Stephanie Mauney (2)

Human Resources

Soft Skills for Human Resources

Well-developed skillsets, and the ability to communicate them clearly to employers and hiring managers, place candidates apart in the interview process and throughout a career trajectory. Navigating what skills to focus on in a particular position can be difficult. Discovering hard skills and developing technological abilities is a matter of research and practice. In contrast, soft skills do not always come naturally to every human resource professional. In today’s human resources world, soft skills are becoming increasingly desired to become a successful HR professional. Soft skills focus on social reliability and emotional intelligence. They can be the key differentiator between a qualified employee and an employee that grows themselves towards management. Superior HR professionals will have both hard and soft skills. Most of the time spent in human resources is in dealing with human interaction. Hiring, firing, managing, developing, and leading people are all essential to the job. This is the area where soft skills are going to enhance the ability to thrive. So, what are the essential soft skills? Below are eight soft skills every human resource professional could gain from growing. EMPATHY It is no mistake that empathy falls at the top of the list. The ability to feel and understand what employees are experiencing in any day-to-day situation both in and outside of work is essential. As a renowned author, speaker, and social work researcher, Dr. Brené Brown suggests: Empathy fuels connection Empathy is fuel to the humanness of human resources. It is the skill that draws HR into the progressive era by pressuring companies to see employees as more than a number. RELATIONSHIP BUILDING Commonly referred to as employee relations, the soft skill of relationship-building can be helpful not only in creating a culture of trust with employees but also in transforming HR into a strategic business partner in the eyes of c-suite executives. Authentic relationships create a culture of community within an organization—a culture of community leads to higher retention, lower turnover, cost savings, better performance, and ultimately increased revenue. COMMUNICATION Several of the top reasons employees leave an organization can be linked back to poor communication. Whether it’s the inability to be tactful in a difficult conversation, not providing clarity, or writing emails that need to be in-person discussions, well-rounded communication skills are crucial to the HR professional. ORGANIZATION Every day in HR is different. Moment to moment can often hold a variety of tasks. The ability to multi-task and stay organized while doing so is vital. When managing highly sensitive and confidential information whether on physical paper or electronically, organizational skills are required. Making a mistake due to disorganization could cause a major blunder or even break the law due to incompliance. CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION Human resources is a constantly changing field. Maintaining a spirit of creativity and strategy of innovation can keep an organization at the peak of its industry. Right now, human resources departments countrywide are facing an extremely tight job market, getting creative has been the only way to continue hiring amidst the great resignation. Innovation with ever-evolving policies, tech, and employee priorities keeps human resource professionals relevant. CRITICAL THINKING HR Daily Advisor describes critical thinking as an essential component of effective decision-making. It’s valuable at all organizational levels. In human resources, well-informed and data-driven decision making is key to becoming a valued member of organizational leadership. Those with developed business acumen know and understand the importance of providing advice that is not only backed by proof but also advances the goals of the company. Every decision is an opportunity to use critical thinking to become more effective and increase productivity. ADAPTABILITY and COMPOSURE If the last two years have shown the necessity of any skills, its adaptability. Human resource professionals often face unprecedented situations. To remain adaptable and maintain composure amidst high-stress conditions is essential for leaders in an organization. This unflappable representation has a downward effect of keeping the masses calm and open to change. LEADERSHIP Employees of the human resources department, even non-managerial, are likely perceived as leaders in the company. Leading by example is the most effective way to get employees on board with policies, culture shifts, and productivity. Leadership done well can be the accelerant for success in an organization. Healthy leaders who know both how to take charge with humility and serve employees with a gracious heart will be the catalyst for health in any company. Stephanie Mauney is freelance writer and content curator specializing in Human Resources.

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Stephanie Mauney

Apr 25, 2022

Recruiting

Recruiter Interview Questions

The demand for high quality recruiters is on a major growth trajectory with the job market tightening. So called ‘unicorn’ recruiters can make a huge impact in a company’s ability to attract and hire top talent. What should your company look for in a good recruiter? Rock star recruiters have several qualities that hiring managers can look out for. Network Quality recruiters have a wide network of people they can tap into. You should look for someone that knows the right people and can pull from across the industry for candidate sourcing. A wide ranging network of not just connections but the right connections can be priceless in attracting talent. Hiring managers should ask candidates about their networking strategies, follow up on social media platform visibility, and ensure candidates know how to reach people in their industry. Skills Recruiters need to have certain qualities and skillsets in order to be successful. Companies looking to hire recruiters should look for people who exhibit excellent communication skills and attention to detail. They should have familiarity with the popular ATS, sourcing techniques, and Boolean search queries. They must have the ability to make authentic connections with candidates. Recruiters must be able to operate well under pressure. They must be able to think critically and exude confidence. Specs Finding a great recruiter means looking for someone with a creditable history of successful hires. Hiring managers will want to look for solid quantifiable proof either in a resume or during the interview process. It’s important to know what recruiting load the candidate has experience with. Are you looking for an applicant used to filling one or two high level positions or someone who has experience sourcing for high volume positions? Business Acumen Knowing and understanding the innerworkings of the business is essential for recruiters to be successful. Organizations should be searching for candidates that have experience with the industry they will be sourcing for. Understanding how the business is successful, where the business revenue stream comes from, and the business growth strategy can make a recruiter more efficient in bringing in the right candidates. Recruiter should be subject matter experts in the industry they are working for. Recruiter Interview Questions Recruiters are well versed in the interview experience. Catering an interview specifically to an experienced recruiter is important. Below are example questions that may prove helpful in gaining valuable insight while interviewing recruiters. Experiential Questions How many positions are you typically filling at any given time? What was the average stick rate of candidates you helped hire? What is your relationship like with your hiring managers? What industry are you most familiar with recruiting for? Situational Questions Describe a time when you had a great working relationship with a client. What made the relationship thrive? Tell me about a time a successful candidate declined an important role. How did you pivot to fill the position? Describe how you respond when you must let a candidate down. When was a situation where you disagreed with the hiring manager’s decision? How did you react? Tell me how you would pitch our company to a highly desired applicant. Describe a time you used data to improve your ability to recruit successfully. Process Questions Describe your process of building a candidate pipeline. How has your recruiting process changed over your years of experience? Tell me about your method of keeping track of applicants and your follow up procedure. Describe a time when your typical sourcing strategies were not working. How did you fill the role? What tools and technology do you utilize to reach, communicate with, and update applicants? Where do you look to make connections in your industry and widen your network? How do you keep up with industry trends and the latest recruiting methodologies? Personal Questions Do you have a personal brand? If so, what is it and how are you building a network subscribed to you? What do you love about being a recruiter? What gives you joy to wake up and start work? What excites you about the future of recruiting in our industry? How do feel building relationships is tied to being a successful recruiter? Average Salary for Recruiters How much does a recruiter make? Depends on what type of recruiter you are. Corporate recruiters are generally salaried employees while those that work for staffing agencies typically work on commission. If they place a person in a job the employer pays the agency a percentage of yearly salary, anywhere from 10-30%. A quick check of Indeed’s salary pages show the average salary for a recruiter is $51,489. Stephanie Mauney is freelance writer and content curator specializing in Human Resources.

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Stephanie Mauney

Apr 14, 2022

Recruiting

Stay Interviews 101

Employees are increasingly looking to work for companies who go above and beyond to keep them engaged. Employee engagement levels may be one of the best indicators of employee satisfaction and future retention. There are multiple avenues employers can take to get employees talking about their professional desires and level of current happiness with the employer. One way to gauge employee satisfaction is to conduct stay interviews. What is a Stay Interview? A stay interview is an honest two-sided conversation an employer has with an employee with the goal to encourage and gain feedback from the employee in order to keep them retained. Stay interviews have gained traction and popularity over the last couple of years as the job market tightens and the ‘great resignation’ continues. Recruiters are aggressively reaching out to passive candidates. For employers who want to make sure their employees know why they want to be at their current job, stay interviews may be a great tool. To be clear, a stay interview is not the conversation that is had while an employee has one foot out the door. It is not the talk management has with an employee to negotiate them not leaving. It is pre-emptive to that. It is a preventative step with hopes to avoid that possibility. Who Should Use Stay Interviews? The stay interview process is not an optimal strategy for every company. Organizations with trust issues, failing culture, or workplace toxicity will not want to open up two- way conversations for employees to give feedback. They would need to focus on primary objectives initially. Stay interviews are perfect for companies with well established trust, open door management, and stable retention. Open communication must already be an established value in order for the stay interview to be successful. Being Prepared for Stay Interviews Before conducting the stay interview, it would be helpful to complete a needs analysis to determine goals in mind. The goals will be a necessary benchmark for an evaluation following the stay interviews to understand whether they were effective or not. It is always important to have a process in place prior to implementing a new engagement or retention strategy, otherwise there would be no way of knowing whether it made any difference or not. Employers must have a plan in place to evaluate responses that need action. Companies preparing for stay interview must be ready for the challenges that may come with asking employees for transparency. Management must be willing to hear about difficult and complex issues that may arise. Unpleasant realities may come to the surface that are unexpected. Managers may have to accept accountability for situations that employees are dissatisfied with. The interviewer conducting the stay interviews must be mature, possessing advanced relational and communication skills. They must be an active listener, ready and eager to make employees feel heard. How to Conduct a Stay Interview? Prior to beginning, the structure of the interview should be determined. Decide who will be involved in the process. How will interviews be announced? Providing advance notice and preparation advice will allow employees to provide honest feedback without being caught off guard. Although stay interviews should be conducted in an informal conversational manner, the questions should be predetermined and structured. Interviewers should be well trained on how to conduct the interview properly. Conduct all the interviews within a few weeks of each other to obtain the most up to date response. The interview should be no longer than 30 minutes. For employees who seem nervous, interviewers should work hard to be vulnerable and help put the conversation at ease. Be sure to thank employees for their time and willingness to share openly. Offer them an opportunity to follow up should there be anything else they feel needs to be shared in the future. What questions to ask? Below are example questions that can be asked during the interview. Always begin the conversation with an opener that promotes casual open communication such as: “Thank you for taking the time to speak with us. This is an informal open conversation. I’d like to gain more understanding about how you feel your job is going so that I can support you and help this be a great place to work.” “What makes you look forward to coming to work?” “In what ways do you currently feel professionally challenged?” “How comfortable are you with your current workload?” “What do you like most and least about coming to work here?” “How do you feel about the impact of your work?” “If you could change anything about working here, what would it be?” “Do you feel recognized and appreciated for your contributions?” “What do you see yourself doing with our company over the next 5 years?” “In what areas could you learn more?” “What can management do more or less of to create increased satisfaction for you?” “Over the last year, what has caused anxiety or frustration for you here?” “What would be your dream job here?” Stephanie Mauney is freelance writer and content curator specializing in Human Resources.

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Stephanie Mauney

Apr 8, 2022

Human Resources

Onboarding Employees on the First Day

Change is hard. Changing jobs, changing cities, changing homes, changing colleagues, changing bosses- all of these can be overwhelming aspects of starting a new job. Human Resources professionals and managers should strive to make an employee’s first day a positive and impactful experience. The person coming onboard has made a choice to bring their skillset to a new company. Their first day experience could be the starting point for a tenured, mutually beneficial relationship, or it could be the day they head right back to the job market. Making a good first day impression with a new employee is vital to retention. According to the Society of Human Resources Management: Up to 20 percent of turnover takes place in the first 45 days Make sure your organization is planning in advance for new hires. Implement a structured schedule and at least one wow factor to guarantee new members of your team walk away from day one excited to return. Before Day One Keep communication channels open prior to an employee’s first day. Touch base before day one to prepare them for what their schedule will look like. Where should they park? Who should they ask for? What do they need to bring? For virtual environments, ensure the employee knows what to expect for day one interaction. Ask them if there is anything you can do to help them prepare or answer any questions they have. Day One Goodies Provide a small gift to help ease the day one jitters. Maybe a gift bag, some company swag, or a coffee. This is an easy and inexpensive way to show employee appreciation right from the start. For remote employees, think about a simple gift shipped straight to the employee. Perhaps a morning treat delivered to their door? Physical Tour Pretty basic concept, but preparation for this can make all the difference to giving an employee a feeling of comfort on their first day. Provide a tour, whether physical or virtual, that gives the employee the knowledge to start gaining confidence in the new role. Tech Prep Be sure to have all technology pre-set up for the employee’s first day. The last obstacle you want a new hire to be facing is tech issues. Have logins, software, and supplies ready to go for use and training. Schedule Plan out what Onboarding look like over the next 30, 60, and 90 days. Prepare your new hires for what’s to come. What does week one look like? Provide a plan of action for how they will be integrated into the work, and when independent work will begin. Office Announcement Ask your new hire to share a photo and a small bio about themselves. Share with the office or team they will be working with. Creating a sense of community for a new hire is crucial. This gives a chance for them to become part of the group early on and may inspire connection with their peers. Lunch on You Day one nerves can get the best of almost everyone. Make plans to take your new staff member out to lunch, or have a virtual lunch meeting, to take a mental break and focus on building rapport. Mentorship Partner all new hires with a tenured employee. This person can serve a check-in for the new staff. Providing a mentor gives employees someone to look up to and have open conversation with. It can go a long way in encouraging them and answering questions. Checklist Create a formalized workflow for the human resources team handling day one onboarding. A checklist is a great tool to have as a check and balance. It ensures no steps are left undone. A note on what not to do for day one Onboarding Be sure to never ask new employees to ‘hit the ground running.’ This is a huge red flag. Expecting employee to begin autonomous work without proper onboarding could quickly lead to losing them. Additionally, be careful about information overload. It’s best to allow the employee time to soak everything in. This will set them up for the to succeed with you. Ultimately, taking the time to properly onboard new hires is to the benefit of every organization. Recruiting, hiring, and training can be costly. Taking the time to create a positive and effective first day experience will lead to increased retention, more efficient operations, and money saved. Stephanie Mauney is freelance writer and content curator specializing in Human Resources.

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Stephanie Mauney

Mar 30, 2022

Recruiting

How to Become a Recruiter

The human resources field is filled with specializations. For those who are people centric, they may consider a path to recruiting. In the current job market, the demand for both internal and agency recruiters is on an exponential trajectory. Companies are realizing the value of hiring recruiters who can dedicate their full-time work to sourcing, screening, vetting, and bringing on new talent. Not only can they bring in talent quickly, but they can begin to optimize a candidate pipeline that makes hiring even more efficient and effective. Recruiters tap into their wide ranging network to increase hiring efficiencies. For those wanting to specialize in talent acquisition, there are a few ways to narrow your path, acquire the right skills, and inject yourself into the recruitment industry. Lay the Foundation Depending on the current level of career, it may be helpful for someone wanting to enter recruiting to gain basic human resources knowledge by obtaining a PHR (Professional in Human Resources) certification. This will lay the foundation for understanding legal compliance, industry terminology, and standard hiring protocols. Find a Recruiting Niche Recruiters are typically focused on a niche. Whether its tech, finance, manufacturing, or healthcare, talent acquisition partners typically have a niche market in mind when filling roles. A good first step to becoming a recruiter would be to analyze the desired niche market. Become a subject matter expert in the industry. Follow recruiters who are succeeding in that industry. Learn the insider language of the industry. KNOW the business. For example, if it’s an inspiration to be an IT recruiter, find out what the companies who hire primarily in tech look for. How does the technology department fit into the grand scheme of the business? What are the primary required skills for tech hires? Answering all these questions will level up the ability to hold knowledgeable conversation with those in the industry. Immersion in the desired niche market will take you from average to expert in the minds of those hiring for the talent acquisition team. Network, Network, Network Take two candidates. One has an outdated, never touched, LinkedIn profile and little proof of interaction with professionals in the industry market. The second has a large LinkedIn network, an expertly designed profile, and a community of already engaged employees to draw on. Who will look more desirable to a recruiting hiring manager? Obviously, the second. All would-be recruiters should begin by updating their LinkedIn profile to begin attracting a wider network. Start connecting with both other recruiters and those in the desired market in a meaningful way. This doesn’t mean hitting ‘connect’ with as many people as possible. It means engaging in a way that provides value. Be curious. Provide helpful information. Begin to build a marketable skillset that people find useful. Upskill Your Recruiting Skills Both soft and technical skills are required to be a successful recruiter. In the category of technical skills, its necessary to understand the basics of online research. Talent acquisition applicants should be competent in Boolean queries and sourcing techniques. It would be additionally advantageous to have familiarity with applicant tracking systems. More difficult to learn are the required soft skills. According to Forbes, there are six required soft skills in recruiting; communication, conflict management, succeed under high pressure and flexibility, teamwork, confidence, and critical thinking. In order to leverage past experience towards a future career in recruiting, it would be helpful to perform a gap analysis. In what ways has past experience demonstrated one or all of these skills? Write down quantifiable ways to define situations that put these skills on display. Go For It For anyone considering a jump into the recruitment sector, NOW is the time. Consider your passions. If that list includes helping people, analyzing data, or problem solving, you may be the right fit for a career in recruiting. Don’t let having a mediocre career path hold you back from jumping into an exciting and challenging career. Recruiting is not going to be an easy road, as with any job that deals primarily with other humans. But, the rewards are endless. Recruiting holds the possibility to change lives, build meaningful relationships, foster diversity and inclusion, educate employers on best practices, and more. Stephanie Mauney is freelance writer and content curator specializing in Human Resources.

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Stephanie Mauney

Mar 24, 2022

Human Resources

HRIS Software Migration Tips

Due to workforce growth and changing business objectives many companies find themselves transitioning to a new Human Resources Information System. The transition process from start to finish can include sourcing new software, navigating the sales process, mapping the implementation plan, data transfer or data conversion, and employee training. It can be overwhelming if you haven’t been through the process before. Ensuring you choose the right software to fit department needs and deciding what data to pull through is complicated, especially considering compliance and regulatory requirements. Here are 7 tips for your next HRIS software migration. Needs Analysis First, your team needs to identify the reason for the migration. Are you looking to move to a better user interface? Do you need more efficient reporting tools? Do you want employees to have higher engagement? Start by creating a list of your top ten requirements. Get the whole team involved to allow for as much clarity and input as possible. A new software may provide an opportunity to contemplate a more progressive use of data. Think about the ways your HR team can use an HRIS to influence the business goals. Are you hoping to track diversity? Do you need to easily pull data analytic visuals to show the value of your strategic plans? Do you need an applicant tracking system to help you fill roles quickly? Most HRIS companies offer a multitude of products which can increase the cost quickly. You will want to ensure that you have your biggest needs at the forefront. Identify a Budget Meet with executives to determine cost limitations. You will want to go into the sales process with a good idea about your spending limit. This a significant investment for your company; you will want to guarantee the executive team is fully supporting the transition and investment expense. Sales Team Antics The sales managers at these companies are good at what they do. They are going to show you a demo that will leave you pulling out the checkbook ready to sign on the dotted line. When that happens, take a step back. Treat this like buying a car. You need to test it out and seek plenty of outside input. Ask them to reveal a couple companies using their software in similar industries. Reach out to those companies directly for honest feedback about the interface, implementation process, and customer service level. Read online reviews. Take your time. Resist the pressure to follow a strict sales deadline. Do your due diligence to make sure they are capable of what they are selling you on. Data Transfer Prior to making any moves take the time to clean up your existing data. Next, decide what data fields must be moved over to the new system as well as how many years of history your team regularly needs access to. You’ll want to make sure historical data comes with you. For information not being migrated, determine a storage location in the chance that you would need to reference it later. Tackling Implementation Taking on an HRIS implementation requires a team effort. Divide and conquer by assigning duties to subject matter experts in your department. Work with the HRIS software employees to create a reasonable timeline with clear expectations about what will be completed and when it will be completed by. Identify test users who will look through every tool of your new software and become well acquainted with the user capabilities. Employee Roll Out Some industries have more technologically literate employees than others. Determine where your employees’ abilities stand and plan strategically about how to communicate the change to them. If needed, hold training sessions to demo how employees can best utilize the new HRIS. Change is hard for most people, so be patient. Monitor Progress Once you are live with the new HRIS, track employee usage, check to make sure all the tools you agreed upon are all working properly, and pull data sets to audit for accuracy. I recommend, if you are able, to create a small window of overlap where you maintain access to the prior system for a few months. This can be extremely useful in the instance you need to reference back. Do not hesitate to get the implementation team back in if something isn’t going the way you expected. Stephanie Mauney is freelance writer and content curator specializing in Human Resources.

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Stephanie Mauney

Mar 15, 2022

Recruiting Tactics

High Volume Recruiting Tactics

With current staffing trends, many companies are having to utilize high volume recruiting to fill current openings and ensure a well flowing candidate pipeline. Although many candidates out on the market claim they have applied to hundreds of roles throughout their job search; it can still be difficult to source the right person for a role, especially when a recruiter is looking to fill a large number of positions at once. High volume recruiters can be faced with very high stress levels. They are often required to meet tight deadlines and fill multiple positions a day. Their compensation may be tied to their hiring metrics. While there may be a high demand and an overall large talent pool for entry level positions, the competition with industry competitors can often lead to no show interviews, candidates backing out at the last second, and bold counter offers. Targeting mid and senior level candidates poses similar obstacles. Companies are forced to find the competitive edge to stand out. Add in the requirement to finding several qualified people per day, and high volume recruiters are faced with a challenging reality. Creativity, innovation, industry expertise, and advanced research skills are just a few examples of how some recruiters beat out their competitors. Here’s some tactics to consider; Ensure job seekers can locate and understand your positions Work together with your technology and marketing experts to ensure roles are easily accessible. Are candidates able to find your jobs based on similar titles? Search optimization can mean a huge difference in audience reach. Is your job ad clear and accurate? Collaborate with hiring managers to ensure the job posting meets the expectations of the role. Implement automation into your job posting How many candidates see your job and keep scrolling? Even worse, how many start your application only to walk away after realizing your application was going to take an hour of their time? Think about ways your post can be streamlined to catch the eye of the candidate, remind them to follow through, and create a seamless timely application process. Remember, you represent the company to every candidate that applies Although, it may be difficult to personally respond to a high number of applicants, it is vital to not only securing the candidate who is ultimately hired but also keeping candidates who aren’t hired interested in future roles. Personal investment can have big returns on your ability to fill future openings. Initiate texting to speed hiring According to AIHR, when it comes to modern-day job seekers, over 90% of them use their mobile devices to look for that dream job. Our world is mobile. Recruiters have personal access to the device candidates are likely spending multiple hours a day checking for updates. Texting is a great way to reach people fast, reducing that wait time for a returned email and keeping them updated with the current application status. Give job seekers the tools to succeed Many applicants to entry level positions or blue-collar industries may not have the necessary means to land the job they are qualified for. Point candidates in the right direction by offering a resume builder, interview tips, coaching on interview etiquette, or preparing them for what to expect throughout your process. By providing this type of automated baseline support you could be gathering applicants that otherwise may have been passed over entirely. Treat candidates as human beings Remember that job seekers are putting themselves in a vulnerable position. They may be trying to provide for a family or get off the ground after a difficult lay off. Respecting their time and efforts goes a long way. The average corporate recruiter has dozens of job reqs to deal with. The ones that prioritze the candidate experience always win. With high volume recruiting, it’s important to never burn a bridge with your candidates whether they are hired or not. Keep them updated throughout the process. Advocate for them. Celebrate when they are extended an offer. Encourage them when they don’t receive an offer. Take a moment to offer them job search advice, resume feedback, and support. Even in a rejection, there are ways to be encouraging. Qualified job seekers should be urged to re-apply. Although they may not have been the best fit at the time, they can take away key tips and come back more prepared for your next opening. Stephanie Mauney is freelance writer and content curator specializing in Human Resources.

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Stephanie Mauney

Mar 8, 2022