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#YourCareer : How To Ask HR To Better Plan Your Future At The Company. Interesting Read!

August 6, 2020/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Growth is an important component of planning for your future at a company. Luckily, HR departments are there to help you navigate your professional development.

Since there are many different factors that will play into how you can reach your full potential, be sure to remember a few of these worthwhile conversations to have with your HR team.

Discuss opportunities for growth

A meaningful conversation you can have at work is to discuss the opportunities available for personal growth within the company. While your colleagues, managers, and upper-level management are great to talk to in terms of your potential at an organization, you can also take advantage of using your HR team as a tool as you begin to plan your future at the company.

Whether you are looking to advance within your current position, switch departments, are considering changing locations, or hoping for a raise, HR can help facilitate whatever growth you are seeking. Because there are many factors that go into HR’s decisions about promotions, having a conversation with this team can help you gain a clearer vision of what they look for in a candidate as well as their decision-making process.

On the other hand, your company’s HR team can also help you navigate areas that you feel are unfair or restricting you from reaching your goals as well. Remember that HR can act as an advocate for ensuring that your management is conducting fair assessments of work—so they can be a useful resource in your potential growth at the company.

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Explore your employee benefits

A major retention effort used by companies is offering extensive employee benefits packages as an incentive to attract (and keep) top talent. As your needs will change as you continue to work throughout the years, reviewing your benefits with an HR member will ensure you are being adequately compensated and also getting the most out of what your company offers.

Similarly, working for a company that cares about you and your loved one’s long-term financial well-being will help you feel more confident in moving forward. A good example is to talk to HR about the life insurance offerings available. While many companies offer some sort of coverage, life insurance costs are dependent on many different factors—so securing a private policy might actually save you money instead of going through your employer. Additional coverage can help to cover the deficit if your company’s policy isn’t enough.

Remember that at the end of the day, you are working to bring home an income and provide for yourself and your loved ones. Your HR team can contribute to your financial planning as it relates to your benefits, and in return, this can encourage you to stay and move up within a company that values you as a person.

Address company culture

It’s no secret that when you are passionate about your job, can be a lot easier to get up and perform your daily tasks. But what about the people and the environment that surrounds you?

According to a study by Deloitte, 88% of employees believe that it is important to a business’ success to have a distinct workplace culture. If your current company is somewhere that you plan on growing with and looking for long-term stability, it can be beneficial to speak up about their workplace culture.

Company culture encompasses many different factors, and won’t look the same at every organization. Determining what issues or principles are important to you as an employee and having conversations with your HR team can foster a more positive working environment for all parties involved. Because the motivation you have to work efficiently with those around you plays a key role in determining your long term happiness, be sure to speak up about matters and policies that are significant to you. This is the main part of HR’s role, so connecting with the correct people is critical to see an actual change in your work environment.

Your HR department is a great asset to use when planning your growth within an organization. Utilizing them as a tool along with your continued efforts of being a hard-working employee creates a meaningful partnership where you can flourish in your career in the long run.

FSC Career Blog – August 6, 2020

#JobSearch : Best Practices for a Job Seeker’s Cover Letter. Great Eight(8) Points Checklist.

April 12, 2020/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

In this technology-based age, many companies are foregoing cover letters in the electronic uploads for digital resume storage, but some systems allow cover letters to be added separately.

Recruiters may review the cover letter for various reasons, but here are a few discriminators used to consider or to reject a candidate.

1- What positive things do recruiters want to see in cover letters? The ability to write an idea concisely, proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation demonstrate a well-rounded education. Aesthetic placement of type font, white space, centering (vertical and horizontal) demonstrates a technical skill to use word processing software and awareness of creating a professional look and feel.

It’s hard to address a ‘real human being’ in any HR department. A Boolean search might bring up a point of contact in the company on social sites (company website, LinkedIn, or Facebook). If your query and find an employee’s name, they may be willing to share an HR rep’s name and contact info. ‘Dear sir or madam,’ is the professional alternative, if you can’t find any names.

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2- Cover letters should be one page – no more – with one-inch margins and 11 or 12-point type font (Arial or Times New Roman). If you can’t get the message across in three paragraphs, it’s too wordy. The contents of a cover letter should be concise and within those three paragraphs. A well-written paragraph has at least three sentences. Don’t start sentences or paragraphs with prepositions (e.g., and, but, because, etc.).

Recruiters prefer resumes and cover letters uploaded into Automated Tracking Systems (ATS) resume databases or may ask for an e-mailed resume. Copy and paste it within the body of the email, but place it after your signature line. You should have a very short notification, e.g., “Per request, please find my cover letter and resume after my signature for your consideration.” Computer viruses make recruiters nervous about attachments. Recruiters would rather have an opportunity to scroll down for information versus opening documents to save time and effort.

3- The first paragraph emphasizes the applicant’s interest in the company. Explain why you are targeting the employer and the job title. ‘Name drop’ a mutual contact if you have that advantage. “I am applying for the Whiffle Ball hole-driller position because your company’s reputation is stellar in the junior-league baseball industry for making the highest quality play equipment. Your emphasis on quality makes my skills as a driller a good match for (name of company)’s strategic objectives noted on your website.” This shows the applicant has performed research and shows the ability to communicate a point effectively.

4- Name-dropping might be impolite in some circles, but for job shopping, it might get your foot in the door. Mention a common contact to attract the attention of the recruiter. “Joe Bob, Pellet Supervisor in your molding plant, suggested my candidacy for this position.” Additionally, some companies provide incentives such as cash bonuses for employees, so this gives the recruiter documentation of the referral.

The cover letter is not your resume – provide a few salient points of interest in the second paragraph not already explained in the resume. “A recent trip to the Congo provided valuable experience in creating Whiffle Ball leagues for schools in a district with three different languages. This experience has enriched my capability to use diverse communications skills to ensure your company has effective methods of obtaining customer suggestions for where Whiffle holes are drilled in the balls. This explains the gap in employment for the summer of YYY and the change in my career from nursing hamster pups to drilling Whiffle balls.”

5- The third paragraph should emphasize availability and refer to attached (or uploaded) resume and availability for interviewing (either telephonically or in person), accompanied by phone and e-mail information. The applicant’s return address is already in the resume – don’t waste precious text or white space on repeat information.

6- The cover letter is not a place to try sarcastic or witty humor. With no context or visible body language, the attempt at humor may backfire. Write professionally. Emphasize what you can do for the employer versus asking them to do you a favor. Try to avoid using the word ‘I’ in the cover letter – it is, but it is not about you – it is about the company’s need to find a qualified candidate for a position.

7- Even English professors can misspell words or get a comma in the wrong place. Send the cover letter through the grammar and spell check several times and then read the letter out loud to a peer to ensure it makes sense. Just because a word is spelled correctly, doesn’t mean it’s correctly used (e.g., granite = granted, fast paste = fast-paced). Get an unbiased outsider to proof the letter, a teacher, mentor, or a student in AP courses to check the spelling. Look for sample letters on the Internet to compare.

8- The final piece of your cover letter is your signature. If you have your address on the resume and telephone number and/or email address in the third paragraph, all that is needed is a full name under a ‘wet’ signature. Applicants can scan a copy of their signature and insert the graphic to look like a real signature, which enables them to send the letter digitally without further scanning.

FSC Career Blog Author: Ms. Dawn Boyer, Ph.D., owner of D. Boyer Consulting – provides resume writing, social media management, and print-on-demand author coaching and consulting. Reach her at: Dawn.Boyer@DBoyerConsulting.com or http://dboyerconsulting.com.

FSC Career Blog | April 12, 2020

Great Read & Share: 8 HR Predictions For 2020.

December 23, 2019/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Entering a new decade, in the midst of a global technology revolution, business leaders recognize that the driving force behind every innovation has been human(s): employees who believed in the organization’s vision and were empowered to do the best work of their lives.

In 2020, organizations will need to create positive employee experiences that make employees feel valued, appreciated, and energized to invest their entire selves in the workplace. When employees experience higher levels of humanity at work, they perform better, are more likely to exert extra effort at their jobs, and are less likely to quit.

These eight HR predictions – validated by some of the world’s sharpest thought leaders – offer insights to help companies position their employees and themselves for success in 2020 and beyond.

Employers will ensure workplace rights for all employees.

In the 2019 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends report, CEOs cited “impact on society, including income equality, diversity, and the environment” as the most important measure of an organization’s success.

Additionally, 181 CEOs signed the Business Roundtable’s statement, redefining a public corporation’s primary purpose, from existing to benefit shareholders to existing to serve all their stakeholders – employees, customers, suppliers, and the community as well as shareholders. These statements represent a step in the right direction for workplace rights.

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Corporate social responsibility will be a business imperative.

Whether inspired by social pressure or self-interest, leading companies are adopting a moral case for their role in the betterment of society. They have listened to the arguments, often made by employees and customers, that their responsibilities go beyond the bottom line.

Modern employees have deep concern and passion for making the world a better place for themselves, their children, and future generations. Activism is incredibly important to them, and they care deeply about doing meaningful work for a responsible organization whose values align with theirs. Because of this, companies are shifting away from the traditional approach to people’s strategies and focusing more on employee recognition and creating a culture that helps unite their employees in working toward shared goals.

“Employee experience” will expand and elevate to “human experience.”

More than ever, the strength of a company’s financial performance will depend on its ability to win the hearts and minds of every employee.

Shawn Achor, founder and CEO, GoodThink, sees an opportunity for companies to adapt to the stress of change by deepening social bonds, practicing gratitude, and identifying meaning in the stress. “Together, we can actually create more happiness and connection even amid change. Think how strongly people bond in boot camp or in combat, or how friendships deepen when people overcome hard times together. In good times, happiness is a luxury item, but in challenging times it becomes a necessity if we want to see our full potential.”

Christine Porath, Ph.D., associate professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, agrees. “It’s in leaders’ and organizations’ best interest to create workplaces where people can thrive. Organizations are starting to separate themselves by being known for their culture.”

Susan Cain, co-founder, and CEO of Quiet Revolution and best-selling author, says, “I predict that the movement toward a more humanistic work culture will only accelerate. Based on my conversations with various companies in different sectors during my travels, I see a near-universal acknowledgment of the importance of psychology and psychological safety.”

Nataly Kogan, founder, Happier Inc. and Happier @ Work, concurs. “More and more leaders and companies will make creating a culture of gratitude, kindness, and psychological safety a strategic priority in 2020.”

Kat Cole, COO, and president, FOCUS Brands, says, “In 2020, companies that win are the ones that connect the real-life needs of humans who are customers to the humans at work. The customer-employee connection is more important than ever. Customers care more about how employees are treated and the employee/employer brand than ever before.”

Employers and employees will share accountability for engagement and productivity.

Cy Wakeman, international keynote speaker and New York Times best-selling author, says, “Shared accountability will be the name of the game in 2020. Employers will need to work to create empowering and engaging workplaces and employees will need to bring their most evolved selves to work – willing, able, and ready to work to meet the challenges at hand full-on.”

Josh Bersin, global industry analyst and dean, says, “As companies become more service-driven and networked, organizations are going through one of the biggest changes in structure and management in decades. The biggest challenge for 2020 is going to be ‘driving productivity at work’ – not just focusing on employee engagement, growth, and culture, but helping people and leaders learn how to ‘get things done.’”

Flexibility will help retain and attract great employees.

Adam Grant, Ph.D., Wharton professor and best-selling author, also predicts more flexibility in when and how employees will be able to work. “I’m anticipating three trends that make work more human – the rise of the four-day work week and the six-hour workday, more companies offering returnships for parents transitioning back into the workforce, and the growth of job-sharing, where two people can work part time in one role.”

Ozan Varol, best-selling author, says the 9-to-5 workday and the five-day work week are both arbitrary benchmarks. “Most businesses continue to operate under this structure, not because it leads to more productive employees (it doesn’t), but because it happens to be the status quo. In 2020, I expect that more businesses will experiment with flexible schedules and shorter workdays and weeks, which boost the productivity, happiness, and well-being of employees.”

Data and analytics will become even more important strategic tools.

Gabrielle Thompson, Cisco’s SVP of Acquisitions and Total Rewards, says “the consolidation and predictive analytics using data throughout the organization, crossing functional boundaries, will drive more thought-provoking conversations about current and future talent.”

Jason Averbook , Leapgen CEO and cofounder, says, “Data will be crucial for all in HR to ensure they are delivering experiences to the workforce that matter as well as finally crossing the chasm, delivering insights that show the impact that talent tools are making on the business.”

The widespread use of misinformation in politics could spread to the workplace.

Daniel Pink, author of WHEN and DRIVE, fears that “the assault on truth we’re seeing in politics — from peddling demonstrably false conspiracy theories to labeling a free press the ‘enemy of the people’ — could begin to infiltrate the workplace. If people feel free to call anything they disagree with ‘fake news,’ what happens to the integrity of financial statements, performance reviews, resumes, and so on?”

More companies will encourage employees to invest in colleagues’ success.

Michelle Gielan, best-selling author, says, “In an era of increasing stress and hyper-competition at work, professionals focused on their own high performance and supporting colleagues will win out in 2020 and beyond. Our research shows those investing in the success of others versus merely their own are 40% more likely to receive a promotion over the next year. Additionally, strengthening relationships at work fuels engagement and well-being. Social connection is the biggest predictor of happiness in life. Understanding how to meaningfully invest in others will be an important competitive advantage during this next decade.”

Forbes.com | December 23, 2019 | Eric Mosley Contributor

#CareerAdvice : The Future of Work- Four #JobSkills the #HRLeaders of the Future will Need…It’s Time For the Oft-Maligned #HumanResources Function to Kick Old Habits & Drive Businesses Forward. That will Take HR Leaders with Broader Skill Sets.

July 24, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

How would you characterize your past employers’ HR departments? Chances are terms like “administrative,” “reactive,” “transactional,” or less-flattering terms come to mind.

Human resources originally evolved out of a personnel-based function rooted in administrative and compliance-driven tasks that historically haven’t been perceived as adding value to organizations in the same way that sales, marketing, or engineering do. And if you dissect old-school HR teams, you’ll find many practitioners who’ve spent most of their careers in the field; career paths have tended to be linear, rising from coordinator to manager, ultimately all the way up to the top chief human resources officer (CHRO). This career path meant the function was rarely infused with perspectives and practices from outside the field, and often led to insular ideas on what it means for an HR professional to support the business.

Times are changing. According to a recent reportissued by HR Open Source (HROS), the community platform for HR professionals that I cofounded, 68% of current HR professionals have worked in fields outside of human resources. Inevitably, they’re steadily cross-pollinating the HR function with new skills and ideas that organizations should be all too eager to embrace. Still, modern HR requires more than a semantic shift from “human resources” to “people operations.” It requires broader capabilities and job skills than have typically been demanded of HR professionals in the past–allowing them to tackle critical issues ranging from sexual harassment to emerging recruiting technologies, not to mention a business and industry acumen to rival their executive peers.

With those needs in mind, here are a few big-ticket skills that HR leaders will need in order to adapt to the future of work.

1. LEARNING AGILITY

According to HR tech analyst William Tincup, there are over 24,000 HR software tools on the market today, with recent estimates valuing the market at some $400 billion. Artificial intelligence, bots, blockchain, automation, and technologies are rapidly transforming the HR technology ecosystem. But that’s no guarantee they’ll all be adopted, let alone implemented properly. Indeed, separating hype from substance and finding effective ways to harness emerging technologies in order to execute an effective people strategy is now a vital skill. This is particularly true in small to mid-size organizations where HR leaders often run lean teams without dedicated HR analysts to advise them.

So if you’re planning a career in HR or looking to hire human resources professionals who can lead your organization into the future, fluency with technology and the ability to learn about new tools and practices should be a top priority.

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2. CREATIVITY

Something transformative seems to have happened over the last decade or so. As the field of “employer branding” matured, HR added a rarely used term to describe itself: “creative.” HR is now on the front lines of most company’s branding efforts, telling stories and shaping prospective hires’ perceptions of what it’s like to work in your organization. That’s pushing HR professionals to coordinate with marketing teams, making sure the organization’s people narratives support and align with its consumer branding. As a result, modern HR leaders need to think much more creatively than their predecessors. They should understand social media and digital engagement as well as the types of compelling and authentic messages to attract the right talent.

3. BUSINESS AND DATA ACUMEN

While hardly a new skill set for HR executives, the complexity of modern business and the expectation that HR leaders will be trusted advisers to the CEO make deeper business and operational knowledge all the more critical. Effective HR leaders now need a strong grasp of their organizations’ business model and market strategy, industry dynamics and competitive landscape, and how all those components impact human capital–from hiring and performance to diversity and inclusion. What’s more, HR leaders will need to develop adaptable people strategies that can evolve with the business.

So it’s no surprise that one of the most significant shifts in the field over recent years is the focus on data. In the recent HROS report, “people analytics” was the field with the highest increase in expected impact (22%) among HR professionals, 48% of whom said their organizations planned to invest in people-analytics software over the next three years. This means that modern HR leaders have growing access to enormous amounts of data on recruitment, retention, performance, productivity, employee satisfaction, and more. How they gather, evaluate, and ultimately interpret that data to drive their strategy is what’s really important.

4. STORYTELLING

Any effective leader who represents and manages employees needs great communication skills, and HR leaders are no exception. But skill with narratives that can influence and engage people–both inside and outside the organization–will be even more vital in the future. As human resources becomes an ever more public-facing function, HR leaders will need to be able to articulate an organization’s value propositions as an employer, not just as a company that sells a product or service. And being able to connect with a broad range of audiences through compelling stories is key. It’s what inspires people to rally behind a company’s mission and purpose–and, ultimately, decide to apply to jobs there and stick around once hired.

This list of emerging job skills for HR leaders is far from comprehensive. Empathy, compassion, emotional intelligence, knowledge of diversity and inclusion issues, coaching, and more are all vital elements of HR’s expanding role. Which traits might be more critical than others may depend on the leader, the company, and its culture. Still, a broad skill set is vital–not just to bring HR out of the back-of-house position where it’s long languished, but to bring entire companies forward into the future, too.

FastCompany.com | July 24, 2018

#Leadership : #WorkPlace Evolution – 4 #EmotionallyIntelligent #HRPolicies #Employees May Suffer Without…When #TeamMembers Face Crises in their Personal Lives, they Need to Know their #Employers have their Backs–in Word and in Deed.

June 26, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Depression, suicide, addiction, domestic abuse, mental health: These issues impact workforces in countless ways, many of them hidden from public view and employers’ eyes alike. But responsible organizations can’t assume that bad things aren’t happening in their employees’ lives just because they don’t hear about them.

A great work culture is one that goes out of its way to proactively support employees who are struggling with grief, mental health, abuse, and addiction issues–and does so with compassion and emotional intelligence. These are a few ways to adjust existing human resources policies in order to do that.

1. FLEXIBLE BEREAVEMENT LEAVE

Many organizations need to be more flexible in the ways they support employees who are experiencing loss. The standard policy of three days of bereavement leave may be enough time to attend a funeral out of state, but it hardly sends the message that employers care deeply about their team members during their periods of greatest need.

According to Susan Bartel, a researcher at Maryville University of St. Louis who studies grieving and loss in the workplace, “Many people need or use distraction to help manage their grief at work, and their jobs can be a healthy distraction. Allowing longer bereavement leave gives employees an opportunity to adjust slightly to a new way of life before having to reengage in the world at large,” she explains. “If they feel their grief is recognized and understood they are more likely to contribute to the organization even earlier than they could otherwise.”

After the death of her husband, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg revamped the company’s HR policies to include up to 20 days of paid leave days to grieve an immediate family member and 10 for extended relatives. The change was an acknowledgement that organizations have a duty to think more compassionately about how employees cope with loss.

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2. AN EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

Few organizations have formalized employee assistance programs, or “EAPs” on the books, and they may be underutilized at the employers that do. These programs can be set up internally within HR departments or operated through third parties, but the core goal is the same: to offer employees confidential support for coping with crises in their personal lives.

To promote an EAP and encourage employees to use it, HR leaders can ask team members who’ve already done so to share letters of endorsement (including anonymously, of course) regarding the help they received. Employees who participate in EAPs often become their biggest advocates. Offer those who express interest opportunities to take ongoing training in areas of grief, addiction and abuse counseling, and suicide prevention. These knowledgable allies inside the company can be crucial in vouching for and connecting their colleagues with the EAP resources they need when HR managers can’t.

3. OPEN COMMUNICATION CHANNELS (FROM THE TOP DOWN)

In addition to being more generous, employers need to market their policies more widely and continuously, making sure team members are aware of what they’re entitled to; scrambling to sort out an unfamiliar policy during a time of intense emotional pain usually only makes things worse. Many employees only learn what’s available to them in the midst of crisis, while leafing through a benefits package or union booklet or by speaking with an HR manager they’ve barely interacted with before. It’s pretty easy for organizations to do better. Regularly sharing information on social media and internal chat platforms is a great start; tying messages about company policies into events happening in the news can be even better.

Managers should also remind team members during meetings and other events not just what the organization’s policies consist of, but that there are multiple ways to gain support and information. Links to external resources like National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or Crisis Text Line should be prominently displayed within the company’s intranet, for example, and leaders should remind staff that they’re there.

Perhaps more important still, leaders should personally raise awareness and launch initiatives to support their workforces. Employees need to see this in action in order to overcome the stigma of asking for help with their personal lives at work. Some may even worry that doing so could prevent them from being considered for promotion. If possible, managers should share their own experiences coping with mental health issues or supporting relatives with addiction problems. Transparency and authenticity goes a long way toward giving employees permission to do so themselves.

4. INTERNAL SUPPORT GROUPS (FROM THE BOTTOM UP)

Every workforce contains countless people who have deep experience coping with a wide range of difficult issues. Many of these staffers are willing to lend a hand or a kind ear to their colleagues if only there were an appropriate setting to offer that. Some organizations hold on-site support meetings, including Alcoholics Anonymous, but for many, the last people an employee may want to know about her struggles with substance abuse are her coworkers (another argument in favor of a robust EAP).

But other team members find internal support groups helpful. Similar to employee affinity groups (or “EAGs”), these informal collectives can help colleagues come together to discuss shared experiences, including difficult ones. In providing safe spaces for those conversations, these groups can also help disseminate resources available in the organization’s EAPs and curb employees’ hesitation around taking advantage of them.

It’s easy for employers to look at these HR offerings in terms of financial cost and effort, but there’s potentially huge benefit to implementing them. Not only do such programs create goodwill within the workforce, helping retain employees for longer, but they also reinforce the empathy and emotional intelligence that are the lifeblood of every strong work culture–especially during those difficult times when it really counts.

FastCompany.com | June 26, 2018

#Leadership : Do These Things To #ReduceTurnover Among Your #BestHires …It takes Work to #Retain #StarEmployees . Here are the Steps you Can take to Stop Losing them to “Better Offers.”

February 26, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

If there’s anyone more hopeful than a new employee showing up to her first day on the job, it’s the hiring manager who offered it to her.

Call us hopeless romantics, but we think there’s something really special about a candidate and a company coming to an agreement and choosing to embark on a relationship together–albeit a business one.

But what happens when the relationship goes south and the employee decides to move on? There may not be actual tears, but it can still feel like heartbreak to the recruiter, hiring manager, and leadership team that had high hopes for the future.

So, what can you do when you’re tired of losing employees to “better offers”? Here’s what five recruiting and hiring pros would do to reduce churn and improve employee engagement and retention:

1. BE HONEST ABOUT THE DOWNSIDES OF A POSITION

It makes sense to try to put your best foot forward in the first stages of the interview process. After all, that’s what job candidates are doing, too. But Chuck Solomon, cofounder and COO of LineHire, says that it’s in the best interest of long-term employee retention to be upfront about what a job is really like without candy coating the truth or trying to ignore potential challenges within a job.

“It may sound quaint, but I believe authenticity is key to reducing churn and increasing employee retention,” says Solomon. “Recruiters should be honest and accurate in describing both the pros and cons of the job–after all, once on board, the candidate is going to learn firsthand themselves. I’m not suggesting you should ‘air the company’s dirty laundry,’ but there are ways to tell a candidate that this is a challenging position. That way you’re only bringing in staff members that are up for the challenges.”

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2. CLOSE THE LOOP ON NEW HIRE DATA

Find the best person, hire them, and move on. Sound familiar? If that’s your approach to most of the positions you fill and you want to reduce churn, Mikaela Kiner, CEO and Founder of uniquelyHR, wants you to think about following up and tracking how your candidates work out in the role.

“Recruiters always believe we’ve found the absolute best candidate for the job, says Kiner. “After all, that’s why we hired them! But too often, we don’t know what happens once that person joins the company. Did that person become a superstar, did they plateau, or were they eventually let go for poor performance? If recruiters can work with HR and hiring managers to get data on the quality of the people they’ve hired, they can spot trends and then use that data to improve the screening and recruiting process.”

“For example, what skills and qualities are common to the most successful hires?” continues Kiner. “Failures are also a good source of learning, because if you make a note of red flags during interviews of people who don’t succeed, you can be on the lookout for similar candidate qualities in the future.”

3. LISTEN TO AND REWARD EMPLOYEES BEFORE THERE’S A PROBLEM

Brianna Rooney, founder of software engineer recruiting company Techees, works in a high turnover industry placing software engineers at tech-focused companies in the Bay Area. In her line of work, it’s common for people to leave every year, and if someone has been with their company for three years, it’s a downright miracle. Why? Because most companies say they don’t have time to deal with employee retention or simply don’t want to know the bad things about their company.

“I can’t tell you how many times a company will try to give a raise or actually listen to an employee when it’s way too late,” says Rooney. “Everyone wants to save money. It’s hard to keep giving raises. Yet, think about how hard it is to find good people. People you trust to work hard, honestly, and efficiently.”

“If you don’t have the budget for a salary increase, make sure they understand that,” Rooney continues. “Talk to employees, make them know how important they are. Don’t just wait for quarterly or yearly meetings. You need to care before you ‘have to,’ and it has to come naturally.”

4. RECRUIT QUALITIES THAT MAKE FOR GOOD OFFICE POLITICS

Are office politics always a bad thing? No, says CEO and The Compass Alliance author Tim Cole. They can be good or bad for an organization depending on how they are directed. But if you’re in a position where you need to reduce churn, your politics are likely unproductive. It’s critical that you start screening candidates for qualities that are conducive to healthy office politics.

“Bad office politics implies backstabbing and conspiring for personal gain,” says Cole. “An organization that tolerates that type of behavior faces the long-term effects that always follow, like low engagement, loss of productivity, and attrition.”

Cole adds: “Companies that recruit for collaboration skills and capacity for problem solving can often direct office politics in a more positive direction and use them to streamline workflow with behind-the-scenes discussions and gain consensus on critical job decisions away from the boardroom.”

5. RALLY YOUR TEAM AROUND A COMMON “WHY”

Low employee retention and low engagement go hand in hand, so if you’re struggling with a need to reduce churn, you are likely struggling with employee engagement, too. Zach Hendrix, cofounder of the lawn service app GreenPal, grew one business from 1 to 100 using a simple but profound engagement strategy: rally employees around the central “why” of their jobs and the business as a whole.

In his first business, much of Hendrix’s operating core was comprised of Guatemalan immigrants who would come to the United States for several consecutive lawn mowing seasons and save as much money as they could to improve the lives of their families back home by building homes, ranches, and setting up farms stocked with cattle.

To fuel his team through the tough times, including the economic recession of 2009, he rallied them around their “why.” At weekly meetings, they would give progress reports on how projects back home were coming along and display picture collages of homes, farms, and businesses in Guatemala in the office and shop.

There’s nothing more frustrating than waving farewell to an employee you had hoped would stick around long-term. And while there are many reasons you’ll need to say goodbye to employees over the years–relocations, promotions, and career changes among them–there’s a lot you can do to make sure that your company isn’t the reason employees leave. Consider how you can apply these tips to your recruiting and hiring process to reduce churn to help your candidates stick around.

FastCompany.com | February 26, 2018 | BY SARAH GREESONBACH—GLASSDOOR 5 MINUTE READ

Your #Career : I Used A “Career Map” To Get My #DreamJob –Here’s How…Sometimes All it Takes is some Good Planning & Patience to Pull yourself Out of a Serious Job Slump.

January 23, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Due to an unfortunate coffee mishap, I spent the holidays setting up a new computer and frantically trying to extract documents from my old, caffeine-soaked laptop. While in the middle of my rescue mission, I stumbled upon a career map that I’d created four years ago.

Making a career map wasn’t my brilliant idea, but it helped me get out of a serious job slump. At that time, I was working as an account executive at an ad agency and hated it. I’d only taken the job for two reasons: I was turning 26 and couldn’t stay on my dad’s health insurance, and I wanted to be a copywriter, so being in close proximity to some would magically transform me into one–right?

Not so much.

My brother recommended working in the industry I wanted firstand worry about getting a writer position once I had more experience–hence, the advertising job. But things were moving a little too slowly for my liking. I’d been at the agency for nine months and wasn’t any closer to becoming a writer. Deflated, I shared my woes with a coworker. She suggested making a “career map,” an outline of steps to take me to the next level.

She explained further: You write down where you want to be in your career three to six months from now, one year from now and five or more years from now. Then, for each timeframe, you identify the steps to achieving the next milestone. So, for example, If your career goal is to take the Iron Throne and rule the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, you might write “Acquire fleet of ships” as an action step. Here’s what mine looked like:

THREE TO SIX MONTHS

1. Ask HR to consider me for a copywriting position.

Action steps:

Create portfolio of three to five pieces
Schedule meeting with HR

2. Network and research.

Action steps:

Talk to at least three professional writers to get insight into the profession
- Name 1
- Name 2
- Name 3

List of questions to ask:
- How did they get their start?
- How would they recommend getting started today?
- Are they happy with their career, compensation, work/life balance?
- What’s a reasonable starting salary to ask for?
- Do they know any other writers who would be willing to connect?

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ONE YEAR

3. Take at least one course in copywriting/writing/building a portfolio.

Action steps:

Research what class to take, estimated tuition
Start setting money aside for tuition

4. Get copywriting job at another agency or company if I don’t get offered a position at current company.

THREE TO FIVE YEARS

5. Work at a major agency or company in New York City.

6. Gain freelance experience.

Writing all this down provided me with much-needed clarity and actionable steps to follow. Best of all, it worked! When I stumbled across my old career map, I realized that I had accomplished every goal, even those as far out as five years. So I set out to write one for the next five years–and this time around, my goals don’t feel as daunting.

If you want to create your own career map, here are a few things I learned along the way that could help make the process easier.

Get as granular as you want. Back when I was complaining to my coworker, her first piece of advice to me was: Ask for the job you want. Groundbreaking, I know. But it had never occurred to me to simply ask HR to consider me for a different role. That became my first milestone.

Prioritize what’s important to you. For example, I value a good work/life balance, so I included that on my career map as something to inquire about while doing research. I love writing, but I love a lot of other stuff, too. What gets you excited about a job can differ from person to person, so tailor your map to fit what matters most.

Don’t let fear of rejection stop you. I got turned down for the account executive role the first time I interviewed. I was devastated–I really wanted to get my foot in the door. So I emailed my contact at the agency to ask why I didn’t get the job, and for advice on how to kill it in future interviews. Turns out, the main reason they didn’t offer me the position was because they thought I wasn’t interested! But my contact was impressed that I asked for feedback–he called me back in, and I was hired shortly afterward.

That story just serves as a reminder not to assume that what you want is too lofty. Sure, you may need to account for a detour or two on your map, and you often learn more from the things you did wrong than right. But your dreams are your own to pursue–you just need to break down the steps it’ll take to achieve them.

FastCompany.com | January 23, 2018 | BY RITA BRODFUEHRER—LEARNVEST 4 MINUTE READ

Your #Career : I’ve Worked in HR for 15 Years — Here Are the 4 Things Hiring Managers Don’t Want You to Know…Think Hiring Managers aren’t Trolling your Social Media Accounts? Or that Having Children Won’t Impact your Odds of Landing a Great Gig? Think Again.

October 1, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

An HR veteran with over 15 years of experience shares her insider’s take on what really goes down during the hiring process. Before launching my own consulting business, I earned my HR stripes working for everyone from big-name financial service companies to an equally big electronics and entertainment company.

Think you know what HR reps are looking for? Think again.

So I know firsthand the techniques that are used to vet potential employees — and it’s not all as compliant as you’d expect.

If there’s one thing my time in the trenches has taught me it’s that HR reps are willing to do a lot to pinpoint the right employee.

Think hiring managers aren’t trolling your social media accounts? Or that having children won’t impact your odds of landing a great gig?

Think again.

Take it from me: These are some lesser-known, semi-sly tricks that hiring managers resort to—regularly.

1. We dig (and I mean really dig) into your background

It goes without saying that hiring managers are going to contact your references to check whether those accolades on your résumé are legit.

But prehiring reconnaissance goes a lot further than that.

The HR community is small, and while it isn’t exactly kosher, many of us will call someone we know at a company where a candidate has worked previously.

The goal is to get “off-the-record” insights about the person’s work habits, personality, aptitude and more. We’re getting the inside scoop — from someone who isn’t on the candidate’s referral list.

Don’t believe me?

In the last month alone, I’ve received two calls from HR reps asking whether I’d vouch for former colleagues.

Another way managers dig around is through social media — especially LinkedIn.

After scanning a person’s LinkedIn network, I’ve become skeptical about candidates who don’t have enough industry connections. It makes me question if they’re overmarketing themselves.

Of course, being mindful of what you post on all of your social media channels is a no-brainer. I’ve even heard of managers who snoop on their own employees’ accounts to see if they’ve been talking poorly about the company.

Children are a factor. Getty Images/Fiona Goodall

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2. Have kids? Why you might not have the job …

Although it’s illegal for an employer to take someone’s family into account when considering them for a position, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.

Personally, I don’t believe this is usually malicious or deliberate. But a candidate can’t control what might be lurking in a hiring manager’s subconscious. (“Will this person really get the job done if they’ve got little kids waiting at home?”)

And it’s not just HR managers who fall prey to this kind of second-guessing.

I once worked at a financial organization where the internal sales team was mostly comprised of guys fresh out of college. When they interviewed new employees, I found out many of them used the opportunity to suss out if a candidate had kids by posing questions like, “What do you like to do on the weekends?” It was a tactic to see if the person would bring up little league or other kid-centric activities.

Knowing that new employees would be required to work long hours, these guys assumed that children would make these candidates less committed—and less likely to party after work and wholeheartedly embrace the company culture.

Certain hiring managers (especially those who don’t have a legal background) really want to make sure that the person they hire is a good culture fit — someone who’ll make a good employee and buddy.

But this impulse can end up alienating qualified candidates simply because they don’t gel on a personal level. In the case of that financial company, it created a bias against women — and we, in HR, brought the practice to a screeching halt.

And while we’re on the topic of bias, I hate to say it, but if a woman is interviewing while pregnant, she’s probably better off keeping that to herself until she knows she’s got the job.

It’s especially relevant at the executive level, when the stakes are typically higher. While a manager would never come out and say it, my experience leads me to believe that mothers, in general, do get passed over more than childless applicants.

3. The offer you get often has plenty of wiggle room

During the hiring process, salary negotiations are par for the course. But most managers can offer you way more than they let on.

That said, they probably can’t budge too much when it comes to base salary—there’s typically a range in mind before the interview ever takes place. But they can throw in different types of financial extras.

Sign-on bonuses, for starters, are attractive to HR managers because they don’t reoccur or show up in the employee’s salary line. And many hiring managers are willing and able to throw in a onetime cash-out if that’s what it takes to seal the deal.

The same goes for relocation packages. While some companies have rigid policies in place when it comes to relocating new hires, it’s still very much a gray area that many HR managers have no problem negotiating.

The catch, not surprisingly, is that interviewers aren’t exactly eager to offer up such perks. It’s up to you to ask.

Bringing up a sign-on bonus or relocation package will likely get you more traction than if you focus on the salary alone. Even so, that doesn’t mean negotiating the base salary isn’t still worth it—but you’ll need to convince the HR manager why you should be at the higher end of their preestablished range.

I’ve even seen people successfully negotiate to have a new company match the last job’s total compensation package.

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4. Mutual exits are more common than you think

If an employee quits — as opposed to getting laid off — severance and unemployment benefits likely go out the window. So from a financial standpoint, it appears to be in a company’s best interest to have a less-than-stellar employee quit on their own.

Would a manager ever deliberately try to get a disliked employee to voluntarily hit the road? I’ve heard it happens — but it’s more likely to come from a direct manager, and the HR person may find out about it after the fact, when the manager shares that they “rode a guy hard” until he quit.

I think sometimes these managers struggle with giving feedback and coaching employees, or run into situations where they feel backed up against a wall. The end result is that they run out of patience—and make crummy management decisions.

A few of my current clients have experienced this kind of passive-aggressive approach, and I encouraged them to negotiate a happier ending by way of a desirable exit package.

Essentially, the company allows the employee to leave on certain mutually-agreed-upon terms. In some cases, it may require the employee to stay until a certain end date, finish a particular project, or agree not to take talent from the company for a set amount of time. In return, the employee receives a specific amount of money, known as a retention payment.

The deal, known as a mutual separation, isn’t considered severance. It’s also something that happens all of the time behind closed doors.

It’s yet another example of how established employees and new hires alike can even the playing field — so long as they’re informed.

Businessinsider.com | September 27, 2016 | Christine DiDonato, as told to Marianne Hayes, LearnVest

Your #Career : 6 Things You Should Never Tell Human Resources…HR Reps want to Help you Out, But only IF it’s for the Good of the Company Where you’re Employed.

July 5, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Human resources managers can be great people to know. If your company has employee assistance programs, they’ll hook you up. If you need help filling out disability paperwork or you’d like to know more about your salary and benefits, they’re the people you want to befriend.

HR rep Toby from The Office

But HR reps have a unique position in the company. One of their main job roles is to support employees and help them through any rough spots, but they also are employed by the company first. In other words, they’ll want to help you out, but only if it’s for the good of the company where you’re employed.

“A good many HR pros go into this as a career path because they are passionate about helping people. But remember, the HR department’s job is to retain a highly-skilled and productive workforce. Anything that demonstrates you are not going to live up to this goal, including anything you disclose that could potentially be harmful to the company, is subject to their discretionary action,” wrote Tess C. Taylor, a human resources expert at PayScale.

In most cases, you won’t (and shouldn’t) have a relationship with your HR rep that’s as filled with animosity as The Office‘s Michael Scott and Toby Flenderson. But still, there are reasons you also can’t be best buddies. Here are six things you’re probably better off not mentioning.

1. “I found a second job at night.”

As an addition to this, “moonlighting” shouldn’t enter your vocabulary if you’re in the HR office. You might really need the extra cash, and you might be keeping that second job completely separate from your main position. But even so, it will make your HR rep question your commitment to your full-time gig, human resources expert Susan M. Heathfield wrote for About.com. “They become concerned that you may be job searching because the current job either doesn’t pay for your living expenses or you need additional challenges,” she said.

If this is the case, you’re more likely to be passed over for promotions, and if you are late or unavailable for certain projects, your HR rep will likely blame it on the second job, whether that’s accurate or not.

If your company requires you to disclose second jobs in your employee contract, don’t try to hide it — that will likely be worse for you. But make sure when you have that discussion, you’re able to give specifics about your availability, and stress that this job comes first. Discuss the second job as little as possible, suggests U.S. News & World Report, focusing instead on how you’ll continue to excel at the one paying for your benefits.

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2. “Please don’t tell … “

In many cases, what you tell your HR rep will remain confidential. But a good rule of thumb is that if you’re discussing something illegal going on in your company, or you’ve been harassed or assaulted in any way, it won’t stay quiet for long. In many of those situations, HR will have a legal requirement to report wrongdoing.

In addition, expect anything you say to your HR rep to get back to your boss eventually. “HR works in that difficult space between employees and management, and must act on serious issues they learn about, whether you want them to act or not. Go to HR for help in solving problems, but not as a substitute for a best friend or neighbor,” Bruce Clarke, president and CEO of CAI, a human resource management firm, told CBS.

3. “My FMLA leave was the best vacation yet.”

Chances are, if you were helping a sick family member or your first child just arrived and you were on paternal leave, you couldn’t say this honestly anyway. But don’t come back to the office focused on your previous time off — come back and talk with HR about how to move forward. Otherwise, they’ll question your commitment, and you’ll stunt your chances of moving upward.

“You don’t want to dwell on why you took any leave (parental or otherwise) because it’s not relevant, and you want to move on to what’s relevant” — like how your skills and experience can continue helping the company, Caroline Ceniza-Levine told CBS.

What’s more, don’t start your extended paternal leave by telling your HR rep you’re thinking about making it a full-time gig. You might find yourself reassigned to less-desirable projects — or a less amenable office — when you return, even if you come back knowing you’d like to stay in the workforce. It’s happened before.

4. “I slept with … “

Maybe kissing and telling is your thing. If it is, save it for your buddies at the bar — not the HR office. This is the case even if it’s an in-office relationship — especially if it was with someone you work with on a daily basis. Most of the 2,300 respondents in a Business Insider survey said they don’t believe they should have to notify HR in the first place (92%), and more than 80% of respondents said it’s generally OK to sleep with someone who works for the same company.

However, you don’t want your work judged on your romantic abilities, or your mistakes chalked up to office love triangles. Plus, most HR managers don’t need to be a part of the office gossip in the the first place. “I have better things to do than deal with who slept with who, or who’s talking about you behind your back. Sometimes I feel like a high school guidance counselor,” one HR manager told Reader’s Digest.

5. “I finally settled the lawsuit with my last employer.”

You might have had totally legitimate reasons for filing a legal complaint against your last boss or company and be ready for a fresh start at your new position, but there’s never going to be a good time to bring that up to HR.

“HR departments live in fear of lawsuits – even the good, ethical, painstakingly fair departments,” writes Heathfield. Not only will this make them suspicious of your motives, but it could also be perceived as a menacing tactic. “HR staff also regards the fact that you share this information with them as potentially threatening to them and your employer,” she said.

What’s more, nothing will get a HR rep’s hackles up like the mention of litigation. “HR professionals are truly an employer’s first line of defense against employment law claims like discrimination and retaliation,” says the Society for Human Resource Management. If you want to stay in the good graces of your company, avoid mentioning this unless you plan to actually sue and likely walk away from your position.

6. “My spouse might be transferred to another city.”

Unless you know for sure that your significant other’s job is moving — and you’re going with him or her — don’t bother giving HR a heads-up that’s longer than your customary notice. It’s in situations like this where you’ll need to be your own advocate, because the HR department will only be concerned about limiting the fallout. You won’t get promoted, you won’t get extra projects, and you might even start to see some of your job duties given to other people — all to prepare for the possibility that you might move away.

“This is more career busting than telling your employer that you are job searching, because the employer will perceive that you have less control over the outcome,” Heathfield writes.

Follow Nikelle on Twitter @Nikelle_CS

Cheetsheet.com | July 5, 2016 | Nikelle Murphy

#Leadership : What To Do When A Key Hire Quits…TAKE A DEEP BREATH. It Always Hurts When a Key Contributor Leaves, But There are Ways to Deal with it That Can Ease the Pain.

May 3, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

A great member of your team just came to you with an unexpected resignation. I’m sure you’re somewhere between being upset that you’re being deserted and worried about what you are going to do to handle that person’s contributions. Maybe you’re even more concerned that this will be the start of an avalanche—how many more people are thinking about leaving?+

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Sad businessman sitting at workplace and trying to find solution of problem

I know it’s a big loss and a big hassle to have to deal with a key hire departing, but, it’s totally normal and manageable. Get through the pain quickly and elegantly, and get yourself back as fast as possible.

TAKEA DEEP BREATH. If you’re successful, this is a scenario you’ll experience many times in your career. It always hurts when a key contributor leaves, but there are ways to deal with it that can ease the pain.

Here are my recommendations for when you hear that you’re about to lose someone who means a lot to the organization:

Find out why they are leaving. Are they running away from something or running toward something? Do they have their heads on straight regarding the situation?

Are they salvageable? If there is something wrong, can you fix it?

I always use additional compensation as a last resort, as it’s usually not compensation that makes them want to leave.

If you can fix it, is the person mature enough to re-commit and be wholly engaged? You only want people onboard who are fully engaged.

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If you decide they are salvageable, still do a gut check and make sure you’re not getting gamed. Sometimes people use the threat of leaving as a way to angle for more money. Unfortunately, people sometimes do disingenuous things.

Be very careful not to build an entitlement culture where people think if they threaten to quit, they become eligible for a promotion. That makes costs go crazy and makes you powerless. Reserve the times you are willing to get gamed for one percent of the employee population—the true talent—not 30-50 percent of the people who are trying to get a better offer. Only go through heroics for the true stars. Everyone knows what’s happening and you have to be careful about how they see you responding. If not, soon everyone will be at your door with a counter offer and request for a raise and promotion. How can you tell what’s what? Probe where they are going, then tell them that it sounds like a great opportunity and that if it doesn’t work out, they are welcome to come back.

If they will definitely be leaving, can you negotiate a transition plan that is beneficial for both of you? Can you get their agreement to help out in a pinch even if they are in a new job?

Treat them with respect and dignity on the way out. Celebrate their contributions and let them know they are welcome back if things don’t work out where they are going.

But remember, you need to celebrate the people who stay and do good work as much as—or more than—the folks that leave. Several times I’ve heard people say they only received recognition when they left (the squeaky wheel gets all the oil syndrome), which leads to very bad cultural dynamics.

Make sure the team knows that the departing person will be missed, but talk about the actions you and they can take to ensure that the company will still achieve its dreams.
Recognize that this is a great opportunity for someone else to step up and get a promotion.

Finally, look back and assess whether this was a surprise. Did you see it coming? Make it a point to proactively know where all your key talent’s heads are and work hard to keep them motivated and in the game.

I know it’s a big loss and a big hassle to have to deal with a key hire departing, but, it’s totally normal and manageable. Get through the pain quickly and elegantly, and get yourself back to terra firma as fast as possible.

Forbes.com | May 3, 2016 | Maynard Webb

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