From Collaboration to Transformation: The Evolution of Business Partnerships with Brightwing Recruitment Agents

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The world is changing rapidly. 

The world is changing at the fastest rate in history. 

The pandemic accelerated technology and innovation by years. 

The above are just a few of the common headlines we’ve all been witnessing in recent years. It’s no secret that the world is changing, and that translates to changes in all facets of our lives – and most importantly, our work. But what does that mean for us? 

With changes on a global scale – international companies, remote work, and new technologies – it becomes imperative to understand the talent market and what that means for your organization. The world of work is evolving. Additionally, the world of talent is evolving. The world of recruitment is evolving, too. Now, more than ever, having a reliable and credible talent and recruitment partner on your side will help you navigate uncertainties in a constantly evolving world. Over 50 years of serving clients and candidates, we know a thing or two about navigating change. Our recruiters have decades of experience and on-demand networks that will offer recruitment help and keep at modern-day pace. 

An Ever-Changing Landscape

Any partnership with a recruitment outsourcing company is bound to evolve in order to adapt to constant change on a global economic scale. Businesses worldwide adopted agile business models to stay more flexible in the face of uncertainty. At the same time, increased regulatory scrutiny and globalization have led to many companies widening their scope to previously untapped markets. The increasing prominence of the gig economy fundamentally changed the way individual job candidates opt to find their work. Similarly, remote and hybrid work schedules embedded themselves permanently into the array of options for job candidates who prefer the benefits of a work-from-home environment.

We haven’t even mentioned the increasing digitization across industries, the rise of big data, the exponential growth of e-commerce, a new focus on sustainability and inclusion, and other key components of the economy in recent years – all of which are changing how we do business. Companies are investing heavily in data security as they take bigger and bigger risks, and amidst all of this change, a supply of hand-picked, talented personnel is more necessary. We know correlation doesn’t equal causation, but looking at the recent past, it’s likely that things are only going to get more exciting and fast-paced moving forward.

The Function of a Recruitment Outsourcing Company

Traditionally, recruitment agents worked as intermediaries in the economy to source candidates and match them with open positions at client companies. Hiring agencies assess candidate skills, query references, and run all relevant background checks. While the average recruitment outsourcing company provides support during the onboarding process, few expend the energy to uplift their candidates. That’s because effectively fitting a candidate to the job – and helping ensure the job provides growth and opportunities – requires that recruiters truly understand the candidates and the clients. Without taking the time to get to know candidates on an individual basis, it will be challenging to place them into a position that is perfect for them.

The Here at Brightwing, we’re forging relationships that give our clients valuable skill sets and our candidates long-lasting jobs. A great recruitment outsourcing agency stands with you as a partner, and forges great relationships on your behalf – it’s why our recruiters prioritize the people element and get to know our clients and candidates in a meaningful way. Our work goes beyond matching people to jobs: It’s providing people with fulfilling work and providing teams with the right skills to set them up for success. 

How Will Recruitment Help Look in Future Years?

AI and data are irreversibly shaping the landscape of work, and that includes recruitment help. Data-driven frameworks and models designed off of enormous datasets grow more sophisticated by the day. AI tools can currently screen resumes, match candidates to fitting positions, and interact with candidates on a cursory level. Recruitment agents in coming years must learn to balance the advantages of this technology with the human heart at the center of their industries. While Brightwing is, and always will be, invested in technological innovation, we believe the human element of this work is irreplaceable. Our recruiters will continue to navigate the use of technology with the nuance and subtlety it deserves.

Where Do Brightwing Recruitment Agents Start?

We like to say that our recruiters know how to go from zero to best friend in sixty seconds just by their ability to ask the right questions and say the right things to make candidates feel comfortable. We make it clear that we are here to offer recruitment help, and it’s why we’re able to build and maintain deep networks of top-tier talent. Our recruiters’ tenure surpasses the industry benchmark, giving us access to developed networks of talent that we’ve already established trust and rapport with. 

The Difference a Brightwing Recruiter Can Make

Business partnerships with recruitment agents don’t just create work, they create a difference. Our first-year trajectory aims to give our agents a core curriculum of industry-specific skills quite unlike anything other hiring agencies have to offer. Our agents understand the nuances between IT work and electrical engineering, financial analysis, and project management. This is the result of one year of training with Brightwing – and most of our team has been here for much longer than one year. Working with a Brightwing agent means accessing a depth of expertise that is unparalleled in the rest of the industry.

We have three offices in Metro Detroit, Dallas-Fort Worth, and South Florida, though we are no strangers to recruiting for remote work. Our Florida location specializes in mid to executive-level IT, while our other two locations focus on staffing the full range of our target industries. The key difference between average hiring agencies and partnerships that will last a lifetime is that the latter develops from the ground up through intentional recruiter practices, networks, and experiences. Only a focus on genuine human potential beyond the standard names and numbers can get you there. This is the Brightwing difference. Contact us today to find out more about our Brightwing difference!

Big vs Small Businesses: The Benefits for Employees

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The size of the company you work for can affect the shape and direction of your career, so it’s important to understand the differences

Read more

[VIDEO] One Simple Tool for Driving Employee Engagement

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Watch Brightwing President and Management Consultant George Opitz talk about the power of one-on-ones.

 

 

THE TAKEAWAY

 

Managers should sit down with their direct reports once a week or every other week to find out how things are going and how they can help. Why? It’ll align and engage the organization from top to bottom, making it far likelier that you’ll get where you need to go.

 

Treat one-on-ones as an opportunity to check-in with your employee. Get a gauge on how they’re feeling, what roadblocks they may be facing, what they’re excited about. Let your questions be open-ended and your responses authentic.

 

If you check in only once a month – or quarter, or year, – the utility of the check-in fades away. You want to be able to talk in concrete terms about the work they just completed or have straight ahead of them. That way the conversation is substantive and doesn’t require too much recall. Infrequent touchpoints become abstract all too easily.

 

The key? Make one-on-ones a top priority. Don’t let them fall to the bottom of your list. As a manager, it’s one of the most important tools you have to keep your people on board and your team on track.

 

 

Looking to build your team? At Brightwing, our talent acquisition approach is one-part relationships, one-part insight, and one-part science. We know it’s a recipe that can work for you.

LET’S PARTNER UP. WE CAN’T WAIT TO HEAR FROM YOU.

 

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4 out of 5 Employees May Switch Jobs in 2019: What Does That Mean for Your Organization?

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4 out of 5 Employees May Switch Jobs in 2019

 

Want to take these insights with you? Download the PDF.

 

Brightwing Talent Insights Survey Results 2019

Brightwing recently invited its talent network to participate in a survey to gain an inside perspective of the candidate market. For employers, this is important data to help them understand what candidates are looking for in a new opportunity and how companies should adjust their processes accordingly. Read on!

 

We like to get inside people’s heads. Find out what makes them tick, what makes them jump for joy or groan with boredom.

 

Nowhere is this truer than when it comes to jobseekers.

 

Making the perfect match between a professional and their future employer isn’t a game of throwing resumes at the wall to see what sticks. It’s about getting to the core of what really matters, building a relationship based on trust and intuition.

 

That’s why we reached out to our talent network to find out more about their experiences, hopes, and strategies in the job search. Turns out, this is profound information to help employers shape their recruitment strategies in ways that truly engage top talent.

 

Let’s dive in.

 

Only 1 in 5 employees are committed to staying at their current job

So, there’s good news and there’s bad news.

 

Only 1 in 5 employees are committed to staying at their current job

The good news is that if you’re actively hiring, there may be more available talent than what appears at first glance.

 

Chasing down those “passive” jobseekers – the 40% of people who are interested if an opportunity presents itself – will be particularly valuable in this case. If your employer branding game is on point and you know how to market your company and open positions in engaging ways, the chance you’ll be able to attract the right people is strong.

 

However, the bad news is that you may need to be concerned about retention. Most companies probably have a few employees who are either actively searching for a new job or at least willing to entertain a new opportunity should it present itself. Can you afford to lose them? Are you prepared to hire replacements? Can your team cover the gap if someone leaves? These questions probably make you nervous, but a strong retention strategy should reduce the chance that you’ll actually need to face these questions head-on.

 

Job boards, recruiters, and social networks are popular job search resources

 

Job boards, recruiters, and social networks are popular job search resourcesWhere are you looking for candidates to expand your talent pool?

 

Posting a job description to your website is simply not enough. Neither is posting to CareerBuilder, Monster, Indeed, or any of the other prominent job boards out there. While you could make the accurate assumption that many candidates are searching these job boards, more than 3 out of 5 are actually looking in other places.

 

Many candidates are connecting with recruiters in their industry. This is often the case with those “passive” job seekers who are employed full-time and don’t have the spare hours to search on their own. They also recognize that a recruiter’s network is much deeper than their own and they have the tools to gather information that the candidate couldn’t obtain on their own. Have you considered working with a staffing company to gain access to their candidates?

 

Another significant resource that candidates are using in the job search is social media – especially LinkedIn. Complete with its own job board, LinkedIn gives jobseekers the power to research companies, connect with peers and leaders, and showcase the details of their resume, skills, and accomplishments. Are you reaching candidates where they are?

 

56% of Jobseekers Prefer Email Communication

 

56% of Jobseekers Prefer Email Communication

 

A decade ago, employees everywhere feared for their job in the wake of the economic recession. At that point, they probably had little preference how a potential employer contacted them.

 

Today, we’re all too aware that it’s a candidate’s market. Top talent is regularly inundated with messages from both corporate and agency recruiters. Plus, they’re simply busy. So, it’s little surprise that they’re picky about which messages they give their attention.

 

More than half of surveyed talent are more likely to initially engage with a potential employer through email.

 

With subscriptions and spam typically sent to secondary folders (thanks Gmail), people have more control of the content of their inbox than any other avenue. Algorithms control their social feeds, telemarketers won’t cease their phone calls, but your inbox is your own. That said, 2 out of 5 candidates do still prefer a phone call. In this case, then, your method of communication depends a little bit on trial-and-error for each individual candidate. Your choice.

 

Two Thirds of Jobseekers Are Checking on Your Reputation

Two Thirds of Jobseekers Are Checking on Your ReputationThere are plenty of opportunities out there for most candidates these days. As such, they’re not applying to every job they see or accepting the first job offer that comes their way. They’re doing their research first.

 

What makes a company attractive to apply to or accept a job with?

 

Almost two thirds of survey respondents view the company’s brand or reputation as the most important factor. Quite frankly, that’s a massive number. If a company isn’t on top of brand/reputation management, they may be falling short without even realizing it. Every factor that builds a brand – website, social presence, advertising, partnerships, thought leadership, quality of products/services, customer service, and more – must be aligned with how a company is portraying itself as an employer. If a piece of the puzzle is missing or damaged, candidates may dismiss the thought of ever applying for a job.

 

The second most popular factor in applying to or accepting a job with a specific company is their Glassdoor (or similar) reviews. The insights of both current and former employees (and any responses from the employer themselves) tell a candidate what it’s like to work there. This information is gold. Do you know what people are saying about you? How are you responding?

 

Jobseekers Crave Skills Growth and Opportunity

In today’s competitive candidate market, many companies are willing to pay top dollar to win talent. However, money isn’t always the answer. In fact, compensation ranks a joint third place (with company culture) as the most important factor in accepting a job offer.

 

Jobseekers Crave Skills Growth and Opportunity

Candidates crave growth more than money.

 

Skills development and a projected career path are critical to engaging your employees – and attracting new ones. Without these opportunities, employees grow stagnant, bored, and disengaged. They don’t want that – and neither should you. Smart jobseekers ensure that these opportunities will be available to them before they sign the employment contract. Can you deliver?

 

Almost as important is an employee’s work-life balance, and this ranks second in the survey. How are you providing your teams flexibility? Consider remote work opportunities, flex hours, unlimited PTO, or other alternatives. Make sure you regularly evaluate each team member’s workload to diminish burnout and ensure they don’t feel overwhelmed.

 

Follow Up Within One Week or Risk Losing Top Candidates

Even though top talent can seem scarce, that doesn’t mean you won’t be inundated with resumes and applications the minute you post a job description online – a majority of which will be underqualified. It’s no wonder that sorting through and screening those applications can take days if not weeks to find the right people.

 

 

Unfortunately, you simply don’t have weeks. More than one third of survey respondents said they were willing to wait no longer than one week for a response after they’d applied. And two out of five responded with 3-5 days! A more generous 30% replied with 2 weeks, and, in the minority, 12% said 3+ weeks. It’s clear, then, that prompt follow up is critical to retaining top candidates before they move on to other opportunities.

 

Flex Time and Healthcare Benefits Are Equally Important

 

Flex Time and Healthcare Benefits Are Equally Important

 

An almost identical number of people ranked flex-time/work-from-home and healthcare as the number one most important employer benefit. Though these benefits are very different in nature, they both speak to an employee’s sense of wellbeing – both mental and physical. These are followed by paid vacation and retirement benefits in 3rd and 4th place. Can you meet their expectations?

 

 

Counteroffers Rarely Work

Counteroffers Rarely WorkIf you’re worried about losing top employees – or if you’re worried about losing top candidates to their current employers – you need to know that only 6% of survey respondents are very likely to accept a counteroffer after they’ve given their resignation. A quarter of them may consider a counteroffer only if it’s significant. But about two thirds of jobseekers are unlikely (though that’s not to say not tempted) by a counteroffer.

 

This confirms that most people are simply not motivated by money. While everyone has bills to pay, when it comes to spending eight or more hours doing the same job in the same place with the same people, there are several more important factors prompting them to either stay or leave.

 

Brightwing Talent Insights 2019

With four out of five employees open to new job opportunities this year, it’s likely that if you’re not already hiring, you will be soon. We hope this survey data helps provide some insight for honing your recruitment strategy, as well as any employee engagement and retention initiatives.

 

Finally, with two out of five candidates choosing to use a recruiter in their job search, we can’t help but ask whether you’ve considered partnering with a staffing and recruiting firm. At Brightwing, our talent acquisition approach is one-part relationships, one-part insight, and one-part results. We know it’s a recipe that can work for you.

 

Let’s partner up. We can’t wait to hear from you.

Save these insights straight to your desktop by downloading the PDF. 

Will Your Marketing Team Thrive or Fail Under These 3 Trends?

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Will Your Marketing Team Thrive or Fail Under These 3 Trends?

Have you seen our recent 2019 Hiring Insights in Marketing yet? We’ve got the research you need to prepare for your 2019 hiring initiatives. Be sure to check it out, then rejoin us back here.

 

You’ve seen first-hand the exponential growth in the digital marketing industry. Unfortunately, the high demand for marketing talent who can address this transformation of the industry has revealed a tangible shortage of candidates. As a result, even leading marketing teams acknowledge that they aren’t reaching their recruitment goals. The hunt for marketing candidates is often in vain.

 

However, we believe that the core trends influencing the marketing industry are simultaneously changing the hiring profile of the best marketing talent. Understanding these trends will inevitably change the way you recruit the professionals who can successfully address your business objectives.  

 

1.      The Power of “Whole-Brained” Talent

You’ve probably heard someone described as left-brained or right-brained, but have you heard of a person referred to as “whole-brained”? According to a recent study by McKinsey, many companies have begun searching for talented individuals with left- and right-brain skills in an effort to more deeply integrate different marketing functions. In this new approach, creativity and data are equal partners.

 

Historically, data and creativity have been at odds. You might know this as the “ideas vs. numbers” or “emotion vs. logic” dilemma – the first is hard to measure from a business perspective, but the second struggles to be relevant and engaging to an increasingly demanding audience. However, as the marketing industry has advanced, the idea that creativity and data are adversaries has become outdated.

 

Today, “whole-brain” marketing professionals, who have the skill to integrate data and creativity in a single role, are innovating the marketing department. These are individuals who are simultaneously creative and logical – and they’re also nimble enough to interface with colleagues of a variety of different backgrounds and functions. It’s a combination that enables them to more effectively drive brand growth, improve performance, and engage the customer experience.

 

This fundamentally changes the hiring profile of most marketing functions. Hiring a creative director or a data scientist with traditional backgrounds and perspectives simply isn’t enough. A “whole-brained” marketing professionals has elements of both functions even if they lean more heavily towards just one. This will change where companies look for talent and how they assess their skillsets. Adjusting their recruitment strategy accordingly is critical for success.

 

2.      The Growth of Cross-Functional Teams

Breaking down the walls between creative and logical skillsets is also a trend at the team-level. Many companies are pushing the envelope on what it means to enable collaboration between creatives and technologists, choosing an agile marketing model in which they create small, highly-focused, cross-functional teams.

 

These high-performance teams are staffed with talent from a traditional marketing background as well as people in fields such as IT and operations. Tasked with executing on one specific business objective, they’re simply faster, thanks to a unified view of the customer, eliminated data siloes, reduced inter-departmental bottlenecks, and more seamless testing and integration. Ultimately, new ideas can more quickly be brought to market.

 

This agile model is especially well suited for the growing trend of personalized marketing. Although personalization has been a buzzword in the marketing industry for years, 2019 could be the year marketers finally deliver more mature personalized marketing strategies, thanks in part to the collaborative effort between creatives and data-focused functions.

 

While there are many benefits to the cross-functional agile model, searching for marketing talent suited to this unconventional structure can be challenging. Although their experience may be more traditional, qualities like curiosity, emotional intelligence, and natural leadership ability should be top of mind, as these skills will enable them to successfully integrate into diverse teams. Overall, cross-functional marketing teams are here to stay, and adapting your talent search to this new model will be essential to staying competitive in the digital marketing environment.  

 

3.      The Rise of Ethical Marketing

Finding the right balance between creativity and data is critical, but we can’t mention the increase of data in marketing without also considering its consequences. Used right, data can massively improve the reach of marketing strategies, but companies must gather a comprehensive knowledge of consumer data privacy and security. A growing number of regulations acknowledge that customers want to know how their data is protected and how it is used.

 

At this point, everyone should be familiar with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that was implemented in 2018. Similarly, California’s 2020 privacy law requires companies to meet certain principles and conditions regarding data collection and storage. With continuing data privacy concerns and increased regulation likely, companies that implement data privacy protections now will be better prepared for future success.

To earn consumers’ trust, marketers should be focused on ethical data collection and management. However, this is still a relatively new area of expertise, and many companies have been slow to adjust their hiring profiles accordingly. Making the change and recruiting talent with knowledge of data security will help guide companies’ ethical data management strategies.

 

The landscape of the marketing field continues to shift under the weight of powerful trends. Proactively building a team with talent who can withstand this transformation and pioneer a way forward is critical to the success of your business.

 

At Brightwing, we believe that finding the kind of individuals who can achieve your marketing goals depends upon relationships, intuition, and experience – we call it “recruiting, reimagined.” We’re on the forefront of the market, keeping in touch with trends like these so we can bring you insights and advice to help you stay competitive.

 

For more research, check out the Brightwing 2019 Hiring Insights in Marketing guide today.

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

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Millennials in Finance Accounting - Banner

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.

Research on the Engineering Talent Shortage Says We Should Start Worrying

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Research on the Engineering Talent Shortage Says We Should Start Worrying (1)
Did you check out our recent 2019 Hiring Insights in Engineering yet? We’ve got the research to prepare for your 2019 hiring initiatives. Go check it out, then meet us back here.

 

The talent shortage.

 

A long-time buzzword in the engineering and manufacturing sectors – one you’d be tempted to tune out by now. Except it hits too close to home to ignore; your productivity, growth, customer service, and innovation are just a handful of areas that vacancies will negatively impact – and the talent shortage ensures that those vacancies will take at least three months to fill, according to surveyed manufacturers.

 

By 2028, a continued shortage will translate to a potential loss of $454 billion in economic output – a massive 17% of the forecasted manufacturing GDP in the US.

 

For many companies, it’s tempting to throw money at the problem and forget about it – offer higher salary packages to attract the right talent or invest in automation technology to relieve the demand for transactional labor. But it’s not enough.

 

Take a look at this graphic from Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute. Can money really fill the gap of 2.4 million manufacturing vacancies by 2028?

 

 

The engineering and manufacturing talent shortage isn’t just a buzzword. Its impact is both global and local. The need to tackle this challenge is not dependent upon revenue size, organizational demographics, or reach. It’s a commitment needed by every company.

 

We dig into more detail below. Grab a cup of coffee and read on.

 

Why Is There an Engineering and Manufacturing Talent Shortage?

The engineering and manufacturing industries are contending with historically-low unemployment rates in combination with the industry’s significant contribution to economic expansion. The result is the tightest labor market in recent history. But the root causes of this talent shortage go deeper.

 

Shrinking Immigration

The STEM workforce in the US has long been home to a significant portion of talented foreign-born workers – about 20-25% according to the American Immigration Council. However, the number of international students has declined a massive 17% in recent years – primarily due to changes in visa regulation. Furthermore, while large organizations in the manufacturing/engineering fields have historically been the biggest sponsors of H-1B visas for foreign workers, that number has similarly decreased.

 

Companies are left to turn to domestic talent, which is a far smaller pool of professionals.

 

Aging Workforce

A SHRM report suggests that almost 27% of workers in the manufacturing sector will retire within the next decade. Baby Boomers – and even some older members of Generation X – are out the door, taking their knowledge and skills with them. Not only are many companies lacking sufficient succession planning and knowledge transfer strategies, but there simply isn’t enough talent to fill the gap.

 

Decline in STEM Interest

Last year, the number of teenage boys interested in a STEM career dropped from 36% to 24% while the number of teenage girls is stagnant at just 11%. Only 3 in 10 parents consider advising their child to go into manufacturing. Some claim that an unfavorable perception of the industry is the root cause of this disinterest.

 

Consider the automotive industry, one expert points out; the emotional response tied to the Big Three automotive brands is nowhere near as exciting as that tied with Tesla, known for its innovation. But Tesla is not what people initially think of when considering a career in manufacturing. In fact, less than half of surveyed Americans believe that manufacturing jobs are “interesting, rewarding, clean, safe, stable, and secure.” With such a dismal view of the industry, it’s little wonder why enrollment in these fields is stagnant or, worse, declining.

 

Lack of Women in Engineering and Manufacturing

As mentioned, only 11% of teenage girls are interested in STEM careers. The number of female engineering graduates is higher – at 24% – but that’s still drastically uneven, despite the fact that women outnumber men in overall graduate school enrollment. Studies show that the US manufacturing workforce consists of just 29% of women workers. This lack of women in engineering and manufacturing is certainly perpetuating the talent shortage.

 

Overcoming the Engineering and Manufacturing Talent Shortage

Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to address the talent shortage in the engineering and manufacturing fields.

 

The right solution depends upon a number of factors, including regional differences in skills demand and current STEM offerings, to name a couple. That said, we’ve seen companies find success in some of the following solutions. 

 

Investing in STEM Development

Getting involved at the college and high-school levels to promote STEM careers is one of the most proactive approaches to solving the talent shortage. Not only are you able to build your long-term talent pipeline, you’re also building employer brand awareness, which is highly valuable in attracting greater numbers of candidates.

 

For example, global manufacturer Cummins, Inc. created its own initiative to address the skills gap, called the Technical Education for Communities program (TEC). It’s a program that works with schools to identify and supplement gaps, helping them standardize teacher training, market-relevant curriculum, classroom tools and systems, and career guidance. It’s an extensive investment, but one that pays off by improving overall STEM education and sparking greater career interest.

 

Hand-in-hand with STEM education investment is the opportunity to get more girls interested in careers in fields like engineering and manufacturing. A Microsoft general manager Shelley McKinley points to studies that show girls need more role models: “Where are the women STEM teachers? Girls are more interested in hands-on experience; they want to see the life applications of what they are learning.” Companies can take a proactive approach in getting the right role models in front of this young audience to boost their interest in STEM.

 

Creative Compensation Packages

Many organizations hear the phrase talent shortage and act in a reactive manner, throwing money at the problem to gain the talent they need. Higher wages and sign-on bonuses are common strategies – and Deloitte reports a 68% positive impact from companies who go this route. It seems like a viable solution – for now.

 

But it’s a short-term fix. It doesn’t guarantee that the people lured in by the money will stay for the long haul or that the future talent pool will miraculously grow as a result. Plus, it’s expensive. The average US engineer wage sits at $91,010, reaching even higher depending on experience level and regional bias. How long will this strategy remain valuable?

 

Flexible Skills Requirements

Sometimes, the talent pool only seems limited because a company’s long list of requirements is so stringent.

 

Finding the perfect candidate in the current market is going to prove highly difficult. However, a more flexible approach to requirements will result in a wider range of available candidates. We’ve seen the success of this strategy first-hand. An automotive client spent six months trying to find a highly technical engineer with extensive experience in a long list of very specific skills. We helped them pare that list down and expanded the search from local to national (introducing a relocation package), resulting in a wider array of highly qualified people who fit the job.

 

Training Junior Professionals

Not only will getting more flexible on requirements help, but intentionally hiring more junior people can also open up the talent pool.

 

This strategy goes hand-in-hand with valuable training programs as well as knowledge transfer initiatives – especially as your oldest generation of workers gets ready for retirement. To aid in this effort, some manufacturers have already implemented short-term project opportunities for retiring individuals, allowing them to work in a smaller capacity in order to increase (or maintain) headcount while enabling greater knowledge transfer to junior employees.

 

Implementing Automation

Automation does not solve the engineering and manufacturing talent shortage, but it does help address the challenge in the meantime.

 

The World Economic Forum suggests that by 2022 42% of total task hours will be managed by machines and algorithms. As such, one in three manufacturers are already using these tools and technologies to supplement low-skilled jobs in order to focus their recruiting efforts on higher-skilled roles. As a result, 64% of executives have found that automation helps them overcome the challenges of the talent shortage.

 

* * *

 

At the end of the day, it’s clear that leaders in the engineering and manufacturing fields cannot remain silent about the talent shortage. Industry growth and demand are opening up more and more employment opportunities – and the only way to fill those positions is to be proactive about filling your talent pipeline.

 

For more research, check out the Brightwing 2019 Hiring Insights in Engineering Guide today.

Real Stories from Real Recruiters: Going Above and Beyond

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Real Stories from Real Recruiters: Going Above and Beyond

This article is Part 6 in a series of “Real Stories from Real Recruiters.” We check in with several Brightwingers to reveal some important lessons for anyone who’s looking either for talent or for opportunities. This story is from Brightwing’s Adriana Michaels, Senior Recruiter.

 

When candidates work with recruiters, they’re essentially putting their career – and their life – in the hands of a stranger. That can be an extremely vulnerable position for these talented individuals, and, as recruiters, we recognize the huge responsibility we have to put them at ease and deliver a great experience.

 

At Brightwing, we have an established BRIGHTview process to streamline recruitment and hiring, but even with this time-tested strategy, there’s always room for things to go awry. That’s when I rely on my intuition and creativity to work everything out, as well as my commitment to go above and beyond to ensure a candidate is as comfortable as possible and equipped for success.

 

A great example of this is a software engineer I recruited for one of our automotive clients. We had worked closely with the client to narrow down their technical requirements and expand their talent pool (read that story here), and we found the perfect candidate four states away in the aerospace industry. It would be a huge transition for this candidate; not only would he be moving his career to a new industry (automotive), he’d be moving his wife and four kids to a new state, one he’d never even visited before. I worked closely with him to support and encourage him through the process. He nailed the phone interview, and the next step was to fly in for a face-to-face interview.

 

From the beginning, I could tell he was enthusiastic about the opportunity, but it was clear there was some hesitation about uprooting his entire family and moving them somewhere brand new. For many recruiters, this hesitation would have been a red flag; was he really serious about leaving his current job and moving his family? But because I had taken the time to understand his goals and motivations, I was confident about continuing to support him through this process.

 

We set up the in-person interview, with the client securing travel and hotel arrangements for my candidate, but at the last minute, an urgent family issue came up. With everything already arranged, it was a predicament that clearly made him anxious. Again, many other recruiters may have taken this opportunity to walk away, but I knew my candidate was genuine. I worked with the client to figure out the scheduling to make the interview happen.

 

The interview was scheduled early on a Monday morning, with the candidate flying in the night before and flying back out immediately after the interview, spending a minimal amount of time away from his family. Incredibly, when he arrived, something went wrong with the hotel reservation. He called me panicking. I knew how important it would be for him to be comfortable and rested before the interview, so I called the hotel myself and worked it out.

 

The interview went well, and our client quickly presented him with a great job offer and a very attractive relocation package (complete with a consultant to help him and his family find the perfect new home). When I sat down to lunch with him two weeks after he started, he was unbelievably appreciative, saying he could not have done this without our help. His family was settling his well, he loves the company, and they have great feedback about him, too. Since he’s been there, he has also sent two referrals my way, proving to me just how much he trusted us with this life-changing career move. Knowing how much my candidates trust me motivates me to continue going above and beyond for them throughout the entire hiring process.

 

Watch out for more stories and blog posts by following us on LinkedIn. We’d love to share more of our insight with you – dig deeper into our process here.

 

Related Articles

What to Look for in a Staffing & Recruiting Firm: A Checklist

5 Strategies for Assessing the Strength of Your Hiring Process

The Power of Company Culture in Your Talent Acquisition Process

Real Stories from Real Recruiters: The Power of Candidate Referrals

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Real Stories from Real Recruiters: The Power of Candidate Referrals

This article is Part 5 in a series of “Real Stories from Real Recruiters.” We check in with several Brightwingers to reveal some important lessons for anyone who’s looking either for talent or for opportunities. This story is from Brightwing’s Adriana Michaels, Senior Recruiter.

 

Referrals really are one of the most powerful sources of top-notch candidates. When you take the time and energy to build great relationships with every candidate, they won’t hesitate to refer their friends or family members who are seeking new opportunities.

 

I’ve read many studies that explain the value of referrals. In particular, this study from Jobvite shows that even though referrals make up just 7% of total applicants, they account for almost half of all hires. Plus, they’re usually a better fit and stay with a company longer than other candidates. It’s why Brightwing has an amazing referral program, BrightSHARE, to help build a rich network of strong candidates.

 

It’s my personal experience with referral candidates that really makes these truths hit home, and is why I am personally dedicated to every referral that is sent my way. Every candidate I speak to, whether they are a referral or not, is an opportunity to build a relationship and make the perfect match (see our BRIGHTview process).

 

I feel an extra level of commitment to nurturing the relationship when I know someone trusted me enough to refer them. This is exactly what happened when a candidate I placed reached out to me six months later to help his recently graduated son.

 

The father was a candidate I had recruited and supported through a long client hiring process, engaging and collaborating with him to make the best possible match. We had built a solid relationship, so I was honored when he referred his son. I was immediately committed to understanding this candidate and going above and beyond to help him. The pressure was on!

 

Because the son was a recent graduate, he had limited interviewing experience, which was definitely a hurdle to landing an offer. He was super smart, technically proficient, and clearly had the skills to succeed. But after three interviews, I was surprised to hear negative feedback from several hiring managers.

 

While some recruiters may have given up after three unsuccessful interviews, my relationship with both him and his dad solidified my belief that he could still succeed. He had the talent to be a stellar employee – if we could get past this interview barrier. I went back to the clients he interviewed with to ask for more specific feedback, and then brought him into the office to coach him on his interview technique and build his confidence.

 

In the end, I set him up with a company where I just knew he’d be the perfect fit – both technically and culturally. He aced the interview and the client quickly made him an offer. In fact, he’s still with the same company to this day.

 

In most cases, referrals end up being a great fit for our clients, making me all the more committed to nurturing these connections. The success I’ve seen placing referred candidates into positions where they’ll thrive is a testament that I’m doing meaningful work and really making a difference in people’s lives.

 

Watch out for more of our “Real Stories from Real Recruiters” by following us on LinkedIn. We’d love to share more of our insight with you – dig deeper into our process here.

 

Related Articles

What to Look for in a Staffing & Recruiting Firm: A Checklist

5 Strategies for Assessing the Strength of Your Hiring Process

The Power of Company Culture in Your Talent Acquisition Process

Real Stories from Real Recruiters: Getting Real About Requirements

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This article is Part 4 in a series of “Real Stories from Real Recruiters.” We check in with several Brightwingers to reveal some important lessons for anyone who’s looking either for talent or for opportunities. (Click here to read Parts 1, 2, and 3.) This story is from Brightwinger Steve Ermak, Business Development Manager.

 

Does Your Job Description Reflect the Realities of the Marketplace?

 

I was working with a client in the automotive space who was traditionally really great to partner with. They came to us with a difficult, highly technical software engineering role which had been open for six months. They’d already tried to fill the position twice, but neither candidate had worked out.

 

We looked at the resumes of the candidates they’d tried to hire and right away realized that the company was desperate to fill this position. They had taken on people who were not the best fit, making desperate hiring decisions after failing to find candidates who matched their stringent technical requirements. I wasn’t very surprised those candidates didn’t work out.

 

We met with the hiring manager to go through each and every required skill set and responsibility on the job description, asking if and why it was truly required. Their original requirements narrowed the national talent pool to an extremely limited selection, which is why they had struggled to find someone locally. With a more realistic and pared-down list of skill sets and responsibilities in hand, we researched the marketplace to help the client understand the availability of qualified talent. It was this research that indicated our search should be on a national level, rather than just local. This meant putting together an attractive relocation package. Before we started searching, we also made it clear to our client that a speedy hiring process was paramount in successfully recruiting someone for this role.

 

With this solid foundation set, we got to work searching for technical talent. Fairly quickly, we found several people who looked great on paper. However, the client provided us with a handful of technical “knock out” questions to help nail down candidates who really knew what they were talking about. We quickly ruled out those first few candidates. Our next find, though, seemed perfect. Though he was from an aerospace background rather than automotive – and he lived four states away – it was clear that he was the “purple squirrel” our client had been looking for.

 

A successful phone interview quickly led to flying this candidate out for a face-to-face meeting with our client. True to their commitment, the hiring process was efficient, and they soon made an attractive offer – complete with a competitive relocation package – to this candidate. He started the job just a few weeks later, and we’ve received excellent feedback from both him and our client.

 

We’re here to be advisors for our clients. We know the challenges of the market, and we’re not afraid to speak up when we don’t see realistic expectations reflected in a job description. We work hard to build a level of trust with the people we work with so that we can overcome those hurdles and get to work on making the perfect match.

 

Watch out for more of our “Real Stories from Real Recruiters” by following us on LinkedIn. We’d love to share more of our insight with you – dig deeper into our process here.

 

Related Articles

What to Look for in a Staffing & Recruiting Firm: A Checklist

5 Strategies for Assessing the Strength of Your Hiring Process

The Power of Company Culture in Your Talent Acquisition Process

 

Employee Spotlight: Steve Ermak

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We’re here with another installment in our Employee Spotlight series! Each blog in this monthly series will introduce you to a different member of our team—giving you a peek into what makes us tick as a company and as individuals.

 

Steve ErmakThis month, we’re featuring Steve, one of our Business Development Managers. Steve does a great job of understanding both the clients and candidates he works with to make the best possible culture and skills fit. His expertise and drive help motivate us all.

 

What is one of your favorite hobbies outside of work?

  • Fishing, for sure, and kayaking. I love going out on Lake St. Clair or any lakes up in Northeast Michigan.
  • Spending time with my wife and son.
  • Brewing beer is always a hobby, more so in the wintertime though.

 

Tell me about one of the biggest career challenges you’ve faced and how you overcame it.

I would say it was jumping into the world of Engineering and not knowing anything about that world when I first started here. In this position, the candidates and clients I work with are all engineers, and I wanted to be fluent in their industry to provide the best possible help.

 

I overcame this by having as many conversations as possible with engineers to truly understand what their day-to-day looks like, what common Engineering acronyms and terms mean, and the challenges they generally face. After a while, it all became second nature to me.

 

What is one of your favorite memories of your time so far at Brightwing?

I think it was the first holiday party I got to attend. I’d been here for a few months at this point and had a good grasp on the environment here, but this really cemented my view of Brightwing’s culture—what we are all about and what the leadership is all about.

 

What motivates you?

Success and helping people. I love solving people’s problems on both sides of the staffing equation—finding the perfect match for clients and helping candidates discover a great new opportunity to start the next chapter of their lives.

 

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Alaska. I’d love to rent an RV and drive out there with my wife and son for three months. We’d go fishing, sightseeing—I’ve just always wanted to go there.

 

Visit Steve’s Profile

 

AI in Hiring: Is it Good, Bad, or Ugly?

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Is AI in Hiring the Best Thing Since Sliced Bread?

For anyone faced with hiring in today’s intensely competitive candidate market, the promises of Artificial Intelligence are attractive. The primary goal of AI in hiring is to automate hundreds of time-consuming recruiting tasks while simultaneously helping a company make smarter hiring decisions. It’s like having a highly efficient and intelligent assistant that can handle repetitive tasks, analyze vast amounts of data, and identify the best-fit candidates.

Doesn’t that sound like the best thing since sliced bread?

Well, perhaps to an extent, yes. But it can just as easily end up as toast.

It’s crucial to approach AI implementation with caution, careful consideration, and hyperawareness of its pros and cons. Despite all their benefits, AI aren’t magical solutions to common hiring problems. They’re tools, and tools can be used for good or ill.

On the positive side, AI can significantly streamline the hiring process by automating administrative tasks like resume screening, candidate sourcing, and interview scheduling. This frees up valuable time for recruiters and hiring managers, allowing you to focus on more strategic and human-centric aspects of the hiring process.

However, every recruiter worth their salt knows that there’s an element of human judgment that’s critical for effective hiring. AI shouldn’t replace or overrule that judgement. Rather, you should deploy AI solutions strategically so that it augments and enhances human capabilities rather than replace them.

By leveraging the benefits of AI while maintaining a human-centric approach, organizations can optimize their hiring process and make well-informed decisions that lead to long-term success. Here’s an eBook where we walk through our thought process on AI in recruiting and how we see this new technology adding value in the future.

Grab your copy of our latest eBook to find out how AI can both help and hurt you in the hiring process.

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Get Competitive with a Candidate-Driven Talent Acquisition Process

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Get Competitive with a Candidate-Driven Talent Acquisition Process

 

The talent economy in today’s job market is low—demand is higher than supply. Because top talent is so difficult to find, the best way to compete in today’s job market is to develop a fast-acting, flexible talent acquisition process.

 

 

Deliver an experience your own employees would want

75% of job seekers say a company’s candidate experience indicates how they will treat their employees, and 86% of job seekers believe that employers should treat candidates with the same respect as current employees. Knowing this, it’s critical to understand how to interact with your candidates in each stage so you can deliver an engaging candidate experience.

 

There are five stages in the candidate journey: Awareness & Consideration, Talent Acquisition, Interview, Offer, and Onboarding. In our eBook “The Candidate Journey: How to Optimize Your Hiring Process in Every Stage”, you’ll learn:

  • How to develop a swift and efficient talent acquisition process
  • Specific actions required in each stage to engage candidates
  • What makes you competitive for top talent

 

 

Complete the form to download our eBook today!

 

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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.

 

How to Ensure Successful New Hires

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How to Ensure Successful New Hires

 

Hiring new employees is extremely costly—don’t lose them after a few months! In today’s world, it’s important to pay attention to every step of the hiring process to secure successful new hires. Follow Brightwing’s top 4 strategies on how to hire and retain great employees.

 

 

1. Establish a High-Quality Hiring Process

Go beyond a resume; it takes more to get the job done. Of course you want new hires with the right skillset and experience. However, if you rush the screening process and fast-forward through the interview, you run the risk of settling for a candidate who only looks good on paper. Instead, develop a strategic process for vetting candidates to ensure the fit is good for both of you.

 

 

2. Develop a Structured Onboarding Process

Once you hire the best candidate for the position, take measures to ensure he/she feels empowered to get the job done. Develop a structured onboarding process designed to introduce new hires to the company, access relevant tools, and navigate the building.

 

 

3. Invest in Your Employees

Brightwing places a premium on the human element. Employees work hard to develop the skills and experience needed to qualify for high-quality roles. Once hired, take time to recognize their achievements and contributions to the company.

 

 

4. Build a Strong Company Culture with Creative Benefits

Today, more than ever, company culture impacts employees’ overall job satisfaction. Consider creative benefits you can offer to provide a positive, encouraging environment. For example, a gym membership, time off for volunteer work, flex time, and discounts on healthy meal delivery services.