The Houston Gulf Coast Symposium on HR Issues was this Wednesday and Thursday.  The sessions that I attended were excellent.  Thank you to the exhibitors for their financial support!  A couple of the presenters mentioned that in a recent survey, more CEOs interviewed sited Human Capital as their top challenge than any other concern.  HR expertise is more important now than ever and it is finally being recognized.  Recruiting, engagement, and retention are now key concerns on the minds in the…

The bonus is a central component of the employee referral program. It comes in different variations – cash and prizes/non-cash awards. In the grand scheme of planning the technical details of the actual program, the deliberations over this aspect could fall by the wayside, with companies opting for cash as the easier, no-fuss alternative. However, while a cash bonus may require less time to organize, prizes are ultimately the better motivator. Here’s why:…

The first impression a new hire has of a company is based on their experiences from the date they accept an offer to the first couple weeks of employment.  New employment is a HUGE deal and often becomes the conversation starter for most individuals.  How many times after you inform a close friend or family member about your new position did you hear, “How is your new job?”  Most often, the answer to this question is formulated based a person’s experiences during the first few weeks of…

As an industry, we are making huge strides in the way we measure and evaluate our recruitment marketing strategies.  While efficiency metrics like time to fill and cost per hire are still part of the evaluation process, quality metrics that are tracking where organizations are finding their most qualified candidates and hires are becoming integral to strategic decision making.

However, even with these metrics there is room for growth.  Over the past few years, there’s a push to move…

A values-based corporate culture is fast becoming an integral factor in the workplace. It sets the tone for the daily employee experience – employees want to feel good about their work activities, and a positive culture fosters deep awareness and identification.

The effectiveness of employee referral programs is affected by the quality of the corporate culture. Since referral programs are optional to employees, and lie outside of their job descriptions, they are more likely to be…

This is the fifth post in a series on Talent Networks.  You can view the other posts here:

Part 1: What is a Talent Network?

Part 2: Developing a Talent Network…

This is the third post in a series on Talent Networks.  You can view the other posts here:

Part 1: What is a Talent Network?

Part 2: Developing a Talent Network Strategy

Part 3:…

Some of you have asked Ongig:

“How engaged are job candidates with the next-gen job descriptions you’re building?”

One metric we look closely at is ”average time on page.”

This job description from H&L (aka Handle, Inc./Handl.it) received the highest average time spent on page:…

This is the second post in a series on Talent Networks.  You can view the first post here, “What is a Talent Network?“.

In our last post, we set the stage for what a Talent Network is and the value it can provide to employers and candidates.  In today’s…

When you hear many speakers and practitioners speak about the candidate experience it is typically about how to improve the apply and recruiting process.  And this is rightfully so as the apply process can be the cause for most candidates angst with a recruitment marketing organization.

And while this is the right place to start when looking to improve the overall candidate experience, I think that we…

Providing your employees with social tools to make job referrals can give your company’s employer brand an incredible boost. Your employees are your company’s best ambassadors, and when they share your job vacancies with their social networks, they not only provide their connections with direct access to the corporate recruitment team, but also send all the right messages about the kind of workplace you run.  

Four Unbeatable Employer…

With the polls for this year’s Presidential Election open and closing today, we should know tomorrow who our next President will be for the next four years.  As a nation we’ve had four years to evaluate the current president and now have a big decision to make.  Do we believe in the status quo and what the incumbent will be able to do off his experience or do we believe that the upstart will be able to accomplish more with his new perspective?  This is a decision every voter will make today…

The Candidate Experience is one of the biggest, most talked about topics in recruiting today and for good reason.  With more candidates looking for work, companies are dealing with increased levels of potential employees for every job position they recruit for.  This leaves them with more time needed to screen and interview candidates and less time to have one on one engagement with these candidates.

Obviously, one on one engagement with candidates would be preferable in the…

A coworker of mine absolutely detests the phrase, "Recruiting is a lot like dating." She says it's cliche and trite; and she is right. The problem, though, with cliches and all things trite, is that they are true. 

Why is bears repeating that Recruiting is a lot like Dating:

1. There is the obvious "courting" that occurs in both dating and recruiting, with recruiters often serving the role of "Match Maker" between candidates and companies
2. Dating and…

The intent of the HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) initiative is to provide a standardized survey instrument and data collection methodology for measuring patients' perspectives on hospital care. This initiative in healthcare recruiting has become an essential part of our hiring practice. If ever there was a time to hardwire a culture of…

A few months back we published the Corporate Mobile Readiness Report, an assessment of the Fortune 500′s presence on the mobile web. We evaluated the companies on six criteria ranging from native apps, to mobile optimization of the corporate site, the career site, as well as the continuity between them.  It was not surprising to find out that most companies are not ready.  Less than 30% have mobile corporate websites, and only 13% have a…

A few weeks ago at HR Technology Conference there was a great session called “What’s Next?  What Talent Acquisition Challenges are Seeking Technology Solutions?” with a tremendous panel of talent acquisition practitioners (for a more detailed look at insights from this panel, find them here.)

One idea that was brought up during…

Or did he...

I'll start by saying that I am not an astrologer nor do I understand the first thing outside of the fact that I am a Virgo and that Virgo begins with a V.

I attended a wedding this past weekend and was introduced to a family members "friend". He was a bit older most likely in his 80's.  To start a conversation he asked what I do for a living. I kept it simple and told him that I am a recruiter.

The rest of the night was history as…