As an HR professional, what talent acquisition and management challenges will you face in 2015?
Among the most prominent issues will be retention, as indicated by recent research that shows that 52.3 percent of close to 1,700 Americans surveyed are unhappy in their work. Compensation is also center on the radar screen. The Society for Human Resource Management reports that this remains the most important, though not the sole, factor in overall job satisfaction.
And if you were to ask PrideStaff Modesto blog followers, their readership trends would list these topics as among the most important: evaluating candidate skills and qualifications; managing counteroffers, and creating strong workplace bonds among employees.
Evaluating Skills & Qualifications in an Interview
Interviews are your opportunity to finalize hiring decisions and get the real story behind candidates’ experiences, goals and plans.
- Lay the groundwork. Specify clear requirements with a carefully-crafted job description. Separate resumes using a “three-pile” approach: qualified, possibly qualified and not qualified. Then develop an interview schedule and stick to it.
- Ask open-ended, neutral questions. Stay away from anything evocative or judgmental. Be careful asking “why” questions, which may infer a cause-effect relationship that doesn’t exist or cause respondents to become defensive.
- Spend 90 percent of the interview listening. Prompt candidates to continue conversations that provide telling information.
With Good Candidates Come Counter Offers
Counteroffers should be expected as you hire top talent. The key to managing them is to take a proactive approach and be prepared.
- Stay in the game. Mitigate the chance of a counteroffer by addressing it early. Ask candidates directly what they would do if their current employer requested that they stay. Find out what’s motivating prospective hires to make a move. After making an offer, keep the motivation level high by staying in contact with candidates and remaining at the top of their minds.
- When faced with a counteroffer, don’t get into a compensation war. You won’t win. Make your best offer and leave it at that. If you up the ante and the candidate accepts, they still may leave at the first opportunity they get for a higher salary.
Now that you’ve got great talent on board, you need to keep them. Research has shown that social support at working increases feelings of personal control, and positive emotions are indicative of high-performing organizations. Happiness at work is infectious – and it starts with you.
- Define the team you want to build. Organizational success is based on everyone understanding your company mission and how their roles contribute to it. Set clear expectations, clearly communicate responsibilities and expected outcomes, and support your employees with the resources they need.
- Encourage innovation. Place a high value on employee input, unique solutions and out-of-the-box ideas. Reward team members who take reasonable risks to make improvements.
- Be there for your employees. Get to know them as individuals. Lead by example, creating an atmosphere of optimism by demonstrating it yourself – even in challenging times.
As you source, hire, recruit and retain your industry-leading team in 2015, partner with the workforce experts at PrideStaff Modesto for the most effective results. Contact us today to learn more.
