Once you have determined that you need the help of a headhunter to fill a critical role, you may find yourself deliberating how to find the right one. You obviously want the recruiter you select to have an upper hand over your competition in finding the right candidate for your role. So you may wonder what important qualities should a recruiter possess, what reputation they should have, or what questions to ask them.
Trusted peers within your industry can recommend headhunters they have worked with, and you can easily find a list of them by conducting an internet search. Most headhunters have websites that tell about their process for finding and screening talent, but each is unique in some way and their techniques and philosophies on discovering and assessing candidates is most important. Have a conversation with them – by phone, but preferably in person – to learn the following:
Fruit cake, gift card, bonus, product, or something else…agh! What do I give? Holiday giving in the workplace can be as tough as figuring out what to get your Great Aunt June! If you are thinking about giving holiday gifts to your staff this season consider these few things.
Consistency
Before you put the effort in to finding the perfect gift, double check your company handbook (or ask your superior if necessary) to make sure holiday gift giving is allowed. Then develop a consistent approach for selecting who and how much you’ll invest. Remember gifts can come in many forms, not just money. I’ll share a few ideas below!
Consistency doesn’t mean you have to give equally across all employees, but you do need logical reasoning to justify your decisions. For example, if you are providing a Christmas bonus, perhaps you base the value on % of salary or weighted based on revenue generated.
Being consistent across employees is obviously the easiest, but doesn’t always make sense. And, it could depend on what you are gifting. Just remember, you don’t want holiday gift giving to become a demotivator for the team because there is unexplainable inconsistency amongst what various team members receive.
Managing remote employees is much more prevalent these days. In fact, regular work-at-home, among the non-self-employed population, has grown by 103% since 2005 (GlobalWorkplaceAnalytics.com). You can find a lot of data, webinars, and articles circulating around the pros and cons of being a telecommuter and the impact for companies that provide telecommuting options. Achieving the right balance of engagement is a tall order, and there are personalities that are a solid fit for being home-based, while others are not. I personally feel that managing remote employees is one of the hardest parts of my job, and I am continually trying to find ways to enhance the level of connectedness. Here are just a few tips that may help if you are headed on the journey of managing remote employees.
1. Utilize Technology.
Skype video is a great tool to help give communications with your telecommuter a more personal feel. It gives you a chance to still get “face to face” as you interact with them. I like to connect in this manner once a week at a minimum. Instant messenger can help telecommuters feel more connected to their teammates as well. It is the equivalent of stopping by someone’s office to ask a question.
Ashley Collins, AgCareers.com’s Education & Marketing Manager, has been with the company full-time for nearly 12 years. In 2004 Ashley worked for eight months as the first AgCareers.com intern. She works from a home office in North Carolina.
What do you do on a day-to-day basis in your role with AgCareers.com?
A typical day could include corresponding with stakeholders of our business whom I manage our relationship with such as National FFA, AFA, STEM Connector and the National Teach Ag Campaign. Or it could include working with some of the companies that utilize us that have an interest in recruiting or retaining young people into their businesses. It could also include working on market research projects like our internship benchmark survey, or high demand career profiles. Another day could be filled with conference calls or face-to-face meetings with clients, stakeholders or speaking to a group of students either attending a national conference or on their campus via a virtual visit.
What do you enjoy about working with AgCareers.com?
I enjoy that the core of our business helps people achieve their career goals. Our job board, the market research we publish, our social media outreach is all part of providing a service that helps people.
What advice would you give to employers using AgCareers.com for the first time?
Refer to our market research. Use it in your business decision-making meetings. Use it when you talk to people about careers. This information we offer can be your secret data weapon when it comes to recruiting and retaining employees. You just have to take advantage of our resources.
