Ask the Flexpert…How to Overcome the Employee Shortage
Trouble Keeping up with the Demand?
Companies are increasing their need for high performing talent, but the supply of skilled candidates has diminished. That makes it harder for employers to satisfy their needs. The economy is hot and organizations want to participate. But, how do they do that when they can’t find enough qualified workers?
This has become a candidate-driven environment. Nearly 40% of organizations couldn’t fill their job openings this month.
Some helpful hints to deal with this employee shortage are:
Extended Hiring Process
Reset your expectations that a longer hiring process is the new normal. It’s been observed that open positions are remaining that way approximately one and a half months. The time to fill a position has roughly doubled over the past 5 years. So you must start your recruitment process earlier and pay particular attention to your job description and your company reputation.
Turnover
With more available positions and salaries finally starting to rise, employers can expect to see more turnover. That will worsen the hiring crisis. Higher performing workers have even more job opportunities available. So, it’s vital for retention to support current employees’ desire for greater training and career development. That shifts the discussion away from money and toward retention actions.
Counter
If an employee plans to leave, the earlier you get this information the more time you have to consider whether or not to counter. The key is learning why the employee plans to quit. Asking the employee if they would consider staying if those areas were improved could make a difference in retention versus back to hiring.
Dissatisfaction causes a worker’s choice to jump ship. In this candidate-shortage environment we advise finding out your top employees dissatisfaction points and presenting them with a counter offer. Your plan is to persuade them to remain with your firm and for you to avoid the cost and hassle of going the new hire route.
Compensation
Higher wages in your new hire offer is an obvious answer, though painful. But a competitive compensation package can be the solution. Be sure to research what your industry is paying for certain experience, skills, and positions. You can tweak that to make sure you have a solid offer. If a high-performing candidate already has a firm offer from a competitor, consider the components of the offer and make your offer addresses learning, company culture and career advancement as your response.
Reputation
In the past, there were fewer employment opportunities and more competition for jobs. An organization could list their job opening on its website and multiple qualified applicants would respond. Today, candidates aren’t necessarily proactively seeking new opportunities. But, if an employee recognizes your firm and it has a good reputation then they’re more likely to respond to your job post. So, actions to strengthen your company name and differentiate your firm become an asset in this tight labor market.
There are many other ways to deal with a worker shortage. If you need some assistance in surviving and thriving with recruitment in this tight labor market, contact Flexicrew today.
National Safety Month – Week 3
PREVENTING HAND INJURIES
Hand injuries are the second leading type of injury on the job.
- Safeguard your hands.
- Always wear the proper PPE.
- Never place your hands where you cannot see them.
- Always remember
that your hands are used for every task that you do every day; such as,
- performing your job,
- holding hands with that special someone,
- picking up your son or daughter.
If you have any questions regarding hand safety, please ask your Flexicrew representative.
National Safety Month – Week 2
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
Always wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at work or when doing tasks at home such as mowing the lawn or using a weed eater.
Examples of PPE are:
- safety glasses,
- hearing protection,
- hard hat,
- steel toe boots,
- respiratory protections
- gloves.
If you have questions regarding the proper PPE, please contact your Flexicrew Representative.
Ask the Flexpert…How can Organizations Improve Worker Safety?
June is National Safety Month.
According to the National Safety Council, injuries are the leading cause of death among working adults. Help your employees work safer, and create safer working environments.
7 Primary Workplace Hazards
There are seven primary hazards that the National Safety Council has recognized in the workplace. Here are Flexicrew’s tips to avoid accidents from them:
1. Working at Heights – Inspect all Ladder prior to use, maintain 3-point contact, and extension ladders must extend 3 feet above surface and be secured at the top.
2. Poor Housekeeping—If you see trash on the floor, clean it up. If there is water on the floor, obtain a wet floor sign, notify your supervisor, and clean the water up off the floor.
3. Electrical – Extension Cords – Extension cords should only be used temporarily. Only qualified electricians should work on electrical equipment.
4. Forklifts – Only authorized employees should operate a forklift. Always wear the seat belt when operating the forklift. Always follow safe procedures for picking up, putting down or stacking loads. Do not take shortcuts when using a forklift.
5. Lockout/Tagout – Never use a machine that has a lockout/tagout on the equipment. Contact your supervisor if you are asked to use any equipment that has a Lockout/Tagout place on it.
6. Hazardous Chemicals – Know what chemicals are in the workplace and where to locate the safety data sheets.
7. Confined Spaces – Never enter a confined space without proper training, and permit signed by a competent person that space is safe for entry.
Flexicrew encourages your employees to learn more about safety not only on the job, but also while in their home. Flexicrew encourages everyone to get involved in reducing injuries because the life you save may be your own.
Further Worker Safety Advice
If you would like more information on how to improve safety in your work environment or learn some of the many steps Flexicrew takes to insure our own family of workers, contact us today.
5 Insights Job Seekers Learn from Anthony Bourdain
Anthony Bourdain, born in June 1956, was one of the world’s most celebrated celebrity chefs, travel documentarian and book author. He had a passion for exploring the world and making the most out of his life. His strong personality would make you believe that growing up, he had it all served on a silver platter. But there is a lot more to his life than most people know. And his life remains an inspiration to many diverse groups of people, most importantly, job seekers.
Below we offer 5 insights job seekers learn by studying the life of Anthony Bourdain:
Stray from the Beaten Path
One thing that has a negative bearing on the job hunting pursuits of most job seekers is lack of deviating from the norm. And the root cause of this is the inclination of the human mind to follow the success of other people. This occurs with job seekers to such an extent that they forget they also have their own path to pursue.
For Job Seekers, Uniqueness is Key
One common and yet ludicrous line of thought is that job seekers have to wait for someone to employ them or wait for the perfect opportunity. Life has no guarantees! What if the perfect opportunity never comes? And what if they never get called for an interview? Life requires one to move out of the ordinary, shun mediocrity and aim for a higher goal. If a person is called for an interview, they should move away from common responses and find a unique way of catching the interviewer’s attention.
Keep on Truckin’
Growing up, Anthony’s life was at some point an awful life of drug addiction and many other bad choices. However, as he grew older, he refused to be defined by his past mistakes. Anthony moved from one restaurant to another trying to pursue his ambition of becoming a chef, but in most cases, he got turned down. That, however, did not stop him from trying to bring his dream to life.
As a job seeker, being turned down does not mean you are not good enough. It simply means you are being given a chance to move on to the next level, a chance to improve yourself and equip yourself for a better tomorrow.
In one of his writings, he is quoted:
“If I am an advocate for anything, it is to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food. It’s a plus for everybody.”
This refers to traveling, but is equally applying to jobseekers in interviews and in continuous learning.
Poke Your Nose Where it Doesn’t Belong
Curiosity has a unique way of making one stand out in the crowd. Inquisitive people are most likely to grow their careers faster than those who sit and wait for things to happen. As a job seeker, go out more often; mingle with people, volunteer just to establish your circle of like-minded people who will be willing to work with you in future.
Anthony was well traveled and knowledgeable. His curiosity saw him travel the world, making documentaries and creating a web of followers, fans and business associates who helped grow his career. He mingled with people and always sought to understand other people’s cultures.
Being inquisitive is probably the best thing any job seeker can do for themselves. Always be eager to learn, be open-minded and ask questions where you do not understand.
Respect
What would you do if you walked into an office for an interview and you discover that one of the interviewers in the panel is the guy whom you told off at the reception? The worst thing you could do as a job seeker is to criticize a person because they are different from you or hold different opinions or attitudes. Always respect other people!
Be Authentic
Often, job seekers feel obliged to put on a show to please others especially those who are potential employers. Employers are not hard to please. They just want to see the real you, the one they would be interacting with on a daily basis. Putting on a show not only defeats the purpose of the interview, but it is bound to betray you one way or the other during the interview. Like Anthony Bourdain, be yourself and always strive to be a better version of yourself. Authenticity is character and like Anthony Bourdain said in one of his writings, “Skills can be taught. The character you either have, or you don’t have.”
Final Thoughts for Job Seekers
In your search, reach for the stars. Remain curious and respectful. Adapt to each interview environment. And take pleasure from every meeting whether it yields an offer or not. If you could use support and advice in your job pursuit, call Flexicrew today!
Sources
2. www.amp.scmp.com
3. www.glassdoor.com
4. www.goodreads.com
5. Interview Skills: How to prepare, answer tough (Rebecca Corfield)
6. Great Resume, Application and Interview Skills (Ann Byers)
7. Guerilla Marketing for Job Hunters (Jay Conrad Levinson, David E Perry)
Five Characteristics of Successful Job Searchers – Part 1
If you want to win a solid job you have to study the traits of successful job seekers. Becoming a successful job seeker is not hard when you follow the right guidance. We are going to let you know about five traits of successful job seekers so you just can get the results you want.
From research to endearing yourself to a wide array of potential peers, we have you covered. Finding your dream job might be easier than you think, but along with guidance you just have to put in the effort to get results.
Traits Of Successful Job Seekers
1. Continually Network
There are two sides to networking: Looking for a job and in the job itself.
The best source of potential jobs comes from networking. The way to successful networking is to throw the net out broadly to people who might be able to help the job search. Do this through letters, emails, phone calls and some in-person meetings. Talk to anyone who appears close to being relevant – sometimes if only to learn and figure out how to ask better questions. Substantial outreach is the top means to uncover opportunities.
The second part to networking is using the skill developed in job search on the actual job.
Most positions don’t work alone and most jobs will require that the applicant is great at networking. Hiring managers need to be looking for a person who is great at networking as such persons will not only make good team players but will also not be afraid to ask for help. While it might seem that the best workers are highly intelligent persons that can handle every situation and problem thrown at them, this is not the case. The best performers typically know how to utilize their networks to get help when they need it. Developing networks does not only refer to having contacts outside the company but also inside it. In most industries, having such contacts is a plus as they can get you information on the happenings in the industry. People talk and information from another company whether aggressive competitor or friendly foe can come in handy. As such, what you should be listening for is confirmation that the job seeker has acquaintances, colleagues, and friends in the industry.
2. Research
Researching the target companies is also paramount for any job seeker to succeed in the marketplace. This is the time to know what the employers want. Go to Glassdoor.com page to truly understand what potential employers need. You will discover a lot of questions that these companies tend to ask a potential employee. This will just allow you to get the advantage you need right away.
3. Obvious Fit
Making yourself an obvious fit for the job is paramount if you just want to succeed. You have to understand that an application tracking system might also be used before a human takes a look at your resume. You just have to make sure that you are what your potential employer needs. It means that you just have to write in such a way that your potential employer finds it easy to discover what you just can do for the company.
4. Opportunistic
The best employees are decisive and take opportunities when they are presented despite the risks. In the modern competitive arena, companies should be looking to hire persons that can take every little opportunity presented to gain the organization a competitive advantage. The best job searchers need to demonstrate to the interviewer that they can and have taken tough decisions when they believed that the payoff was greater than the downside. Nonetheless, it can be a delicate balance determining the line between a candidate that is opportunistic and one that is reckless. In this regard, you need to be straight up in asking the job seeker to provide every detail of the situation that they are providing as an example. They need to show the circumstances under which they were presented with an opportunity, analyzed the options and quickly made a decision that resulted in positive outcomes. As the hiring manager, you need to know how they dealt with any pitfalls when implementing their decisions. A successful outcome after taking that decision is what you need to be looking at in determining whether the candidate meets the mark.
5. Seek Answers to Things and Study Why Things Work
Successful job searchers tend to be ones that are curious about issues and are flexible and adaptable in finding solutions to challenges at work. Interviewers should be looking for a job seeker who can display that they have creativity, innovation, and reasoning that they have used to find solutions. A great candidate is not one that has complaints about terrible work conditions but one that resolves problems, complaints and comes up with workable solutions. Hiring managers should be interviewing for a person that will bring improvement and innovation to the company by taking whatever they are offered and making it better. While the employees are expected to work within certain strictures, the company needs a person that goes out of their way to efficiently complete tasks in creative ways. That improves productivity.
Successful job searching is more than just writing the perfect cover letter or CV ad there are many other things that the interviewer should be looking for. While certain jobs place a premium on particular training, there are several other important qualities that interviewers should be looking for.
Flexicrew Staffing has the expert knowledge and resources to help you find the position you won’t find on your own. Let us assist you in uncovering those hidden positions that exactly match your talents and experience. Call today. flexicrew.com/contact-us/
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