In the competitive world of hiring, enterprises must prioritize the development and progress of their existing employees. Put another way? It’s just as vital to give appropriate attention to the talent already at your org (i.e., give them the chance to grow at your business) as it is to attract new, external talent to join your company. 

Adopting an internal mobility strategy is one proven way to help employees advance professionally, retain top performers, and reward the talent you already spent time and resources to develop.

However, the (many) benefits of internal mobility and its significance in the growth and success of your enterprise org bare repeating. (Especially in today’s volatile and uncertain labor market.)

What is internal mobility? A breakdown

Internal mobility refers to employees’ ability to move into new roles on or outside their current business unit. Internal mobility programs are typically owned by human resources, but require regular input from people managers to refer team members for active and upcoming roles.

These managers make said suggestions based on their direct reports’ recent performance long-term contributions. (That is, their team members’ recent and historical work that both helped achieve team and company goals and drive business growth, either directly or indirectly.)

Other times, recruiting team members identify existing employees based on assessment of these internal candidates, so to speak, via their ATS and/or HCM profiles.

And, sometimes, employees themselves proactively seek out info on new and future roles (usually by speaking with colleagues) across the business and request to be considered for those jobs.

Regardless of how internal talent (i.e., members of your workforce) become potential candidates, internal mobility is essential to helping employees realize their professional goals, gradually advance in the “right” direction in terms of their desired career path, and — ultimately — entices them to want to stay at the business long term, given they get the opportunity to grow in new roles.

At its core, there are three distinct types of internal mobility:

• Vertical movement: Promotion to a higher-level position, often with increased benefits
• Lateral movement: Transition to a different team or department with similar job functions
• Role enhancement: Taking on additional responsibilities in one’s current position

Implementing a solid internal mobility program helps employees grow their careers, engage in professional development, and acquire new skill sets that align with the enterprise’s goals.

Creating an internal mobility program is about more than filling open positions with existing team members. It’s about tapping into your current employees’ potential, allowing them to navigate career paths, hone skill sets, and contribute to the company more meaningfully.

The main benefits of internal mobility

More than half (54%) of professionals who noted they were actively looking for a job said they hadn’t looked at their current employer for a new role, per Jobvite’s 2022 Job Seeker Nation Report.

This data point — well — points to the most common issue facing orgs who build internal mobility programs. Those who own said programs don’t make them known to their existing employees.

Assuming you avoid this pitfall, your company will realize a variety of benefits from creating an internal mobility strategy. At the same time, you’ll offer your staff the chance to explore new roles and evolve their skill sets. (Something many job seekers want to see from employers today.)

Here are some key pros of internal mobility for both your business and employees.

New professional development opportunities

Thanks to internal mobility, employees have the opportunity to engage in professional development. By working on projects beyond their usual workflow, team members can develop new skills and enhance their existing expertise. This could even involve paying for employees to become certified.

Encouraging employees with diverse interests and career paths can help motivate your workforce. And a motivated workforce often leads to greater innovation, efficiency, and output.

Increased employee retention and satisfaction

The TA process is costly and time-consuming, making it all the more important for organizations to maximize the talents of their current employees. Encouraging internal mobility contributes to long-term growth by using the skills, knowledge, and expertise already present among team members.

Fostering an environment where every employee feel empowered to apply their unique skill sets creates a sense of loyalty, which leads to a higher retention rate among high performers.

(That is to say, the odds of employees moving to new companies decreases markedly.)

Per Deloitte’s 2021 Global Human Capital Trends, employees are more likely to stay with a company if they believe their career development needs are met. This is especially true for top talent in a given business who want to continuously learn, grow, and excel professionally.

Greater internal knowledge and skills transfer

A successful internal mobility strategy promotes the development of valuable skills across the org.

By challenging employees with new roles and projects, enterprises can improve the workforce’s overall expertise, agility, and adaptability. This translates into increased productivity and efficiency for the company, as well as bridging skills gaps that could arise within the organization. 

When employees transition between roles, departments, or locations, they share their acquired knowledge with new colleagues. This internal knowledge transfer can help teams innovate, standardize best practices, and stay informed about industry developments.

Internal mobility best practices to know

The pros of employing an internal mobility program are clear. But, that begs the question:

The short answer? By abiding by these three best practices.

1) Establish clear career pathways

Transparency is key when it comes to internal mobility. Provide your employees with well-defined career paths that illustrate opportunities for growth and progression within the organization.

Your C-suite and HR leadership must work with your department heads and team managers to define upward mobility paths for each (or at least most) roles across your business.

Once these are defined, employees can learn what tasks they need to take on, skills they need to gain (or improve), and goals they need to achieve to be considered for other roles by their manager.

2) Encourage skills development

Speaking of skills, equip your workforce with the necessary expertise to excel in new, prospective roles.

Your HR team needs to work with managers to carry out training and development programs that ultimately educate employees in various facets of business that could bolster their resumes, so to speak, and provide support to them throughout their career progression journey.

3) Utilize the right hiring technology

The best TA and HR tech stacks feature a powerful yet intuitive applicant tracking system that syncs directly and shares data with human resources systems.

By integrating your ATS and HRIS/HCM software, your recruiters can easily assess internal talent by viewing all historical details and data tied to their unified employee profile:

This holistic view of all info tied to internal candidates allows talent specialists to reach out to staff members they think would be good fits for open or upcoming roles. What’s more, it reduces your talent acquisition team’s need to proactively source every time a new requisition opens up.

Learn how Jobvite can help your hiring team better identify and engage existing employees for internal mobility opportunities — and enhance your talent acquisition efforts at large.

The post Internal Mobility: Essential for Organizational Success first appeared on Jobvite.

An internal recruitment process isn’t just a nice-to-have for your enterprise. It’s an invaluable talent acquisition approach that leads to net benefits for both your workforce and business at large:

• Your employees can take advantage of career-pathing and mobility opportunities to move laterally or upward into positions that align with where they want to advance professionally.
• Your company (specifically, your talent acquisition team) can spend less time scouring the candidate “marketplace” for external leads and instead simply advance and promote existing full-time team members who are good fits for existing and upcoming job openings.

The question for your org isn’t “Should we focus on hiring internally or externally”? Rather, it’s “How can we best leverage internal recruitment to alleviate pressure on TA and realize our growth goals?”

Common types of internal recruiting approaches

Let’s get the bare-bones definition out of the way. Internal recruiting is the process of filling open roles across your business with current members of your workforce. (Fairly obvious, right?).

Where many large-scale employers get tripped up with leveraging this recruiting approach, though, is understanding the various nuanced approaches to internal hiring. In short, there are a few popular methods for conducting an internal recruitment strategy. These include, but are not limited to:

• Internal job boards: These are dedicated platforms for disseminating open positions within the organization, including the specific job description created for said roles.
• Job postings on the company intranet: Whereas an internal job board is a filterable” way for employees to scan job openings, your intranet (or wiki) can also act as a digital channel on which you can share news about available roles and what managers are looking for in new reports.
• Employee referrals: More specifically, we mean referrals from people managers and departmental leaders who oversee employees, can attest to their growth within the company, and can vouch for them in terms of recommending them for another position across the org. (Even a promotion.)

Regardless of the method you implement, your talent team must regularly speak with hiring managers and HR team members to identify qualified internal candidates whose skill sets and overall expertise could translate into new roles on our outside their current team is essential.

(Ideally, using an advanced ATS with built-in internal mobility capabilities for evaluating employees.)

That is, you can host formal monthly meetings in which you collectively assess employees’ strengths, weaknesses, and career aspirations to boost your odds of a successful placement for open roles.

5 notable advantages of internal recruitment

An internal recruitment strategy not only taps into the top talent already in your existing workforce but also contributes to worker retention and satisfaction. Let’s dive into some of the key benefits.

1) Save time and money

When you focus on filling open positions with existing members of your workforce, you can cut down on the need for costly job ads and postings on external platforms and simply look in-house.

Hiring from within often reduces the average recruitment process time, as internal candidates are more familiar with their org’s culture, processes, and business objectives.

What’s more, employees who are promoted or transferred within your company typically require less onboarding and training than external candidates, leading to faster “time to productivity” in their new roles. (Not to mention you don’t need to spend a week or so conducting new-hire background checks.)

2) Better retention rates

Internal mobility is directly linked to better employee retention rates. Why? Mainly, because it demonstrates to employees they have opportunities for career growth and development.

This sense of internal progression and encouragement by management often leads to increased job satisfaction and loyalty, ultimately reducing the need for costly external recruitment processes.

By actively promoting from within — and ensuring diverse talent is fairly considered for more impactful and higher-paying positions — you cultivate a more motivated and committed workforce.

The Great Resignation may be (finally) over. However, your employees are much more likely to leave your org and look elsewhere for work, if internal recruitment and mobility isn’t made a top priority.

3) Preservation of culture

Another pro of prioritizing internal recruitment? You ensure your organizational culture is preserved. That’s because existing employees are already familiar with your values and working environment.

Integrating new hires poses the inherent risk of disrupting your existing culture. Sure, your TA team works hard to find “good-fit” candidates who can fit in well with colleagues. But, this isn’t always a guarantee. Internal promotions and transfers help maintain continuity, in a way, culture-wise.

4) Reduced onboarding time

Internal hires already possess the required skills, company knowledge, and work experience that external candidates may lack. When recruiting externally, the process of onboarding a new employee can often take a lot of time. (Time that could be spent hitting the ground running in their new roles.)

External hires also require extensive training, guidance, and support from onboarding “buddies” and managers. That’s because they must familiarize themselves with your culture, values, and systems.

With internal recruitment, your current employees are already up to speed with the company’s inner-workings. They necessitate less hand-holding and supervision and have more autonomy to get going.

5) Achieve workforce planning goals

Internal recruitment is closely linked to workforce planning, with both strategies complementing each other. How? They both ensure your business remains agile and prepared for the future.

A carefully implemented internal recruiting strategy can play a vital role in succession planning, reducing talent gaps, and quickly upskilling and reskilling employees to prepare for upcoming needs.

Tapping into internal talent pipelines minimizes the potential talent gaps and aids talent acquisition teams by providing a smaller set of candidates who are known entities within the org.

Moreover, this well-oiled internal hiring mechanism allows for the seamless transition of employees into new roles. In turn, this decreases the time spent on searching for and integrating external hires.

Want to learn how Jobvite can help you thrive in today’s hiring landscape? Schedule a demo to learn how our powerful enterprise ATS can strengthen your internal recruiting strategy.

The post The Many Advantages of Internal Recruitment for Employers first appeared on Jobvite.

At Jobvite, we keep our finger on the pulse of talent acquisition to help customers recognize potential opportunities and make the most of them. Our new Top 10 Recruiting Trends for 2022 e-book digs into the important focus areas that we believe will shape the recruiting industry in the coming year. Below is just a sample of the insights you’ll find in the complete e-book.

What Will Impact Recruiting in 2022?

1. The “Great Resignation” and its after-effects: Over the past two years, companies everywhere have felt the impact of the “Great Resignation.” While there’s no telling how long this movement may last, it doesn’t have to stunt your business.

While employee turnover is normal, regardless of economic conditions, the best approach to managing this issue is two-fold:

• Take care of the employees who want to stay with your company long-term. Training, mentorships, and internal mobility are just a few ideas to nurture your most valuable assets. See #3 below for more.
• Minimize the impact of those who choose to depart. Build a strong talent pipeline that you can tap into when the need arises and leverage the power of employee referrals to fill open roles.

2. AI and automation for more “human” recruiting: While artificial intelligence might seem more like sci-fi than reality, the technology is catching up to the hype. Many organizations are turning to automation to streamline the hiring process and relieve recruiters of time-consuming, tedious, and repetitive tasks.

With more time to focus on the high-touch aspects of the job, talent teams are improving efficiency and delivering a better candidate experience. Candidate engagement scoring, text-to-apply, smart self-scheduling, and AI-powered chatbots are just a few of the many automated tools that are changing the face of modern recruiting.

3. Greater emphasis on internal mobility: When hiring conditions are tight, giving existing employees an opportunity to grow within your company is a win-win. Our most recent Recruiter Nation Report found that 40% of companies are making more internal hires since the pandemic began — yet nearly a third of workers (29%) say their employer doesn’t provide an easy way to apply for internal roles.

Don’t miss the opportunity to hold onto the top talent you already have. Jobvite offers internal mobility functionality to automatically recommend the best internal roles for an employee’s career path and create a VIP experience for internal candidates.

4. Better communication from start to finish: Delivering a great candidate experience is critical — especially when you’re trying to attract high-quality talent from a limited supply of job seekers. And the 2021 Job Seeker Nation Report found that employer communication is the most important factor in a positive candidate experience.

Nearly 70% of job seekers prefer texting for job-related communications, so automated messaging is a smart way to stay in touch with top candidates. With Jobvite’s Intelligent Messaging solution, you can use either text messages or chatbots to invite candidates to apply for a job, answer common questions, schedule interviews, share information, and more.

5. More demand for actionable analytics: Agility and efficiency are critical to recruiting success, which means that talent teams everywhere are working to drive better results with less effort — and fewer resources. But it’s difficult to know where to focus your efforts without deep, reliable analytics.

No matter how many tools are included in your HR tech stack, your data should tell a story, with reliable, real-time insights across the entire candidate experience. And with Jobvite’s Unify Advanced Analytics, it can. You can also take a look at our Recruitment Metrics Kit for actionable insights to improve your recruiting outcomes, ROI, and overall candidate experience.

The complete e-book includes additional details on each of these topics, plus five more trends to watch in 2022.

Are You Ready for the Year Ahead?

After the wild fluctuations and challenging conditions of the past several years, planning for the coming year may feel especially daunting. But Jobvite is here to help. Download Top 10 Recruiting Trends for 2022 for tips and insights to help you attract and engage top candidates — no matter what the future may hold.

The post What Lies Ahead for Recruiting? Here Are Five Trends to Watch in 2022 first appeared on Jobvite.

Although it’s never easy to unload an employee, no matter the reason, some tips from talent acquisition professionals can make it less painful. This article features a helpful checklist for creating a smooth exit during the employee offboarding process.

When firing employees

Break the news to them gently and be respectful

The first order of business on your employee offboarding checklist should be to break the news to the employee as gently and respectfully as possible. No one wants to be fired, and when people get the news, they understandably react to it poorly.

The more abrupt and inconsiderate the news feels to the employee, the more likely they will react poorly. Respect the employee’s time and feelings by gently bringing the news and explaining next steps of leaving.

Hard as it may seem, you should try to bring something positive to the conversation, especially if they still have work worth finishing for an ongoing project before leaving.

Make sure employees cannot become security risks

When it comes to employee termination, another concern is that former employees could become potential security risks. You can avoid turning old employees into security risks by having company passwords changed after their termination. Essentially, whenever an employee leaves the organization, there should be a revocation of their security access to the building and workspaces.

You should also make sure that they turn in anything they could use to access company data, assets, or facilities.

Quickly reclaim company-issued property

In the spirit of preventing former workers from presenting a security risk, there should be a handover of keycards and company-issued laptops. Valuable company-issued gear and equipment should be returned to the company during the offboarding process.

Businesses lose money by allowing terminated employees to keep assets such as laptops, company phones, or tablets. That’s money that you can easily recover by ensuring that there is a return of company-issued property.

Always make sure that company property is returned at the time of their exit. One of the best ways to ensure a smooth transition is to ask an employee to bring in any company property in advance before sitting them down and telling them that there has been a termination.

When employees quit

Ask them to complete exit surveys

The offboarding process is also a learning process both for businesses and employees. One of the best things you can do for your employee experience when employees leave is to ask them to complete exit surveys.

When someone is leaving the organization, they can help you learn more about fostering a more supportive work environment and improving the employee onboarding process. These improvements can lead to higher rates of employee retention.

Exit surveys can help you learn about factors in your organization that you might not have been aware of. That said, you should always take the information from exit surveys with a grain of salt as many employees won’t be exactly honest when completing them.

When people are on their way out, they will either be brutally honest or could trash the reputation of a perfectly good company. Likewise, they could leave disparaging remarks about former co-workers to pursue a personal vendetta.

If you find anything concerning in the exit surveys that departing workers fill out, be sure to investigate and see if anyone else in the organization can corroborate their claims before taking action.

Provide references when appropriate

Sometimes, businesses can stay on relatively good terms even with workers who leave. If you know that a worker had valuable skills but nonetheless decided to pursue other opportunities, you can show good faith in your former coworkers by providing references to aid them in their future careers.

By helping employees find work after they have been terminated, you can limit any sense of resentment they may feel towards your organization.

How to avoid offboarding employees

Now that you know more about how to offboard employees smoothly and successfully, you might be wondering what you can do to avoid offboarding workers. In truth, the best way to avoid the offboarding process is to create and follow an onboarding checklist for new hires.

One thing that should be on your onboarding checklist is to make a habit of asking new hires questions like, what did you like most about your job exit interview.

You should also invest in a robust onboarding portal. If you follow an onboarding checklist, use an onboarding portal, and ask employees the right questions early on, you’ll have a higher employee retention rate. That means you won’t have to engage in the offboarding process as frequently.

Remember, hiring and firing talent is an expensive process. Anything that can increase employee retention rates is good for the company, which means it’s worth investing time and resources into.

Meet Jobvite, the smart way to hire people!

At this point, you have probably gleaned that it is more cost-effective to hire the right people from the get-go as opposed to going through an endless cycle of hiring and firing. That’s where Jobvite comes in. It’s the smart way to hire people! Companies that source talented candidates through Jobvite enjoy higher employee retention rates and productivity increases.

Reach out to us today to watch a product tour or learn more about Jobvite’s services.

The post Employee Offboarding Checklist: How to Create A Smooth Exit first appeared on Jobvite.

1. D&I is Profitable Business Strategy

According to a McKinsey study, 36% of companies in the top quartile for ethnic and cultural diversity outperformed in profitability. Workplaces with a more diverse employee base can expect to turn a better profit, which is a great point for selling a new program to an executive team.

2. It Doesn’t Mean a Thing Without (True) Buy-In

Successful D&I programs start with buy-in at the very top. If your CEO isn’t on board, your program will not have the foundation it needs to work. Be the champion of diversity and inclusion by educating others about the benefits and challenges of implementing D&I programs. Having a diversity champion like yourself will help others to feel free to ask questions and learn about how they can contribute to creating a more inclusive environment.

3. Start with an Inward Focus and Define Success

So, you’re committed to improving your company with a more diverse workforce – now what? Work with TA and other leaders in your organization to define areas of challenge. Where do you need the most progress to have a more diverse workforce? Define what success will look like to your organization and where your organization can benefit from more underrepresented workers. Does it mean a percentage of underrepresented workers in your entire organization, or are you focusing on one department at a time? Use this time to educate others about the importance of diversity and inclusion.

4. Have a Plan

Now that you have defined success for your organization, you’ll need a plan to get started. Depending on the types of roles you’re hiring, you will need an awareness of where to best source a diverse talent pool. If you are looking to meet a specific population goal, your new hires will need to be over-representative of that segment of employee. Utilize tools like Jobvite’s Job Description Grader to identify limiting language and unconscious bias in your job descriptions. This can help widen your applicant pool as well as help improve your brand perception when hiring.

5. Help Employees Feel Included

Employees want to feel like they can bring their authentic selves to the workplace without fear of exclusion. Diversity and inclusion practices can foster a culture where everyone feels accepted for who they are, which in turn allows them to bring their best selves to work.

“It’s possible to be in a diverse environment but still not be included. Inclusion, in my view, is the ability for a person to be their full selves and be fully accepted, even if they disagree.” – Hung Lee

6. Increase the Quality and Quantity of Your Talent Pool

Utilizing D&I practices will help you to expand your talent network with a more diverse set of skills, experiences, identities, and viewpoints. Often limiting language found in your job descriptions can discourage applicants. We’ve found that even just a few instances of racial or gender bias in a job description can lead to a 15% reduction in applicants.

7. It’s Never too Early to Start

A diverse workforce doesn’t just appear overnight – it takes commitment and work to see it through. Begin discussions with hiring and recruiting managers about where the areas of challenge and improvement are in your organization. Talk with them about the importance of D&I and your goals for your organization. Get started by sourcing content to post on your career site that will engage underrepresented audiences or begin using tools like the for your upcoming hiring roles.

Excited About D&I?

We love enabling talent leaders to build strong and diverse teams. Our end-to-end Talent Acquisition Suite will help you attract, engage, and hire a more diverse talent pipeline. For more information and helpful tools for your D&I initiatives, check out our Diversity & Inclusion Pack and contact us for a demo.

The post 7 Ways Achieve Your D&I TA Goals in 2021 first appeared on Jobvite.

With the country in the midst of economic uncertainty, an unemployment rate at roughly 8%, and 2.5 unemployed individuals for every job opening, a better understanding of how recruiters think can transform into job search success. What is important in the eyes of the recruiter based on the 2020 Recruiter Nation Survey? 

Social Media, Social Media, Social Media 

Nearly 80% of recruiters say social media is the area most likely to see increased financial investments in the next 12 months. No surprise, since social media has risen over the last three years for recruiting purposes. Social media channels most used for recruiting are LinkedIn (72%), Facebook (60%), Twitter (38%), Instagram (37%), Glassdoor (36%), and YouTube (27%). To a smaller extent, newer social media outlets such as TikTok and Snapchat have also been added to the mix, presumably for roles that might appeal to younger candidates.  

Job seekers should monitor sites like LinkedIn especially if they’re looking to work for a larger organization. Recruiter Nation Survey results show larger companies (500+ employees) are more likely to invest in recruiting through LinkedIn than smaller companies. 

And remember, recruiters are not just using social media to advertise jobs, but also to screen candidates. What job seekers post online can have a negative impact on a company’s decision to move forward with them as a candidate. The biggest recruiter turn-offs? Spelling and grammar errors in posts or tweets (53%), references to marijuana (45%), alcohol consumption (42%), political posts (32%), and pictures of body showing skin (30%). Before you apply for a job, audit your social media accounts to put your best foot forward. 

Making a Great Impression on Video Interviews  

Job seekers, it’s time to prime your video interviewing skills if you haven’t already. In the pandemic job market, 67% of recruiters are interviewing using video, and 40% of recruiters believe virtual interviews will be the default moving forward. The transition from in-person interviewing includes trip-ups to avoid in practice. What are some of the biggest video interview mistakes recruiters see from candidates? Poor internet connectivity (37%), inappropriate attire (25%), and poor eye contact (23%).  

We recommend candidates do a test-run with a friend or family member on a video-conferencing application. Make sure your internet speed and connectivity can support a video interview. If not, find another location that can, like a friend’s house or quiet café with WIFI.   

Even with video, the fundamental rules of interviewing remain the same. The interviewer can still see you, at least from the waist up, so dress to impress even when you’re in a more relaxed home environment. Not sure what to wear? Ask the recruiter what ensemble would be expected for the particular company—it tends to differ.  

Recruiters want to feel job seekers are engaged and interested in the position, so eye contact throughout is a must. Job seekers should practice looking at their camera, not the screen, beforehand. These video interviewing skills will also show the recruiter that you can communicate well in a remote setting, a skill to highlight since one-third (32%) of surveyed recruiters report that 50% or more of open roles at their organization are being hired as remote workers.  

Employee Referral and Internal Mobility Programs May be Missed Opportunities  

Employee referral programs are the second–highest hiring source (29%) for recruiters behind internal candidates. So, ask your friends and professional network about opportunities within their companies and see if they can refer you for a job via their company’s referral program. Because there are often incentives given for top-quality referrals, it can be a win-win for both the referrer and the referee. Over 70% of recruiters say their organizations offer employee referral programs and 88% incentivize referrals, but 2/3 of employees in a previous survey had never participated in their company’s referral program. This is a huge missed opportunity for employees to help connect their friends and colleagues with jobs.   

Another often overlooked opportunity is internal job postings. Internal hires remain recruiters’ top-rated source for hiring, with 36% of them saying it’s their best source for high-quality candidates. While some organizations may be forced to rethink talent strategies and reduce their workforce these days, others are actually growing or looking for new talent. Sixty–two percent of recruiters say that at least 25% of open roles include an internal candidate. But 65% of workers rarely or never check their internal postings. 

What a missed opportunity, especially in this job market. Don’t overlook great jobs available in your own backyard.  

Most Employers are Committed to Candidate Diversity   

Inquiring about an organization’s diversity and inclusion initiatives has become more common for job seekers. One-third of recruiters reported that applicants are doing this more than in the previous year, as many desire a company culture that promotes a diverse workforce and supports inclusion.  

The good news for job seekers is that a majority of surveyed companies have specific goals for diversity in hiring with respect to race/ethnicity (63%), gender (54%), age (37%), veterans (33%), LGBTQ+ (29%), immigrants (28%), and disability (25%). Organizations are being held to higher standards accounting for how they source, recruit, hire, and employ with increased diversity.  

Turn Your Silver Medal into Job Gold  

Have you ever come just short of getting a job? Well, it turns out that 77% of recruiters have circled back to hire a candidate who was the second or third choice on their list, or who had a great resume, but just wasn’t quite a fit for the opening at the time. Recruiters keep these silver medalists in mind, so job seekers should wrap up every interview process on a professional and courteous note leaving the door open. It may lead to a call back in the end. 

On the topic of good impressions, we leave job seekers with one final piece of advice from our findings—take time to minimize recruiters’ stress. Everyone’s stress levels are on the rise today including recruiters, 61% of whom report at least somewhat increased stress levels since the onset of the pandemic. When job searching, help make recruiters’ jobs easier by being responsive, transparent, on-time, and positive, and increase your chances of making a good impression along the way.  

Jobvite’s Recruiter Nation Report will be published soon. Sign up today for Jobvite’s email subscription to get immediate access to all of the important findings and analysis. 

The post What Every Job Seeker Should Know: Jobvite’s 2020 Recruiter Nation Survey first appeared on Jobvite.

Company culture is essential to creating a great employee experience and attracting the best candidates.— even if you don’t have a Google-size budget to work with. Here are some tips to get started. 

Identify Core Values 

As you try to determine what kind culture you want to build, there’s a temptation to simply let things evolve naturally. After all, culture is a big deal and there’s no “right” answer. But as a leader, articulating your company’s core values is a valuable exercise. It forces you to really think about what’s important and take a hard look at who you are as a company—and who you want to be.   

If you’re struggling to define your company’s values, talk to your team! Include people from a variety of roles, and ask them why they chose your company. Find out what they like about working there, and how they view the organization. These insights should help you to refine your ideas into clear, compelling values that can serve as a touchpoint for your everyday operations, your employees’ experience, and your recruiting.  

Hire for Attitude with Room to Grow 

Once you have your values in place, you need to apply them across your organization—starting with the hiring process. Candidates are more than just a resumé. Sometimes, we get so caught up in specific skills and qualifications that we ignore the actual people.  

Instead of focusing solely on a degree or work experience, consider whether the candidate has the qualities that will help them succeed in the culture you’re building. Do they have the personality, mentality, and attitude that will mesh well with your existing team? Even without the perfect skill set, a good “culture fit” can be a diamond in the rough. And a happy, comfortable employee is more likely to stay and grow within your company rather than moving on to greener pastures. 

Remember the Little Things 

Assembling a fabulous team is a step in the right direction, but small details can take a working environment from good to great. The little things matter! For example: do you have a good coffee machine and microwave? What does your physical office space look like? Would some wall art or plants help to liven it up? Are you maximizing the natural light in your building? These may seem like minor issues, but they can make a big difference in your employees’ work lives without spending a lot of money. 

Keep it Fresh 

Great culture is tough when every day is exactly the same, so make a conscious effort to shake things up. You might not have the budget for a corporate retreat, but simple outings like a summer picnic or happy hour can provide a welcome change of scenery. Even if you can’t get out of the office, give your employees an opportunity to bond over non-work activities, whether it’s a book club, potluck lunch, or even a community jigsaw puzzle. Adding a little variety to the workday can help employees feel refreshed and refocused. 

Be Transparent and Inclusive 

Remember, a good company culture depends on employees buying into a shared vision. Today’s workers want to be part of something bigger than themselves—no matter the size of the company—and they want to feel included. Set clear goals and be open about where you’re steering the company. That doesn’t mean every decision has to be unanimous—or even up for discussion—but bringing people into the conversation builds trust and commitment, from executives to entry-level employees. 

Company culture is arguably even more important for a small business, because you’ve got to find a way to stand out among the giants that woo candidates with free dry cleaning and dazzling corporate campuses. By staying true to your values—and knowing what those values are—you can find and hire the people who share those values and want to help you succeed. 

Learn More 

Another reason to build a strong company culture is to avoid negative public company reviews which, according to the 2020 Job Seeker Nation Survey, is a reason 38% of respondents say they have preemptively rejected a potential employer. 

To get more stats about hiring and retaining quality employees through things like company culture, download the report today! 

READ THE REPORT TODAY!

The post 5 Ways to Build a Better Culture on a Budget first appeared on Jobvite.

In recent years, low unemployment rates kept job seekers firmly in the driver’s seat of the US labor market. A scarcity of available workers meant candidates often had their choice of roles when it came time for a professional change. 

But the COVID-19 crisis caused a sudden and dramatic shift in this balance. Since mid-March, the US has seen more than 30 million new unemployment claims, and some experts predict the unemployment rate may top 20% by the end of 2020. 

How are job seekers responding to this global disruption and the unexpected evaporation of job opportunities? How can recruiters and talent acquisition professionals continue to attract and hire the best talent in an environment with less human-to-human interaction?  

The 2020 Job Seeker Nation Report provides timely insights into the realities, challenges, and preferences of today’s workers. 

About the Job Seeker Nation Report 

For the past 10 years (we can’t believe how quickly the time has passed!), Jobvite has surveyed job seekers to learn more about their attitudes, behaviors, and processes related to the job search. The research covers everything from finding jobs and communicating with recruiters to selecting and starting a job. The resulting report provides valuable insights for employers, talent acquisition leaders, and hiring managers. 

Research for the 2020 Job Seeker Nation Report was conducted in February 2020 with a survey of 1,500 adults and job seekers in the US. Following the disruption created by COVID-19, Jobvite conducted a brief supplemental survey of 1,500 job seekers in April 2020. 

These are just a few big highlights from this year’s report! 

The Impact of COVID-19 

Not surprisingly, as the COVID-19 crisis continues, survey respondents believe finding a job has become more difficult. Workers also report feelings of insecurity related to their employment. 

Stress levels are also on the rise. One-third (33%) of respondents report a somewhat increased stress level at work, while nearly one-quarter (22%) report a dramatic increase in stress. Among workers with children at home, 62% report elevated stress over the past 60 days. 

PRO TIP! If you know someone looking for a job, direct them to our “Companies Hiring” blog. 

Inside the Mind of Today’s Job Seeker 

 While American workers are largely satisfied with their current jobs (63% in April, 66% in February), about half are open to other job opportunities (48% in April, 51% in February). 

For the second consecutive year, career growth is the most important factor when looking for a new job opportunity. 

• Career growth:                                   56% 
• Compensation:                                   54% 
• Health care/retirement benefits:         49% 
• Flexible schedule/telecommute:         33% 

However, compensation remains the leading cause for actually leaving a job in the past 12 months (16%). 

PRO TIP! Get 50+ low-cost perks and benefits to attract candidates and engage employees. 

A Look at the Candidate Experience 

An overwhelming 88% of American workers report their most recent candidate experience was mostly positive. The reasons?   

• 58% had great communication from the employer/recruiter 
• 49% report an easy job application process 
• 44% said it was easy to schedule an interview 

So what constitutes “great communication” in today’s recruiting environment? Email is by far the preferred channel for communicating with recruiters (44%), followed by phone calls (25%) and in-person meetings (17%). 

Approximately one-third (38%) have received a text message from a recruiter at some point after applying for a job, and 42% of candidates are open to texting. Social messaging is the least welcome method of recruiter communication — just 25% of respondents are open to communicating with recruiters via this channel. 

PRO TIP! Learn how text and automation can make communication faster and more meaningful. 

Salary, Benefits, and Perks 

The COVID-19 crisis seems to have little impact on respondents’ willingness to negotiate their salary. In April, 61% said they are “very comfortable” or “somewhat comfortable” with salary negotiations, compared with 60% in February. That said, one-third (33%) of job seekers would be willing to accept a salary that is less than their current/most recent salary. 

Health care remains the most important benefit for American workers. Expectations related to benefits and perks have remained largely unchanged throughout the pandemic, although a few experienced notable changes between February and April:  

Other expected benefits include 401k matching (38%), bonuses and stipends (37%), and casual dress code (37%). Among nice-to-have perks, free snacks/meals are the most popular (49%), followed by phone and internet subsidies (35%). 

Almost 70% of job seekers say remote work is “very important” or “somewhat important” when deciding to accept or reject a job offer. Among workers with children at home, 38% consider remote work to be very important. 

PRO TIP! Check out the best practices for working and recruiting remotely.  

Download the Full Report for More  

These are just a few of the key takeaways from the 2020 Job Seeker Nation Report. Download the report today for hundreds of additional statistics, insights, and action items to help talent professionals navigate the current recruitment market, understand the motivations of today’s job seekers, and optimize the hiring process to attract the best candidates for today and tomorrow! 

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT

The post 2020 Job Seeker Nation: Key Findings from This Year’s Report first appeared on Jobvite.