Why You Won’t Find Millennials Working in Accounting & Finance

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Did you check out our recent 2019 Hiring Insight in Finance and Accounting yet? We’ve got the research to prepare for your 2019 hiring initiatives. Go ahead and read it; we’ll be waiting here for you.

 

The accounting and finance sector has long been dominated by an older generation with little room for flexibility and a limited capacity for innovation. It’s an image that, coupled with the still-recent memory of the economic downturn, makes for an unappealing stereotype. As a result, most employers find it difficult to attract younger generations – an increasingly serious problem given the state of today’s market landscape.

 

47% of CFOs believe their teams are too shorthanded to meet future industry demands. Those demands include an estimated 773,800 new jobs added to the finance and accounting marketplace by 2026. But new jobs are only part of the problem; as Baby Boomers continue to retire in droves – and with Generation X being too small to replace them – hundreds of existing roles are suddenly vacant and a wealth of knowledge is in process of being lost.

 

So where are the Millennials to fill these roles? They are, after all, the largest generation in the US, and the vast majority have already entered the workforce.

 

Where Are the Millennials in Finance & Accounting Careers?

Research shows you’re more likely to find Millennial workers in tech than in finance and accounting. One recent study found that just 10% of over 4,000 surveyed young adults were interested in finance as a career option, down from 22% a decade ago. Even top MBA grads are increasingly choosing career paths outside of finance, which is a new and unsettling reality for employers who historically rely on fresh new talent to grow their F&A workforce.

 

Of Millennials who already find themselves in the finance and accounting sector, a massive 48% are looking for new opportunities – and often in a completely different industry. Why the lack of loyalty? It’s mostly a result of compromise. Many of these workers graduated into a less-than-certain economy, leading them to accept roles that fell short of their initial expectations and desires. For example, 48% say they accepted a lower-than-expected salary, and an overwhelming 83% say they gave up work-life balance. These compromises perpetuate the negative stereotype of the finance and accounting workforce, which was already negatively impacted by the financial crisis of 2008.

 

As a result, the Institute of Management Accountants reports that 62% of senior finance professionals say recruiting Millennials is the biggest challenge for their business. Meanwhile, almost half of all Millennials who are in finance and accounting stay at each job just 1-3 years, creating massive turnover. It goes without saying that this is a costly challenge, not only economically but also from a knowledge transfer perspective. And where positions sit empty for too long, the pressure falls on remaining workers, whose bandwidth is already tight and their morale decreasing.

 

In short, Millennials in finance and accounting careers are few and far between. Attracting andN retaining more of them is going to take major table stakes and careful strategy.

 

What Do Millennials Want in Their Career?

Employers of finance and accounting professionals must consider the generational differences of their workforce. Few Baby Boomer finance professionals worry about work-life balance, for example, as opposed to their Millennial counterparts.

 

But work-life balance is only a fraction of Millennial’s priorities in the workplace. A Deloitte study suggests that this generation is much more concerned with a company’s impact on the society and environment, capacity to create innovative ideas, commitment to job creation and career development, and emphasis on diversity and inclusion.

 

However, these same individuals report that their current employers are instead focused on generating profit, driving efficiency, and selling their products and services. To the Baby Boomer finance leader, these values make business sense; this is how a company grows, after all. But that growth can’t happen without a loyal, growing workforce, and that means paying attention to what Millennials want in their career.

 

Beyond their core values, the Deloitte study reports that Millennials have a unique “wish list” when considering an organization to work for. At the top of that list is financial reward and benefits. As a generation that grew up watching their parents struggle with the realities of the economic recession, this desire makes sense – even if it seems at odds with their values in impact, innovation, and diversity. They are financially responsible and want to protect themselves against future downturns.

 

The desire for money is following closely by a positive workplace culture, flexibility, continuous learning, well-being programs, reputation for ethical behavior, diversity and inclusion, and, finally, the opportunity to make a difference in their community. This wish list belongs to Millennials in general, across industries, but in finance and accounting specifically, it’s clear that Millennials also value a defined career path. However, data from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants reveals that only 26% of young workers see a clear career path in their current role.

 

It’s clear that many companies need to evaluate what they have to offer this growing generation.

 

Attracting Millennials to the Finance and Accounting Workforce

Redefining company values and reinvigorating your workplace culture to meet the demands of the Millennial generation is no small feat. It’s not as simple as writing bigger paychecks or establishing an “employee of the month” program (though these may be part of the overall strategy).

 

A good place to start, in alignment with Millennials’ “wish list,” is to assess how your workplace processes and workflows fit into the big picture, and find ways to enable greater flexibility accordingly. Look at other, similar ways to introduce more work-life balance and create a more positive culture.

 

Professional development programs and training opportunities are additional ways that organizations can proactively attract Millennials to their finance and accounting workforce. Initiatives like these do require that leaders are genuinely interested in the goals and challenges of their workers, checking in to receive (and give) frequent feedback and leveraging opportunities to mentor and coach young professionals. Millennials want to make a difference and understand the impact they are making in their roles; thus, nurturing a culture that can provide meaning is also key to retaining this generation of workers.

 

Promoting diversity and inclusiveness should also be top of mind for organizations trying to fill finance and accounting talent shortages. It’s encouraging to see that 85% of CEOs in the financial services sector are already promoting talent diversity and inclusiveness, with mentoring programs and leadership training among other strategies.

 

Finally, finance and accounting leaders should consider how these initiatives to attract Millennials fit in with other industry trends, such as digitalization and automation. While this younger generation is often considered the first “digital natives,” the influx of technology in the finance space shouldn’t overshadow their need to personally connect and collaborate. Ideally, AI-powered finance tools should simultaneously help to automate transactional accounting and finance tasks while generating actionable insights to inform business decisions – all while leaving more complex, strategic (and meaningful) work to human minds.

 

Recruiting Millennials in Finance and Accounting

At the end of the day, it’s imperative that organizations see past the status quo and acknowledge that the financial and accounting world is shifting. Creating the right culture and workplace to empower these younger generations is essential, but knowing where to find and recruit these professionals is also key. For example, 51% of employers say that getting employee referrals is the most successful practice in recruiting Millennials.

 

At Brightwing, we believe that a reimagined approach to recruiting is also indispensable. No longer can employers simply post a job and let their automated recruiting tools do the work. It’s about relationships, intuition, and experience. We’d love to share more insight about how we’re recruiting Millennials in today’s business landscape – chat with us today.

 

Read our Brightwing 2019 Hiring Insights in Finance and Accounting for more research and information.

Brightwing 2019 Hiring Insights in Finance & Accounting

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You don’t have to be an accountant to do the math: The BLS reports that 5.5 million jobs in America are currently unfilled due to lack of talent. Meanwhile, they project a 10% increase in the number of finance and accounting occupations by 2026. It’s no surprise, then, that employers can expect 2019 to be another year spent struggling to recruit the best people.

 

This ongoing talent shortage is the underlying theme for many of the recruiting and hiring trends that are top of mind this year. Our aim is to provide you with a comprehensive guide to the finance and accounting labor market to prepare your staffing and recruiting practices for the year ahead.

 

Contents

  • A Quick Glance at the 2019 Labor Market
  • A New Focus for the Future of Hiring
  • Hiring Insights in Finance & Accounting
  • 2019 from the Perspective of Key Leaders

A Glance at the 2019 Labor Market

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The national unemployment rate is at a record low since 1969 and is even lower in many industry sectors and regional markets. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]

This is a typical increase in wages, only 0.1% higher than 2018, which implies stagnant wage growth.

However, job switchers in finance can expect a 9.4% wage increase – a highly attractive reason to seek something new. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text][vc_empty_space]

25.7% of employees are actively seeking new job opportunities.

And 55.5% are passively open to new job opportunities. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column]

 

 

 

 

Best cities for jobs

Glassdoor ranks these cities based on hiring opportunity, cost of living, and overall job satisfaction:

  1. Pittsburgh, PA
  2. St. Louis, MO
  3. Indianapolis, IN
  4. Cincinnati, OH
  5. Hartford, CT
  6. Boston, MA
  7. Memphis, TN
  8. Raleigh, NC
  9. Cleveland, OH
  10. Detroit, MI

 

Top Perks Employers are Highlighting

  • Casual dress codes
  • Employee discounts
  • Remote work opportunities
  • Extra paid time off
  • Signing bonuses
  • Free lunches
  • Gym memberships
  • Work from home Fridays
  • Daycare

A New Focus for the Future of Hiring

 

In 2018, AI-powered recruitment technologies took off across every industry. Seeking to automate the application, screening, and interviewing processes, these tools unburden the hands, and minds, of recruiters and corporate talent acquisition professionals everywhere.

 

However, our stance on this trend has been, and always will be, that humans are greater than machines – most especially in recruiting for highly skilled Technology, Finance, Engineering and Marketing professionals.

 

Even with a quarter of employees looking for a new job, and over half passively interested should the opportunity present itself, employers cannot rely on the programming of their recruitment technology to make the right matches and entice the best-fit talent. This is the year that employers must focus on the human side of recruitment, specifically, the candidate experience.

 

Here are a few numbers proving why the candidate experience is critical this year:

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68% of employees believe the candidate experience is a reflection of the employee experience [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]

51% of people continue to look for jobs even after they’ve accepted an offer[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]

31% of candidates expect a customized message when a company reaches out with a new opportunity [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]

55% of applicants give up if they haven’t heard back from a company within two weeks [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]

 

 

In short, the role of the candidate experience in your recruitment process cannot be overlooked. One in seven new hires accept a job offer only to walk away at the last minute. Do not let this become your story.

 

Quick steps to an awesome candidate experience

  1. A fast and easy (and mobile-responsive) application process
  2. Quick feedback and responses to every candidate
  3. A compelling employer brand that reflects your company culture
  4. Personalized emails, phone calls, and messages throughout the process
  5. A short, but thorough, interview process
  6. A clear understanding of the benefits and perks you offer
  7. An efficient and valuable onboarding process

Hiring Insights in Accounting & Finance

 

The finance field is undergoing a transformation due to trends such as:

  1. FinTech
  2. Cryptocurrency
  3. Blockchain
  4. Robotic process automation (RPA)
  5. Cloud
  6. Artificial Intelligence
  7. Cybersecurity
  8. Regulatory changes

 

But finding the talent to tackle these trends presents a major challenge.

 

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47% of CFOs believe their teams are too shorthanded to meet future industry demands. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]

57% say that skills in predictive and prescriptive analytics are crucial for finance and accounting functions of the future. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column]

 

 

773,800 new jobs will be added to the finance and accounting marketplace by 2026.

 

 

 

2019 from the Perspective of Key Leaders

 

“Low unemployment and increasing skills gaps continue to plague employers who are struggling to fill roles at all levels within their organizations,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder. “Fifty percent of U.S. employers reported that it is taking them longer to fill jobs today compared to any other period of time — a trend that is ultimately giving job seekers more leverage.”

How Are You Overcoming the Finance & Accounting Talent Shortage?

 

You’re probably gearing up for 2019 hiring, but some of these statistics might be concerning.

 

For us, these statistics are eye-opening. We’re always looking for new ways to partner with companies to overcome these challenges. Our talent acquisition solutions are one-part relationships, one-part insight, and one-part results. It’s a recipe that works every time, and we’d love to introduce you.

 

We want to partner with you. Let’s chat.

6 Recruitment Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs

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6 Mistakes to Avoid When Recruiting

Recruiting is not merely a function of HR, it’s essential to the success of your organization. Without a well-defined strategy for recruiting talent, you run the risk of making inefficient and costly hiring decisions—up to $17,000 in lost productivity, compromised work quality, and turnover.

To ensure better hires, you need a targeted recruiting strategy that will help identify high-quality candidates who align with the requirements of the position and the corporate culture. Avoiding these six recruitment mistakes can help streamline your hiring process so you can make more reliable hiring decisions that will elevate and enhance company performance.

1. Hiring in desperation mode

When you’re desperate, you can often make hasty decisions that can have long-term (often negative) consequences for your organization. This is as true in hiring as anywhere else.

That’s why it’s essential to approach the recruitment process proactively, not reactively. Building and maintaining a pipeline of potential candidates, even when you’re not actively hiring, ensures that you always have a pool of pre-vetted, talented individuals to choose from.

This will reduce time pressure and help improve the quality of your hires.

Here are some steps you can take to build a talent pipeline:

  • Regularly attend networking events
  • Engage with potential candidates on social media and other digital platforms
  • Partner with a professional hiring agency that already has a pipeline in place

2. Failing to validate traits

Resumés can be misleading. Everyone naturally puts their best foot forward and, as a result, often overstates their previous experience and success. In fact, Forbes published a startling report last year, claiming that 70% of workers lie on their resumés.

As a result, validating each candidate’s values, aptitudes, passion, behaviors, and skills is absolutely critical. You can do this through a series of screening activities, including tailored assessments, reference checking, and more.

The more you validate candidates early in the hiring process, the less turnover you’ll have.

3. Not tapping into your personal network

Referral hires are 40% more likely to remain with an employer after the first year than non-referral hires. So if you aren’t leveraging your personal network in the recruitment process, you’re missing out on high-value opportunities.

4. Skipping the pre-screening phone call

You don’t want to waste time on a candidate that will never be a good fit for the role. Pre-screening phone calls, then, are an essential time management tool for your recruiting team. During these calls, you can quickly get a sense of the candidate’s:

  • Communication skills
  • Professionalism
  • Genuine interest in the position
  • Knowledge of the industry and their own trade

By screening out obvious bad fits, you can ensure your recruiters (internal or external) are only spending time with candidates you might actually hire.

5. Hiring based on instinct

Sure, intuition plays a role in the hiring process. But relying on your gut too much can lead to biased and inconsistent decisions. Instead, it’s important to have some kind of standard hiring process to enable evidence-based hiring decisions.

Brightwing has a time-tested process that involves multiple stages of assessment and strategic planning to ensure we’re finding the best candidates for your needs.

6. Speaking before listening

To the best of your ability, you should avoid telling applicants what the ideal candidate looks like before you find out who they are and what they can do.

By opening the conversation to explore their intrinsic motivations, problem-solving skills, and perspectives, you gain insights that would otherwise go unnoticed. This approach not only respects the individuality of applicants but also enriches your understanding of how they might contribute uniquely to the team.

Avoid these recruitment mistakes with a dedicated talent partner

It can take a great deal of time and energy to avoid these recruitment mistakes. That’s why it’s a good idea to have a talent partner in your corner that can take the reins of the hiring process. Learn more about Brightwing’s tested process here.

5 Tips for Purpose-Driven Recruiting

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5 Tips for Purpose-Driven Recruiting

 

The art and science of recruiting with purpose goes beyond matching a skill set to a job requirement. It’s about understanding the position and its impact on the organization and industry—and finding the ideal candidate who aligns with the organization’s core values and the other employees.

 

 

Brightwing’s 5 Tips for Purpose-Driven Recruiting will help you make more reliable, high-quality hiring decisions.

 

1. Know the Position—Intimately

Candidates will perform their due diligence researching your company, checking out social media channels, browsing through the website, and gathering competitive salary information long before sitting down for the interview.

 

Therefore, use the time to share information the candidate doesn’t know. Explain how the position impacts the organization, and describe recent critical projects that were completed. Discuss the candidate’s short- and long-term career goals and explain how the job will help achieve those goals. Bonus Tip: Identify specific training and programs that are in place to support and encourage employees’ professional growth.

 

2. Define the Ideal Candidate

This exercise will help you define characteristics of the actual human being who will be most successful in the role. This goes beyond skills, education, and even experience. Once a candidate aligns with the organization’s core values, identify characteristics that will ensure long-term success within the company as well as the department.

 

Consider two employees: one working in accounting the other in marketing. Even though their core values may be equally aligned with the organization’s, the characteristics that define the ideal candidate for their respective roles will likely look very different.

 

3. Answer the Question: Why?

Why should a highly qualified, perfectly aligned candidate sign an employee agreement with your organization? Every organization promotes work-life balance, culture, and people. Dig deeper. Give them more. Take time to consider the type of role you are hiring for and what you would expect the ideal candidate to want from the role. Talk about a cross-departmental innovation team that meets quarterly, and specific projects that are in process and on the horizon. Share an employee success story and tell an anecdote about a company party or event. This is a great way to say you have a great company culture without actually saying it.

 

4. Let Employees Tell your Story

Don’t limit testimonials to customers! Let your current employees be your greatest supporters. Give them the opportunity to share comments on the company website via short quotes or even short videos. Develop a variety of examples, including project diversity, holiday parties, on- and off-site events, etc. Be as transparent as possible. Remember, you want to attract and hire employees who will thrive in the organization and hopefully share their own testimonial one day.

 

5. Promote, promote, promote!

This is a recruiting step that takes planning and strategy. Get involved in events, forums, conferences, and meet–ups where you can connect with the right people. Invest in a strong social media presence to continuously engage directly and indirectly with your audience. Most importantly, push for referrals, as the best hires are often found in your employees’ network.

 

Quitting Your Job? 5 Things to Consider

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Quitting Your Job? 5 Things to Consider

 

Quitting your job is a big move that, if done right, may be beneficial to your career. However, make sure it is the right time and for the right reasons. With such a big change, it’s crucial that you are strategic when quitting your job, to position yourself to move forward in your career rather than being stuck in unemployment. Although frustration creeps up in all of us, you don’t want to find yourself in a place where you’re struggling to get your career back on track. Here are five things to consider before quitting your job:

 

1. Check Your Finances

For most, if not all, money is the greatest motivator that will keep you in a job or push you to a new one. Quitting your job may seem impossible if you’re not financially stable. However, this shouldn’t be the reason you stay at a job you hate. Plan ahead with your finances, and save some money to use as a safety net. This will give you the liberty to take some time in finding your perfect job without feeling pressured to go back.

 

2. Start Your Job Search

Sometimes those who are already employed, make the best candidates. Don’t close yourself off to new opportunities. Begin the job application process before quitting your job, to make the transition from one job to another easier, and less stressful.

 

3. Keep It To Yourself

Although it’s okay to talk to other companies while you are employed, keep it to yourself. You certainly do not want this information to reach management, resulting in burnt bridges. When the time comes, be discreet when you quitting your job.

 

4. Stick With Your Main Reason

When you quit, you will need to provide your boss a reason as to why you’re leaving. Remain professional, respectful and don’t hurt your reputation. Your next employer is likely to call for a reference, and you don’t want to leave them with a bad impression.

 

5. Be Your Best Until The End

Once the end is in sight, it is so easy to slack off– Don’t! Stay focused and continue to work hard to accomplish all the tasks needed. This will leave your employers with a great impression, maintaining relationships that may pay off in the future. Make the transition for your coworkers and boss as smooth as possible.

How to Negotiate a Job Offer

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How to Negotiate a Job Offer

 

Negotiating a job offer begins the moment you start your job search. The key is to be prepared by researching similar positions in the industry. Doing your homework will help you make smarter, more reasonable decisions and establish a negotiation strategy. The most important factor in negotiating a job offer is confidence – confidence in your skills, talents, experience, and education. The way you hold yourself and present your capabilities will help convince the hiring manager that you will be a valuable asset to the organization. Learn the dos and don’ts on how to successfully negotiate a job offer with these three articles:

 

How to Negotiate A Job Offer

Learn great tips and strategies from Forbes on “How To Negotiate A Job Offer“. This article will guide you on every step of the process from the beginning stages of your job search, to the final negotiating stages. Not sure what to actually say during the negotiation? This article also provides a word-for-word example on what to say and what responses to expect from the hiring manager.

 

 

Don’t Make These 8 Mistakes When Negotiating Salary

Preparation is key to negotiate a job offer. Avoid these “8 Mistakes When Negotiating Salary“, as discussed in U.S. News. From lying about your last salary, to playing games, find out what may be causing you to loose the job offer completely. Don’t let these mistakes become experiences you are forced to learn from! They may cost you a great job offer and a great position.

 

 

How To Negotiate Salary: 37 Tips You Need To Know

According to The Muse, most people avoid negotiating their salary out of fear. Overcome this fear, and become a better negotiator with their article “How To Negotiate Salary: 37 Tips You Need To Know“. The article gives tips on every stage of the process including:

 

  • Getting Prepared
  • Starting The Conversation
  • Making the Ask
  • Getting An Answer (and Dealing With the Aftermath)

6 Career Fairs Brightwing is Attending This Fall

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One of our favorite times of the year is upon us – it’s career fair season! This year, Brightwing plans to attend 6 IT and/or Engineering career fairs.

 

Cutting-edge, exclusive opportunities you can expect to see at the fairs include Software Development, Project Management, Big Data Analysis, Electrical/Mechanical Engineering, and more! To see a complete list of our current openings, visit www.brightwingbdev.wpenginepowered.com/jobs.

 

Brightwing Career Fairs
Thursday, September 17 – Ohio Northern – Graduate/Professional School Fair (OH)

 

Tuesday, September 22 – Oakland University – Engineering/IT Career Fair (MI)

 

Thursday, October 1 – Wayne State University – College of Engineering Career Fair (MI)

 

Wednesday, October 14 – ITT Technical Institute (Richardson, TX) – Fall Career Fair (TX)

 

Friday, October 16 – Saginaw Valley State – Employment/Networking Fair (MI)

 

Monday, November 16 – Engineering Society of Detroit – Engineering/Tech Job Fair (MI)

 

Want Brightwing to visit another college/association career fair? If so, please let us know! To better prepare yourself for career fair season this year, visit our Self Improvement Tips.

The Best States to Live in Financially

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Ranking the best states to live in can often lead to drawn out, subjective conclusions. It’s been done before in many different ways, and everyone likes to see their state on top. But when it comes to the best states to live in financially, MoneyRates delivered with some of the best cut-and-dry data.

 

5 financial factors were evaluated to rank the best and worst states to live in. These factors included average income, state tax rate, unemployment rate, work incident rate, and the cost of living index. Financial data changes a lot, but are you in any of the best states to live in for 2015?

 

best states to live in

 

It’s hard to argue against Texas ranking number 1 on this list. They’re emerging as tech industry leaders and they don’t even have to pay income taxes. What a deal! Are we a little biased since we do the majority of our work in Texas and Michigan? Possibly, but numbers don’t lie!

best states to live in

 

No one can take away the beauty of Hawaii and California, but those cost of living indexes are through the roof! That being said, if these are among the worst states to make a living, we’re not doing all that bad. Just five years ago, the overall unemployment rate was closer to 10%.

best (and worst) states to live in

 

Whether your state ranks among the best, worst, or somewhere in between, sometimes it just comes down to personal preference. If you can live with a high cost of living index or a salary the dips below the national average, then you probably don’t have to be part of the best states to live in to live a financially happy life. That’s my opinion. What do you think?

 

 

How to Provide Real Value in Talent Acquisition

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Today’s world of talent acquisition or “recruiting” seems to have some very confusing measurements around what represents value. The market is trending towards more outsourced solutions: RPOs, MSPs, automated resume parsing and screening, as well as off shoring some, or all of the initial contact with potential candidates. This trend seems to represent a quicker delivery (in most cases) of resumes to the hiring managers or client delivery team.

Real Value In Talent AcquisitionFor hiring managers combating a real talent shortage, is the quicker, faster delivery of resumes really the best answer? In my career the focus has always been on working towards finding the best hire, not on the delivering resumes within a 24 hour period.

The sad reality is that there are HR organizations that seem to drive the same concept of value whether they are recruiting for themselves or outsourcing the work to recruiting organizations. The selection process is essentially driven by a commoditized procurement model rather than a value/success driven talent acquisition model. I am convinced that the commoditized procurement model falls short in helping to support hiring managers. Forcing a usually overworked hiring manager or executive to review numerous resumes (we refer to this as a resume blizzard) in the hopes of finding that one aligned and ideal candidate is a recipe for failure.

I discussed this theory with a manager at a major airline a few years back. He had already gone through a hiring process 3 months earlier to hire 2 senior people on his team. Of the initial 2 hires, one eventually didn’t show up and he was getting ready to release the 2nd due to performance issues. The manager reached out for support from the existing HR partner and wouldn’t you know it, he received 60 resumes within 2 days. I asked him about his plan for the 60 resumes and he said; “probably take them home and read them over the weekend.” This gentleman had a wife, a new born, 3 other children and was already working 10 to 12 hours a day. He eventually admitted he would probably only get to look at 10 to 15 of the resumes.

When did quantity of resumes delivered in 15 minutes or less represent success and value to hiring managers over delivering quality and finding the “right” candidate? Managers forced to staff under these circumstances sometimes never get to see the best available candidate. Ultimately, the organization ends up accepting the best of the mediocre submitted candidates. On the other hand, high performing organization’s focus on their talent acquisition process.  They insist that their recruiting or HR professionals streamline the acquisition process for the hiring manager. The lesson is this; a monkey can pull scores of resumes off of Monster or Career Builder, the real value of a recruiting partner is their ability to evaluate hundreds of resume submittals and find the 2 -3 most ideal candidates.  In addition, they also help managers review resumes and guide candidates through the recruiting and hiring processes. This leads to a better representation of the organization as well as a more informed manager and ultimately congruence when offers are eventually made.

I believe it’s time to put the human element back into the recruiting processes as a matter of practice as opposed to the exception.

I look forward to hearing what other professionals think. Let’s start a dialogue.

Author: George Albert Opitz

How to Join the Workforce When You’re Short on Experience

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What do you do when you’re starting out? What do you do when you’re switching industries, or rejoining the workforce?  While every situation is different, many companies are looking  for people with experience.  Here are a few ideas for students, professionals switching industries or those rejoining the workforce:

Students leaving the nest

  • If you are a current student or a recent grad, you may have a few advantages…
    • Internships are usually reserved for students or recent grads. If you are a junior, senior or just graduated, you may have a very good chance at scoring an internship that will essentially be a business school education and your base for an entry level position.  Look for an area and companies that interest you and apply/network like crazy. When you land said internship, be a sponge. Soak up everything you see, hear, habits that successful people have and the way that successful people carry themselves.  Take notes, ask questions and at the end of it, you will have a lot to add to a resume.
    • Clubs and projects are a part of the everyday. You can gain “ideal world” experience that may not be what you actually do in the “real world”; however, the project management skills, planning and presentation experience you gain are invaluable.
    • Networking opportunities are constantly made available. Talk with your peers, professors and guest speakers about their ambitions, where they had success, mistakes they made or tips on how to be successful are all information that you will need.  These people may also help you land a job or internship.
    • College centers can help you market yourself! Never be afraid to go to your college center and have them format your resume, give you interviewing tips or a heads up on volunteer or internship opportunities. It’s their job to help you find opportunities for employment; use them.

Changing Industries with Work Experience

  • Assess the pros and cons: The New York Times quoted John A. Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, who suggests, “For mid-career people, it’s risky to make a wholesale career switch. Unless they are at the beginning of their working lives, many people can’t afford to give up the time and the income required to develop entirely new skills.” If this description fits you, then applying your learned skills to a new industry may be the most economical and fulfilling choice.
  • Research and compare your skills to those of your potential colleagues. Robert Hawthorne, president of search firm Hawthorne Research suggests, “Compare your accomplishments and skills to someone in a similar job who has been working in the industry you’re targeting. That will give you a better read on your chances and help you figure out how to position yourself against incumbents.” This can also help you see the way that industry experts talk about their skills and experiences. You can catalogue your existing skills, and find where you may need more research or experience.
  • Network, network, network! Do research, learn the lingo, see any forecasts for successes or challenges in the industry and then hit the networking circuit. Attend events that are either industry specific or position specific, listen, learn and ask questions. The people you meet here may be able to help you directly, or know someone who has employment needs. If getting a job is about who you know, then go out there and meet people.

 Re-Entering the workforce

Stay-at-home parents, those coming off of extended sick leave, or those coming out of retirement please do not get discouraged. Any volunteering during your time off and past work experience (years ago), can be relevant if you are able to present them in a way that shows you are keeping up with your industry. Our resident interview expert, Karen Melvin, had insight as to how a company may look at an extended leave candidate’s experience:

“First and foremost, if you have been on extended leave you may want to research companies who value a work/life balance. Those are the kinds of companies that are more likely to keep an open mind about extended leave, as opposed to companies that view employees as a number. Before interviewing I would suggest researching the industry to show that you are up on trends, review your resume to refresh your memory about how you acted/ re-acted in certain situations and network to find out any inside industry knowledge.”

As a last resort, or if you are seriously wanting to not only re-enter the workforce, but switch industries and/ or professions altogether, you may want to look into going back to grad school or college. Remember what Christopher Robin said, “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” You can do it!

How to Write a Realistic Job Description

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If you’ve ever visited one of the popular online dating sites and taken the opportunity to review the profiles of those seeking the “right” person for what they consider an “ideal” relationship you’ll notice a common theme on many of them.   The profile of the person they seek is perfect…literally perfect.

The list of things they’re looking for goes on and on with all kinds of requirements, interests, and qualities.  Do people like that really exist?

Probably not.

What if these folks approached their search with somewhat more realistic expectations, and just included of a few of the non-negotiable must have’s instead of listing out every little thing that would be “ideal”?  What if they included a little bit of info on what’s truly important to them (their values), and why those things matter?  What if they stuck to the “must have’s” and allowed for someone to learn/develop certain interests or qualities over the course of a relationship?

If they were to sit around and wait for someone who met all their “ideal” requirements they could be waiting a very long time, and interact with very few people.  At the end of the day, they might actually keep themselves from meeting someone really great; someone who has qualities they never expected or thought to ask for in a person.

Attracting Talent in the workplace is not all that different than attracting the right person for a personal relationship…a wider net gives you a larger pipeline, more choices, and offers opportunities to include those with unique skills and experience.

The “attraction” process often begins with a simple job description.  Much like the online dating profile, many job descriptions are loaded with requirements; full of ideal qualities and skills, and ultimately pretty limiting in terms of whom might actually be “right” for the job.

The most effective job descriptions are those that stick to core requirements—what is absolutely essential to performing the functions of the role.  Including an outline of how performance will be measured also provides a standard for both the individual and the manager.  Allow for some of the “ideals” or nice-to-have skills to be learned and developed along the way.  Often those “nice to have” skills change as the business changes.  Good job descriptions also include something of the core values and the behaviors that exhibit those values.  The potential for success in a role is much greater when you seek to match the core skills and values rather than focusing strictly on the never ending list of technical skills and experience requirements.

Here are some simple rules for writing a realistic but effective job description; one that is likely to apply to a range of different individuals who can perform the job, and without limiting the possibilities for potential in the role:

  • Outline the primary, or core responsibilities of the role.  This will also assist managers by providing clear objectives and standards for the role.
  • Stick to “must have” requirements—what skills are absolutely necessary to performing the job outlined?
  • How will performance be measured in the role?
  • Include a couple of the company core values as well as the key behaviors that exhibit these values.

Core requirements…simple, straightforward, and clearly outlined.  Effective, realistic, and applicable to a wider range of potential talent.  Now that’s absolute perfection.