confident employees are not only sure of their abilities, talents, and skills; they’re also willing to convince other employees of their ability to get the job done.

Confident employees are not scared by complex tasks or undertakings. They know they can research, consult, and collaborate to get results. This translates into confident employees being able to complete more complicated, harder, or sophisticated tasks with the same level of effectiveness.

As employee confidence grows, employees exhibit the following traits:

  • Seeking ways to improve personal and professional skills.
  • Adapting fast to new roles and new tasks
  • Knowing when to seek help

Employees exhibiting high confidence levels find new ways to adapt to challenging tasks. They’re ready and willing to embrace workplace challenges. Confidence includes the ability to look at new ways to overcome challenges, including optimizing existing resources (personal, equipment, or knowledge).

3. Communicative

Excellent communication skills are a must-have to succeed. That’s because most workplaces only excel with effective internal communications. Processes and procedures must be conveyed to relevant people employees, and outcomes must be communicated back.

Managers need excellent communication skills to convey instructions, guidelines, and policies to middle-level and lower-level employees. Similarly, employees need great communication skills to converse with upper management about their responsibilities and whether they understand directions clearly or not.

Relaying information quickly and efficiently is critical, especially in industries where data is crucial to operational success. This makes communication skills a top priority to look for in candidates, as well one that should be foster through processes and work culture.

Excellent communication skills can lead to success and competitive positioning. The ability to communicate denotes the ability to collaborate on shared tasks. That, in turn, leads to greater efficiency and productivity.

4. Reliability

Reliability is perhaps the most sought-after characteristic of an employee in most industries. A reliable employee is trusted and transparent. Reliable employees have strong moral codes and ethical standards.

Reliability is a critical factor in ensuring that the job will get done – and done well! Reliable employees are strategic assets because they can do the job with little or no supervision.

Being a reliable employee includes:

  • Consistently meeting deadlines
  • Coming to work on time
  • Attending work-related seminars and events
  • Showing a readiness to take on responsibility
  • Giving high-quality work
  • Showing initiative when needed

Reliable employees are especially valuable in industries with highly sensitive information, including personal data, credit card numbers, and social security numbers.

5. Teamwork

The importance of teamwork and collaboration cannot be over-emphasized. Teamwork is a requirement in most work settings. Teamwork and collaboration require dedication, tolerance, openess, and patience.

Being a team player means you’re a positive contribution to your team. It’s possible to exhibit a set of other desirable characteristics by being a team player. For instance, most team players are communicative.

Some of the traits and characteristics of good team players include:

  • Committed to their success and their team’s
  • Strong problem-solvers
  • Supportive and respectful
  • Responsible and reliable
  • Flexible and adaptable

Organizations that rely heavily on teamwork often need greater adaptability. For instance, a team member who can flexibly adapt to being a leader will be an important contributor to the organization.

6. Independence

The ability to work alone is just as important as the ability to collaborate. Even in heavily team-oriented companies, employees will likely find themselves doing some work alone. This is necessary and healthy, as it provides employees time to focus and complete work more efficiently. Independent work requires respect and trust between co-workers and managers that work will be completed independently and efficiently!

Autonomous employees offer the following qualities:

  • Strong time-management skills
  • Ability to review and critique work or projects
  • Strong focus
  • High productivity

Remote employees must be trusted to work independently without supervision. And since remote work calls for greater autonomy, independent employees can adapt faster to working remotely.

7. Leadership

There’s a debate on whether leaders are born or made. However, what’s not debated is that great leaders are admired, loved, and are hard to come across. But what makes great leadership?

Well, leadership is the ability to motivate a group of people towards a common and shared goal. This requires vision, strategy, and confidence, and communication. Great leaders must have a vision and leverage their teams’ efforts to achieve a defined goal.

Employees with strong leadership skills can move companies forward. They can guide team members toward developing their skills. Influential leaders have a wide range of skills, including honesty, reliability, and self-confidence.

Leaders exhibit the following traits:

  • Give constructive feedback instead of being judgmental
  • Show great empathy to fellow team members
  • Act as a source of inspiration to fellow team members
  • Strong ability to identify a team’s strengths and weaknesses
  • Confidence in their ability to lead teams
  • Strong organizational skills

Leadership is a critical quality. People with strong leadership skills are usually promoted by an organization into a more strategic role. That’s because internal recruitment or promotion from within helps companies cut recruitment costs.

Likewise, hiring someone who shows strong leadership skills gives others someone to look up to, which increases organization and productivity in the workplace.

ExactHire – Solutions to Hire Good Employees

ExactHire is a provider of custom hiring solutions to employers of all industries and sectors. We provide applicant tracking software, employee onboarding software, and full service hiring (where we do the hard work of delivering you candidates to hire).

Contact ExactHire to refine and enhance your search for good employees.

 

Photo by krakenimages on Unsplash

When to invest in an Applicant Tracking System

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Small business owners champion the definition of the “entrepreneurial spirit”. They are resourceful, intuitive and resilient. They are wise to know that success is built and maintained upon the formulation of a cohesive, talented team. Finding employees who integrate fully into the small business culture can be a challenge.

Organizations of all sizes are fiercely competing for prime talent. While big businesses might be more flashy and visible with offerings to attract talent, small businesses can successfully compete. To yield the best talent, small businesses need to demonstrate what all they have to offer. They can do this through a unique, personalized employee value proposition.

When small businesses boldly communicate exciting duties, growth opportunities and a welcoming, inclusive culture, that message will resonate loudly to applicants. Applicant tracking systems allow you to complete this in an effective way.

How do I hire the best employee for my small business?

As a small business’s needs evolve, it is important for the owner and leaders to assess hiring needs first. Identify the specific knowledge and skill set(s) missing for increased productivity. Analyzing which skills are sought, and where there is room for growth, allows decision makers to accurately identify the role(s) needed. While small business leaders often explore internal talent  to determine if anyone else can assume extra duties, it is crucial to first discuss assigning extra responsibilities with employees in order to acquire their feedback and determine the risk of burnout. Overwhelming current employees with additional responsibilities can lead to turnover, and small businesses cannot afford to lose contributing talent.

Once small business leaders have identified the need to hire, examine what kind of employee will best meet the company’s needs. Is the best fit for the company a full-time employee with benefits (most expensive)? A part-time employee less than 30 hours weekly without benefits (not as expensive)? Or an independent contractor who does not utilize benefits or training (least expensive)? Comparing projected income and costs between these classifications will help identify the type and number of employees a company can afford to hire.

How do I get employees for my small business?

Filling vacancies is a fiercely competitive challenge in the current market. Employers of all sizes are increasing pay hoping to attract employees. This puts more of a challenge on small businesses whose budgets are tighter. While it is important to keep salaries in alignment with market rates, money is not everything. Offering a quality benefits package helps. Consider including employee perks such as flexible and/or remote schedule. Unlimited or enhanced time off andvolunteer opportunities during the workday help too. Fitness opportunities, and a casual dress code to attract additional interest can help sway candidates to your company too. Professional development opportunities? Yes, please!

Any opportunity for additional skills development or professional certification is a motivator. It is also an investment in employees that funnels back into the company. Adding unique perks positions a small business to stand out from other businesses. Additionally, it shows a commitment to employees’ social, mental and physical wellbeing. Promote benefits and perks online and in job listings. Small businesses tend to have a close-knit culture. Highlight team activities on the company’s website and social media channels so applicants can view the fun.

Job descriptions are often the first impression of a company to a jobseeker so it is crucial that those descriptions are magnetizing. Pinpoint particular skills in the job description. So the applicant has an accurate idea of daily duties, list realistic and specific job responsibilities. While it is important to give a thorough description, too much information is overwhelming. Keep the info amount to what is expected for daily performance.

How much money do you need to hire an employee?

According to LinkedIn, small businesses spend an average of $1,600 annually on hiring. That money is often spent on direct job postings and manual efforts by hiring personnel. Small businesses seek to utilize Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) to streamline the hiring process by automating numerous manual functions. Time saved by using an ATS provides small business leaders a way to spend more time on strategic functions and addressing small businesses’ needs.

If business is slower during a specific time frame, use that off-peak time for ATS purchasing and implementation.  Evaluate ATS features thoroughly, and work with the provider’s support team to use the tool efficiently to solve the unique needs of a small business. Having a resourceful ATS support team receptive to questions will favorably enhance ATS users’ experience. With the end of the year rapidly approaching, small business leaders need to consider using available budget funds to invest in an ATS to start the new year with increased simplicity, organization and efficiency.

What features do Applicant Tracking System’s possess that help small businesses?

Often, small business employees juggle many different roles. Human Resources, Marketing, Training…the list goes on. Time management is the name of the game in small business life, so when options exist to automate functions, it not only saves time but also money.  An applicant tracking system redefines internal organization. Using an ATS eliminates file folders of confidential material helping to support recruitment compliance objectives.

An applicant tracking system can securely house data, and decision makers can customize access levels of the platform. Jobseekers are constantly on the go so having an applicant tracking system that offers texting helps reach individuals quicker in a fast-paced world. Job searching needs to be mobile friendly so an applicant tracking system must have the capabilities to be navigable on mobile devices. QR codes offer quick ways for applicants to apply. For employees and jobseekers on-the-go, an ATS delivers information within a few clicks anywhere and everywhere. Complete convenience for everyone involved in the recruitment process.

What needs does a small business have that an Applicant Tracking System would solve?

An applicant tracking system provides a buffet of job board options to meet small businesses’ needs and enhance visibility. Integrating with major job boards to automate the job posting process saves time and money for a small business. Use social media sites, niche job boards, and state job boards offered within an ATS to reach an expanded audience. An ATS offering the ability to filter applicants through screening questions and disqualification filters eliminate unqualified applicants, saving time in the screening process. For small businesses subject to EEO/AAP reporting, an ATS will simplify reporting as data is collected electronically and securely stored.

How do I hire the best talent?

As small business leaders examine applicant data, ideally using an ATS, examine the applicants’ data closely. Rate and rank preferred applicants based on qualifications for the role. Interview those top candidates who show a sincere desire to work in the small business culture. Bring finalists back for a group interview to gauge soft skills.

Upon conclusion of the group discussion, make a decision based on qualifications and feedback. Do not delay in offering the position to the first choice applicant as that person might be enticed by a different employer. After the role is filled, ensure that all applicants have received some form of communication letting them know they were not selected. Receiving an update, even if a rejection, gives applicants a sense of closure. Explore the use of mass communication options within an ATS when sending a rejection or other forms of communication.

As small business leaders journey through the hiring process, collect data and evaluate the process. Setting benchmarks and using data to identify success points and areas for improvement will make the next hiring process easier and less expensive. A robust ATS will offer automation and reporting tools to assist small business leaders analyze metrics such as time to fill and time to hire and identify the source of applicants. Having the ability to create unique reports within an ATS to track measurable data is essential in strategic planning.

Talent sourcing for small business can seem like a daunting task, but finding the right ATS for small business will make the hiring process easier. Using an ATS to automate tasks will close existing gaps in a manual hiring process improving productivity and enhancing the company’s brand. An ATS is an investment that will increase a small business’s competitive edge against large companies when recruiting stellar talent

Photo by Startupstockphotos on Pixabay

Job Candidate Compensation and Benefits

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Job candidate compensation and benefits are a motivating factor for job seekers as they evaluate job opportunities, as well as for employees as they decide whether to remain with an organization.

Recently, I wrote a post reflecting on content from the HR Indiana SHRM conference. This post builds upon that content by focusing on compensation and benefits as it relates to job candidate motivations. Let’s discuss some statistics and strategies that an organization can analyze in the quest to hire and retain talent.

Inflation Impacting Job Candidates

Inflation is soaring. As of June 2022, the United States is experiencing a 9.1% inflation rate. Nearly all goods and services are increasing for the consumer, and here are a few specific examples:

  • Groceries up 12% YOY (year-over-year; largest increase since 1979)
  • Chicken up 17.4% (largest increase EVER)
  • Restaurants up 9% (largest increase EVER)
  • Fuel Oil up 87% (largest increase since 2002)
  • Electricity up 12% (largest increase since 2006)
  • Rent up 5.4% (largest increase since 1987)
  • Airfare up 33% (largest since 1980)

Federal and State Government Affairs Update, HR Indiana 2022

Employees are on edge as they seek to pay bills and save for retirement. According to Wilis Towers Watson research, the anticipated 2023 annual merit increase is approximately 4.1%. But even though wages are increasing, bigger increases in the price of goods and services has job seekers and the employed feeling the pressure. And as much as employers would like to reward and help current employees, pay raises will rarely surpass the current inflation rate. This dynamic is creating fierce competition among employers to retain and recruit talent, and meet their compensation needs.

How can employers create competitive rewards systems to compete for talent?

Creative Compensation and Benefits

According to the United States Labor Department, average hourly earnings grew 5.2% in July from a year earlier, and annual wage gains have exceeded 5% each month this year. While increasing wages were meant as a competitive tool to attract and retain employees, rapid wage growth also contributes to the inflation rate. And wage gains have not kept pace with inflation. Private-sector wages and salaries declined 3.1% in the second quarter from a year earlier when accounting for inflation.

New employees are being hired at a higher pay rate than current employees due to market demand causing pay compression. Pay compression occurs when the pay of one or more employees is very close to the pay of more experienced employees in the same job, or even those in higher-level jobs, including managerial positions. To offset pay compression, HR departments are getting creative with their benefits offerings and diligently trying to increase salaries within and/or accentuating other compensation.

Three Main Areas of Compensation

Compensation can overlap into three main areas:

  • Base Salary (Hourly Rate),
  • Short Term Incentives (awards granted typically ≦ 1 year of employment), and
  • Long Term Incentives (awards granted typically ≧ 1 year of employment).

HR must conduct market analyses on pay and incentives to ensure a competitive edge in the recruitment process. Prime Short Term Incentives include bonuses or variable pay. Variable pay is often known as “pay-for-performance”. Long Term Incentives include stock options and 401k (profit) / 403b (nonprofit) retirement plans. A high employer match rate to employee retirement plan contributions enriches the employee’s perception of the employer’s long-term commitment to the employee. During times of high inflation, giving smaller increases or larger bonuses more frequently can help reduce the pain of high inflation and demonstrate a sense of empathy towards employees.

Personalize Incentives

Evaluating employees’ needs and wants are crucial to developing a solid benefits structure for an organization. Promote the organization’s culture and work/life compatibility, but also include more incentives such as:

  • remote work and flex time,
  • student loan repayment,
  • scholarships for employees’ dependents,
  • personal sabbaticals,
  • phased retirement and professional development funds,
  • onsite childcare,
  • and petcare.

Be creative. Take an intrinsic look at your employee team, and collect feedback from them as to what they seek. If an organization can support the means to do so, explore a cafeteria-style benefits system. Employees can select the benefits that are the most essential to their well-being, resulting in more satisfied employees and an increased retention rate.

Pay Equity

According to SHRM, pay equity is compensating employees the same when they perform the same or similar job duties while accounting for other factors such as experience level, job performance, and tenure with the employer. An organization that is effectively leading the way with pay equity amongst its employees will not have pay gaps based on any of EEO’s protected classifications.

To be a leader in pay equity, an organization needs to conduct pay equity audits to ensure that gaps do not exist among individuals performing parallel job duties. HR and senior management will need to review the existing compensation philosophy, revise as needed for equity and communicate the philosophy with openness and transparency to employees of all levels. Questions will arise among employees so encourage employees to discuss concerns and questions with HR directly.

Keep in mind that many states and local municipalities require the removal of salary history information from job applications as part of the “Ban the Box” movement to promote salary equity among individual groups. And even if a company is not subject to Ban the Box legislation, many companies proactively remove salary history questions from the application as an effort to reduce pay discrepancy.

Pay Transparency

According to Harvard Business Review, “pay transparency has positive impacts on employees’ perceptions of trust, fairness, and job satisfaction and has been found to boost individual task performance.”  Many states have passed pay transparency laws where organizations are required to disclose salary ranges for job opportunities. And beyond legal requirements, job sites like Indeed are now providing salary estimates when employers choose not to disclose salary ranges along with their job posts.

Job Candidate Compensation and Benefits

While an employer cannot directly combat rising inflation and supply costs, HR can help lead the charge for competitive job candidate compensation and benefits that will help recruit and retain employees. Pay rate is not the sole deciding factor for an employee; benefits that are truly relevant to the employee’s personal and professional goals will impact employment decisions as well. Solicit feedback from employees, and evaluate their concerns and suggestions. Transparency and action will help build trust between employees and HR, and in the long-term, develop a true team atmosphere.

 

Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

Quiet Quitting – What Employers Need to Know

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Quiet quitting by employees is shouting a profound message to their employers that Human Resources professionals, and organizations as a whole, cannot ignore. The pandemic impacted businesses in myriad ways, and for many employees, the pandemic delivered an epiphany. Through lockdowns, quarantines, and long periods of remote work, workers had the opportunity to reevaluate their personal and professional lives. Part of this evaluation was taking a hard look at their daily lives and discerning what really mattered to them. Many determined that a healthy work-life balance was essential.

LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends 2022 report attests to employees’ wants and needs evolving into a more distinct work-life balance. The intrinsic flame burning in many employees started to flicker, and for some that flame went out completely. While quiet quitting is not a new concept, it is on the increase in many organizations. Leadership needs to identify and implement solutions to address the concerns of “quiet quitters” on their teams.

Quiet quitting is getting increased notoriety through social media today. However, the idea has been around in some form for quite a long time. In the past, the idea was used to describe employees who had hit burnout and shifted gears to do the minimum work needed to do the job adequately. That definition is accurate for some quiet quitters; however, quiet quitting has evolved into a more broad concept.

What is Quiet Quitting?

Quiet quitting does not have a strictly defined meaning, nor does it look the same for all employees. Some quiet quitting employees do not take on additional work or responsibilities, but still complete their responsibilities with excellence. For other employees, their version of quiet quitting is doing the minimum required–and nothing further.

TechTarget generalizes quiet quitting as a “rebellion” against the “hustle culture” of going above and beyond what a job requires, and instead, limiting their tasks to only those within their job description to avoid longer hours. These employees are technically fulfilling their job duties; however, they reject the “work-is-life” mindset where they feel obligated to continually do more. They are not seeking the “golden employee” label. Rather, they are trading long hours, additional projects, and accelerated promotions for the ability to go home and focus on non-work activities. They leave work at work. Ultimately, less is more for them.

From data collected in June 2022 through a Gallup poll, quiet quitters make up at least 50% or more of the United States workforce. Mic drop. Over half of the country’s employees are “quiet quitters”.

What is the Impact of Quiet Quitting?

Quiet quitting is increasing the level of apprehension within companies and impacting productivity. Productivity levels are crucial for a business to thrive especially in our current economic state. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States non-farm worker productivity in the second quarter has fallen 2.5% since the same period last year which is the largest annual drop since 1948. The economy may be on the cusp of a recession due to supply chain issues, inflation, and other factors stemming from the pandemic. Companies are fearful that their financial bottom line will suffer if the production of goods and services cannot meet the demand.

The challenge for employers as they grapple with quiet quitting is that not all employees actually want to leave their jobs; hence the “quiet” part of the quiet quitting concept. Lack of advancement opportunities, low pay, and feeling disrespected were the top reasons Americans quit their jobs in 2021, according to a Pew Research Center survey. But many quiet quitters are not experiencing those reasons to quit, they are content with their job…as they decide to perform it.

There will always be a population of employees who feel content being “worker bees” and whose job performance “meets expectations” on their performance evaluations.nd there will always be the employee population that strives for the “gold star” and attains “exceeds expectations” on the performance evaluation.These groups of employees can coexist, but is labeling the “worker bees” as quiet quitters accurate?

Why are People Quiet Quitting?

With layoffs and terminations at a record low, employees have heightened sense of job security. Companies cannot afford to lose employees since they are scrambling to fill a high number of job vacancies. Even if a termination does occur, the odds are favorable for the employee to find another job quickly.

According to the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM), an organization’s culture directly contributes to employee behavior. Some cultural issues that may contribute to quiet quitting, include:

  • Lack of engagement by and between management and employees fosters weak relationships.
  • Communication challenges, along with the fear of conflict, mitigate open dialogue between teams.
  • Remote and hybrid work is a contributing factor to quiet quitting because additional challenges exist to have candid, honest dialog.
  • Management faces additional challenges validating work efforts and task completion in remote and hybrid environments.

Workplace culture sets the foundation of an organization and reiterates what behaviors and performance levels are accepted, rejected and tolerated.

Disadvantages of Quiet Quitting

Quiet quitters who are emotionally uninvested in their jobs often have challenges working in a team environment through a lack of motivation and flexibility. Employees who are not quiet quitting might become frustrated at having to pick up additional responsibilities or tasks from those employees who will not. Resentment builds amongst teams and that dissolves trust and motivation. Employees who do the minimum in tasks have a higher chance of being passed over for promotions and pay increases as compared to other employees.

Advantages of Quiet Quitting

Advantages to quiet quitting do exist. Employees who leave “work at work”, and then spend time on personal interests, might be more relaxed and motivated when they return to work. That could help increase productivity. Quiet quitting for a temporary time could help reduce burnout if the employee takes time to refocus and prioritize. So quiet quitting is ultimately a plea for open communication between employees and management to discuss concerns and deficiencies in the working environment.

How to Combat Quiet Quiet

HR professionals have quite the challenge on their hands, as they are the catalyst for communications between management and quiet quitting employees. HR and senior management within an organization need first to check how engaged entry and mid-level managers are within the organization and with their teams. If engagement is lacking, senior leadership needs to help reskill and motivate managers to help others, especially in new remote and hybrid working environments.

Managers need to find 15-30 minutes weekly to have a sincere, purposeful conversation with members of their teams. These conversations should strengthen relationships and reiterate value in each team member’s efforts. If employees see how their work contributes and is a benefit to the organization, they will be motivated to see value in their work and heighten their accountability for performance.

Listening is just as important. Often employees convey a message without saying a word. So managers need to learn how to recognize these messages and, in response, hold conversations to address and reduce burnout. All employees have challenges in their work and personal lives to varying degrees. It’s up to managers to know their team’s needs and be cognizant of ever changing factors that could transform productive employees into quiet quitters.

Employee Engagement Matters

Considering that the average person will spend over 90,000 hours working in their lifetime, spending that time completing tasks that are enjoyable in a generally positive environment matters. Time magazine shared that Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report found that job dissatisfaction is at a staggering all-time high, and that unhappy and disengaged workers cost the global economy $7.8 trillion in lost productivity.

Organizations cannot afford to lose talent through attrition or sustain a loss of productivity without it impacting the internal dynamics and the external competitiveness of an organization. Quit the status quo and invest in designing and maintaining a workplace culture where employees thrive, and do not just simply survive. When an organization is invested in its employees and is committed to providing a supportive and rewarding culture, employees will see that quitters–even quiet ones–really do not win.

The win-win comes from both inside and outside the organization, where employers and employees agree on how work and life can balance together.

 

 

Photo by Kristina Flour on Unsplash

Post-COVID Hiring: Job Candidate Motivations

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Recently, I was fortunate to spend several days, in-person, at the HR Indiana SHRM conference in Indianapolis. Those three days consisted of learning, collaboration, communication of forecasts and trends, networking, and sharing of best practices in the human resources world. HR colleagues, I highly recommend attending your state SHRM chapter’s annual conference. It is enlightening, engaging and fun!

One of the overarching themes of the conference is that HR has changed since COVID evolved into a global pandemic. Throw supply chain deficits, cost-cutting, and increased employee vacancies into the mix, and that developed a storm that HR has had to weather together.

HR’s goals of finding and retaining essential talent, improving employee development, and fostering a collaborative, productive work environment has not changed. However, the methods through which HR professionals seek to attain those goals have changed dramatically.

As HR practitioners have witnessed, recruiting key talent has evolved. Job candidate motivations–their wants and needs–have changed, and candidates are leveraging those wants and needs as companies seek to fill numerous job openings from a tiny, ultra-competitive applicant pool.

Job Market Statistics

A few key stats before delving into a couple job candidate motivations that HR must evaluate to attract talent…

  • In the US, an average of 4 million people per month have quit their jobs since January.
  • In the US, almost 48 million employees quit their jobs last year.

Your Playbook for Activating Non-Traditional Talent Acquisition Channels, HR Indiana 2022

  • About 10,000 Baby Boomers are turning 65 each day until 2030.
  • There will be a shortfall of five million workers over the next few years.
  • 40% of workers reported they are unlikely to stay with their organization post-COVID.
  • 57% of Baby Boomers have shared less than half of their knowledge needed to perform their jobs when they retire.

-The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: HR Lessons Learned, HR Indiana 2022

Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

This blog post is not meant to scare or discourage HR professionals; it is meant as a proactive resource to help increase HR’s awareness of these ongoing and upcoming hurdles. Additionally, any HR team–from teams of 1 to 100+, can use this information to strategize and identify strengths that align with job candidate motivations. Then, with this alignment in place, hiring managers can more easily make the case that their company is the right company for top job candidates.

Job Candidate Motivations

What are job candidates’ wants, and in particular, needs? There is no “one-size-fits-all” compensation package for employees. This fact has become blatantly apparent since COVID cemented adaptability and flexibility as needs for both employers and employees.

  • 95% employees want flexible hours.
  • 78% employees seek location flexibility.
  • 72% of workers reported they are likely to seek a new opportunity within the next year as a result of their employer’s current level of flexibility.

-The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: HR Lessons Learned, HR Indiana 2022

Tough crowd with unrealistic expectations? No, not really. COVID became the driver for employees of all levels to reevaluate their life, family and work responsibilities. Early retirements soared. COVID changed the way many industries and individuals’ roles were performed. Roles that were thought as necessary to be onsite were validated otherwise.

Remote Work and Flex Schedules

It did work for people to do their work at home. Of course, there are professions that are legitimately challenged to work full-time or part-time remote–such as teachers, mechanics, and healthcare practitioners to name a few. But overall, many roles and professions that were originally required to be onsite no longer must be onsite.

According to a Gartner survey, if a remote organization were to go back to a fully onsite arrangement, it would risk losing up to 39% of its workforce. Organizations cannot erase the past 2.5 years. Remote work increased, and many employees thrived personally and professionally with that option.

An organization must look into the mirror deeply and reflect on what remote and/or flex options they can offer employees at all levels that help with retention. Not all employees seek to work remotely, but multiple surveys show that the ability to be remote and/or flex is paramount to the majority. Here are a couple other items to consider as companies seek to reevaluate the employee value proposition.

Look at Internal Talent as a Candidate Source

Internal mobility is up 20% since the onset of COVID-19, according to LinkedIn data. This talent pool is readily accessible and often willing to explore new, challenging opportunities for internal growth. An organization’s HR department must start crafting plans to facilitate their employees’ mobility towards existing openings, leadership positions and newly created roles.

Encourage managers and employees to actively recommend teammates for internal openings. According to a Gartner survey, only 27% of active job seekers agree that their organization makes it easy for them to find job opportunities that suit their interests. Now, more than ever, employees must easily access internal openings and find opportunities that correlate to their skills.

Make Mental Health a Priority for Job Candidates

Many current employees are now feeling the negative effects of stress from attempting to balance personal and professional responsibilities during the pandemic. According to the World Health Organization, burnout is a syndrome resulting from workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions: feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, increased mental distance from one’s job or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job, and reduced professional efficacy (World Health Organization, 2019).

  • $23 billion spent annually in the United States on work productivity loss due to depression.
  • $16 trillion in loss output by 2030 due to mental illness.
  • 200 million workdays are estimated annually due to depression.

-The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: HR Lessons Learned, HR Indiana 2022

Research is showing that the cost of implementing a workplace health and wellness system is significantly less than the cost of doing nothing to formally address and resolve workplace mental health issues. Loss of productivity and absenteeism will continue to rise if channels of assistance are not readily available to employees. And addressing mental health in the workplace cannot only improve employee morale and operations, it can attract new talent.

So HR should broadcast the details and goals of wellness programs to job candidates. In this way, the candidates understand the company’s commitment to physical and mental health without having to ask about it. Wellness programs are an investment in employees and should be rightfully included in employee branding. This will help an organization stand out among the competition and better align with important job candidate motivations.

HR Strength Post-COVID

In addition to change, a recurring theme at the HR Indiana SHRM conference was strength. Even in the midst of the chaos internally and externally, HR professionals will continue to rise to the challenge and overcome adversity successfully. Craft your plans and goals, then seek assistance to fulfill those goals from your support channels–resources in your senior and C-level management to help with funding, implementation and buy-in from your hourly workers who can voice support of new initiatives.

You can do this!

 

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

How to write a rejection email for job candidates

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A rejection email for job candidates is not always easy to write. And informing an applicant that they were not selected for an open position is definitely not the highlight of a human resources professional’s day. The task is one of the hardest to complete, as no one wants to deliver disappointing news to others. However, rejection is inevitable, even for individuals with a stellar background and coveted skills.

It’s important to keep in mind that we have all experienced rejection at some point in time. Whether it was not being selected for a lucrative job opportunity, or being passed over for a particular award or acknowledgment–we’ve all felt the sting of rejection. Recalling how that sting affected oneself can often lead an HR professional to take extra steps to buffer the disappointment when delivering rejection messages to job applicants. Kindness truly matters.

Can You Kindly Reject Job Candidates?

Jobseekers want to know their status in the application process. Even if it’s a “no”, applicants need to know their status so they can have closure and shift their job search direction. Receiving feedback, even if it is a rejection, is especially instrumental for those applicants who have had some form of interview. Imagine the confusion that a jobseeker might have if they never hear back from an organization after spending time discussing their qualifications and how they seek to contribute to a prospective employer.

A paramount function of HR is to build relationships with individuals. This goes not just for current employees, but also  for prospective employees. What type of relationship can be built if an employer does not update applicants on their application statuses, or let applicants know that they are no longer in consideration for a position?

Starting the rejection conversation is hard, but it demonstrates professionalism within the organization’s HR department and gives the two parties, HR and the jobseeker, an opportunity to form a connection. While this jobseeker might not be the best fit for the particular role in which they applied, that same person might be the person best qualified for a future opening, so don’t burn bridges

Candidate Rejection Letter Template

In the rejection email template sent by an organization, craft the content with sincerity. The sincerity genuinely shown in the rejection email can help the jobseeker stay motivated and interested in your company. Also, this will help mitigate the chance the jobseeker will spread negativity about their applicant experience to others. Word of mouth can be the best or worst recruitment marketing for an employer, so strive to leave applicants with a positive experience.

Time is of the essence in the HR world. Using personalized mass emailing within your ATS will help make the communication process quicker and easier when communicating with applicants. ExactHire HR Software offers the ability for users to create communication templates for immediate and future use. This templates streamline communication with applicants, and allows users to view the communication flow between your team and the applicants.

When crafting communication templates, it is helpful to use personalization tags (AKA shortcuts that personalize content) to customize your message. Personalization tags in a communication template allow the sender to specify items such as name, job listing, company name, etc. This ensures a more “personal” feel with less work.

When writing a rejection email, be concise. Longer emails, at first glance, can imply favorable news. Also, it is more personable for an actual employee to sign the message.  However, if there are safety concerns after sending a rejection email, do not include specific names or direct contact information.

Example of Candidate Rejection Letter

Here is an example of a sample rejection message for your use. Words between the # symbols indicate variable content found in the candidate record. CAPS indicate customized content (based on hiring manager or company).

Dear #first_name#,

Thank you for your interest in the #job_listing# at #company_name#. Your time is valuable, and we appreciate your effort in applying. (Use interviewing if an applicant has interviewed.)

We are grateful to have had many qualified applicants for the role. We carefully evaluated candidates’ qualifications and skills. Although your qualifications were impressive, we are moving forward with another candidate whose qualifications best fit the requirements of the position.

(If an interview has been conducted, consider including: Although your interview itemized your skills, we did not proceed because of REASON FOR REJECTION. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at email address or phone number.)

Please visit COMPANY JOBS PAGE to explore opportunities to join our organization as we encourage you to apply again in the future if you find a job opening better suited to your qualifications.

Again, thank you for your interest in working with us!

FIRST NAME LAST NAME
TITLE
COMPANY NAME

Personalized Candidate Communication

HR professionals can simplify a challenging task by using personalized candidate communication templates to soften news of a rejection. By delivering personalized updates to job applicants, even if it is a rejection, employers promote a positive employer brand. In return, employers will enjoy a larger applicant pool and succeed in providing clarity around what their organization’s needs. Creating personalized communication templates in ExactHire HR Software can help streamline the communication process. Click here to learn more!

A Strategy for Veteran Hiring

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A strategy for veteran hiring may seem difficult to develop, but you don’t need to create one from scratch. However, first your company needs to commit to employing veterans and realize the added value this population of jobseekers can bring to your organization.

Veterans bring unique and sought after qualities to an organization. After leaving their domestic and/or international deployments, veterans conclude their military careers with a wealth of job skills and professional experience that successfully translates to the civilian world. If your organization does not have a strategy for veteran hiring , now is the time to create one.

Why Hiring Veterans Makes Sense

Not only is hiring veterans good for an organization’s culture, but there are also financial benefits to hiring veterans. First off, employers that hire veterans might be eligible for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC). But there other veteran employment programs as well, such as:

Non-Paid Work Experience Program

The Non-Paid Work Experience program allows local, state, and federal government offices to temporarily employ a veteran without having the position count against the agency’s full-time equivalent allocation.

Veteran Readiness and Employment

Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) pays the veteran a monthly subsistence allowance while the veteran learns valuable work-related skills and experience. Through this Special Employer Incentive program, employers receive an incentive to hire veterans who face extraordinary obstacles to employment, which includes reimbursement of as much as 50 percent of the Veteran’s salary for up to six months.

VR&E can provide specialized tools, equipment, and workplace modifications to eligible veterans allowing them to perform their duties. Through the on-the-job training program, VR&E subsidizes veterans’ salaries so employers pay an apprentice-level wage while training veterans. As the veteran progresses, the employer pays a larger portion of the Veteran’s salary, until the training program is completed and the employer is paying the full salary.

Veteran Hiring Events

There are various events that can help introduce an organization to this skilled jobseeker population. Connect with your state government’s workforce development board to learn what hiring events are held for veterans in your state and in the states where you hire. The National Labor Exchange has an interactive map that will connect veterans and employers to employment resources.

Follow the events going on within the Department of Veterans Affairs. Consider having your organization participate in a federal resource program such as the Department of Defense’s SkillBridge program, which connects soon-to-be-discharged veterans with employment opportunities. VETS2INDUSTRY also offers employer strategies for veterans recruitment and support for profit and non-profit organizations.

Building a Veteran Hiring Process

Ideally, an organization should have a dedicated member of the HR team focused on veteran and veteran family recruiting and support – bonus if the dedicated HR team member is a former military member or military spouse. If senior management is unsure of the need for a dedicated veterans recruiter, here are ten reasons why your organization should hire veterans. The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) understands the need for HR specialization and education towards veterans so SHRM, in partnership with Comcast NBCUniversal, created the SHRM Veterans at Work certificate program.

Translate Veteran Skills into Civilian Skills

Resume writing can be cumbersome even for the most linguistic jobseekers. Translating military responsibilities into civilian language can be challenging for veterans. HR resume screeners need to review veterans’ resumes with supportive resources, if needed, since veterans’ accomplishments might be communicated in military lingo. To help novice and seasoned HR staff better understand the accomplishments and successes of a veteran in their particular military roles, CareerOneStop offers an online civilian/military occupation translator.

Recruiting Veterans

Recruiting veterans can be completed in a variety of ways. Ensure that your organization vocalizes and adheres to the mission of providing support to veteran employees. This can be done by boldly expressing your organization’s commitment through your organization’s website and social media channels. Coming from a team focused environment, veterans will be more interested in finding another team-based culture.

Onsite and virtual job fairs are excellent recruitment events to help connect with prospective veteran employees. Promote your jobs on veteran specific job boards and on social media. Get involved with the veteran community to connect with candidates. PsychArmor offers online training modules to learn about veterans’ needs. Specifically, they provide organizations a robust training module specializing in creating a veteran hiring program.

One item to keep in mind is that not only is an organization recruiting the veteran themselves, but also the veteran’s spouse. Don’t forget to include military spouses in recruitment. The United States Department of Labor provides specific resources to recruit and support military spouses. For active duty military families in particular, remote jobs are of primary interest to military spouses as a military family might be relocated often for new assignments; however, remote jobs offer the ability for the spouse to work uninterrupted anywhere.

It’s About More than Hiring

Veterans have risked so much for our daily freedoms. They have sacrificed safety and comfort so we can have that. We can never fully return the favor to veterans for their sacrifice and courage; however, let’s support them in their civilian endeavors and provide them with an opportunity to utilize their skills in a role that fits both the company and the jobseeker.

 

ExactHire HR Software offers the ability to streamline the applicant process and tag applicants’ skills and characteristics, such as applicant veteran status, for you and your team’s convenience in applicant screening and candidate communication. For more information about our solutions, please contact us.

 

 

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Job Descriptions that Attract Diverse Job Candidates

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Attracting diverse job candidates is essential to finding high quality talent for your positions. That’s because trying to find the right person to fill a vacant position is challenging, especially in our current job market.

In the past, companies mostly competed against similar industries for talent; however, that has distinctly changed. Today, workers are expanding their interests and education along with examining how to transition into different fields. The competition for essential talent has never been more fierce. Companies must compete with competitors in and outside their industry.

So when an organization has a job to fill, it is crucial to examine the content advertised to ensure that all qualified individuals feel welcome to apply. Making your company an inclusive organization–ready to recognize and appreciate diverse skill sets–should be a huge priority.

 

Companies with a diverse workforce are 35% more likely to experience greater financial returns than their respective non-diverse counterparts. –Forbes

 

Why is Attracting Diverse Job Candidates Important?

According to an article published by Forbes, diverse teams are better decision makers 87% of the time as compared to non-diverse teams. Approximately 35% of applicants will not apply to a job if the listing and/or the company do not seem to support diversity. Companies with a diverse workforce are 35% more likely to experience greater financial returns than their respective non-diverse counterparts. Diversity and inclusion help expand the knowledge, insight and social connectivity of an organization so it is a priority that needs consistent support. But how can companies ensure that they are attracting talent from all backgrounds?

Unbiased Job Description Content

Often it’s department managers who create job descriptions for their areas. They know the intricacies of the functions they oversee, so this makes sense. But this might also lead them to create or revise job descriptions with the only the current employee(s) in mind.

And while that’s a good starting point for identifying tasks and responsibilities, that exact employee will not be in that role permanently. So it’s imperative to avoid biased job description content because the next person to fill that role will likely have distinctly different, individualized attributes.

How can my Job Postings be More Inclusive?

In the “relay” to fill job vacancies, Human Resources can take the baton from other internal departments and thoroughly examine job descriptions. This provides a clear and bias-free interpretation and, if necessary, revisions of the content. Doing this helps ensure that job descriptions reach diverse populations and offer a sense of inclusivity to all applicants.

To help with consistency of verbiage, Human Resources can create an inclusive style guide available to all departments. This ensures that consistent language is used when communicating job description content with external and internal audiences.

Here are some key items to evaluate when reviewing job descriptions:

  1. Avoid Gender Coding which is assigning traits, characteristics or behaviors to a particular gender. Curious as to how the organization’s job description’s content passes or fails in gender coding? Check out Gender Decoder to scan content, and learn about the purpose of the tool here along with a list of feminine and masculine perceived words.
  2. Check pronouns. Are the pronouns “He” or “She” used in the job description? Not all individuals identify with “He” or “She”. Using “You” in the job description will leave the reader more focused upon themself and the characteristics they personify to help give the reader a better opportunity to picture themselves fulfilling the duties of that particular role. “You will lead the success of your clients…You will assist senior management with strategic planning…etc.” To the reader, hearing what “You” can do is motivating!
  3. Include the organization’s EEO statement. Job seekers need to know the organization is committed to equal opportunity and supports hiring for all individuals. Personalize the company’s message to all audiences that they are truly welcome.
  4. To accommodate readers of all levels, keep sentences and paragraphs short. Use verbiage that the reader would not have to look up in a dictionary to define. This is a job description to attract interested, qualified applicants; it is not a dissertation.
  5. Approximately 10% of the population is dyslexic. Dyslexia is a learning disorder that affects written and comprehended language. Individuals with Dyslexia are also part of a protected population by the EEOC. Using fonts that help language processing such as Arial, Comic Sans Verdana, Tahoma, Century Gothic, Trebuchet, Calibri or Open Sans, are easier to read because they are are sans serif. Crowded text makes it more challenging for readers with language processing challenges so avoid the use of italics and underlining and go bold instead.
  6. Stop buzzing around! Using buzzwords and jargon can be confusing and overwhelming. Job seekers want the job description to be to the point and simple to follow without the need to go search the online dictionary for acronyms or jargon translation. This site, Milkround, helps scan for jargon and gives a good resource of what to revise. Keep in mind, the site is based out of the United Kingdom so there could be a bit of difference between UK and US English.
  7. When discussing benefits, focus on generalities. “Parenting” leave as compared to maternity or paternity leave. “Parents and Guardians” as compared to “Mothers and Fathers”. “Partners” as compared to “Spouses” or “Husbands and Wives”.
  8. Individuals with disabilities have skills to offer. Review the job content for items that could isolate individuals with physical or cognitive disabilities. Does the person have to actually “lift” an item to move it, or could the person move the item in an alternative way? Does a person have to read instructions, or could that person listen to an audio recording instead? One size does not fit all

Commit to a Diverse, Inclusive Culture

Creating diverse content in job descriptions is an important step toward attracting diverse job candidates. But they are only words if the organization’s culture does not embrace diversity and inclusion initiatives. Make sure that what is written in the job description regarding the warm welcome for all qualified individuals to apply is sincere.

Human Resources is a champion for diversity and inclusion. Taking time to inspect job descriptions and promoting inclusive language and actions within the organization will save time in the long run. And crafting content to reach diverse audiences will become a norm as time evolves. Diverse, inclusive job descriptions will help organizations yield an opportunity to fulfill its main goal – supply the organization with talent for company growth.

Click here to learn how ExactHire HR Software can help your team create a library of diverse job templates that can be used to help save time posting jobs, screening applicants, and attracting diverse job candidates.

 

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash