Recruiting for your employer is a well-earned honor. It takes a special person to be able to sift through applications, interview candidates, and determine if that person will be a good fit for your company. What if they get a better offer somewhere else? What if they don’t really have the experience you were hoping to hear about? Or what if your job post gets zero applications? Fear not, we’ve got you. And we have all the answers to assist your recruitment strategies.
We have been supporting a community of 200,000+ industry professionals through career transitions for 20 years. We have the experience, connections and resources to enhance your recruitment strategies to help you find talent perfect for your specific company. Below are 10 ways AgCareers.com can do more for your recruitment strategies.
Generation Z has been entering the workforce over the past couple of years. Just when you feel you have a handle on Millennials (born between 1981-1995) in the workforce, here comes Generation Z (born between 1995-2010). Work environments have changed over the past decade to help create cultures where Millennials thrive. However, Gen Z’s needs can be quite different, which may cause your company to re-think things, as Generation Z takes up a greater percentage of your employee base and will have different workplace expectations.
Approximately 73 million people make up Generation Z in the United States. This means Gen Z accounts for about 25 percent of the U.S. population. They are a larger group than Millennials and Gen Xers. Although Gen Z’s demographic profile is still being defined, they will have a big impact on the workforce because of the number of their generation alone. Learning more about Gen Z and their workplace expectations will help your company adapt and change more strategically as you continue to hire more from this new generation.
A similarity Gen Z has with Millennials is that they are very comfortable with technology, primarily because it has always been a part of their lives. They are used to immediate gratification through smartphones, Google searches and Amazon purchases. However, most of them have experienced their parents’ job loss and insecurity one or more times, which causes them to view work differently and have different expectations than Millennials.
Career fair season is just around the corner- can you believe it? There’s a contagious energy prevalent on college campuses and it’s encouraging to meet students who are eager to connect with your organization. However, there’s also an exhaustion that accompanies career fair season. Brought on by miles traveled and answering the question, “so, what are you hiring for” too many times to count.
Whether you have the energy of the first fair of the season, or the exhaustion of the 10th, it’s critical to put your best foot forward. To help your organization shine this fall we’ve compiled a list of 8 things employers shouldn’t do at career fairs.
1. Set up after the fair has started or tear down before it’s over. I get it. You’re in a college town and maybe you took advantage of the cheap drinks when you got into town the night before. There is no excuse for showing up late though! Also, be cognizant of the fair end time when planning travel arrangements. If a student finds your booth empty, it’s not a great impression.
Are you talking in your own private HR language at work? Do only you and your immediate coworkers, or closest associates understand the linguistics? Candidates sometimes feel they are trying to decipher a foreign language when reading a job posting/description or interviewing with a potential employer. Here are some tips to keep in mind when writing and speaking to candidates without using too much HR language.
HR Lingo
Recruiters and hiring managers should carefully avoid HR-speak when communicating with candidates and new hires. ATS, EEOC, ESOP, AAP, ERG, EVP… human resource acronyms that not all candidates know off the top of their head. In addition, familiar terms discussed in HR, such as onboarding, company culture, performance assessments, and at-will employment might be just as alien to the general candidate.
We thought we’d have a little fun and explain recruiting from A to Z. Let us know what other things you associate with each of these letters when it comes to recruiting!
A. AgCareers.com – You didn’t really think I’d start anywhere else, did you? Neither should you!
B. Benefits – Beyond the norm, what are some unique benefits you offer and can share?
C. Compensation – Make sure your comp is in line. Use our Compensation Benchmark Review™.
It has happened – you’ve made the jump and are now managing people! But wait, what do you do? How do you handle transitioning from peer to boss? Are you prepared for this promotion? The quote, “People don’t leave jobs, they leave managers,” definitely has some truth to it – not solely, but some. No pressure! Becoming an effective manager takes training, time, and quite frankly practice. In today’s workplace you’ll be hit with all sorts of scenarios, from work related issues to personal challenges that creep into the workplace. And, something that I still am getting used to, is the time needed to give it its due consideration.
AgCareers.com is holding a Leadership Enhancement Development Course in Ames, IA, June 5 – 6. We’ll talk about a lot of ways to become an effective manager. This is a great workshop for those new to managing or for those that need a little fine-tuning to their efforts. This is limited due to the interactive nature, so if you have interest, please sign up early.
Here is a sneak peek and a few of my keys to strengthening your managing skills:
Oh the horror! Of the cliché job posting wording! Seriously, how many job postings have you read that DIDN’T begin with “We’re looking for a self-starter to join our team!”? Working for an outstanding site that offers a job board among our many talent solutions services, I tend to feel like just about every one begins that way. It always strikes me when a job posting uses ridiculous language and overused buzzwords to try to attract applicants when really, it’s doing the exact opposite. So grab a thesaurus or read on for new and improved ways to update your job posting wording:
Self-Starter: Let’s get this one out of the way first. I literally feel like I see this buzzword on every other posting I view and it’s getting to be annoying. Pretty sure everyone wants a self-starter, otherwise it would imply that they need a babysitter. And like multitasking, which we’ll get to in a minute, everyone is going to say, “Hey, I’m a self-starter. I should apply to this job!” This is because it’s not a skill or a trait, it’s just a fluffy word that doesn’t have much meaning. Flip the switch here: if you see “self-starter” on a resume, does it really get you fired up about a candidate?
Job Posting Wording to Use Instead: Independent, Outgoing, Gear-Shifter, Reliable, Motivated
Strategic HR planning is required when implementing operational plans and goals for an organization. The purpose of this HR planning is to determine if an organization has the right people, with the right skills at the right time. Any plan to determine workplace needs and a strategy to support organizational goals consists for a few steps:
1. Assessment: The knowledge, skills and abilities of staff needs to be analyzed. This can be accomplished by developing a skills inventory for each employee and listing all education and training. It is helpful to re-examine job descriptions for current employees as well.
2. Forecasting: There are many questions that need to be answered at this step.
– How many staff will be required to fulfill the plans and goals of the organization?
– What skill sets are required?
– Do your current employees have the required skills?
– Are employees currently using their strengths?
Guest Blogger: Ashley Collins, Agriculture Future of America
It’s almost August. Stores are stocking school supplies and commercials advertising back to school are in full swing. For employers, an approaching fall means preparation is underway for college recruitment programs. Today, more than ever before, agricultural employers will need a strategic plan and to utilize their available resources effectively to create success. According to the AgCareers.com 2016/2017 Agribusiness HR Review, when HR professionals were asked about their workforce size predictions for the next two years, 51% (the majority) reported that their workface size would remain the same. Only 45% are predicting an increase, which is a drop of 14% from 2015 when nearly 60% of ag employers predicted their workforce would grow. However, new grads and students looking for internships, need not worry; the annual report also states that 46% of employers remain committed to new graduate recruitment (up 1% over the year before) as part of their strategy for succession planning and to compete for top talent. This also means competition for the top talent on campus is going to be as competitive if not more than it has in the past! Here are a few tips to help employers be successful in college recruitment this fall.
AgCareers.com celebrates and promotes the active hiring among our clients of military veterans and professionals. The practice of actively recruiting and hiring veterans to work in agriculture has become more popular in recent years, but recent findings show that military veterans do not always feel welcomed into the agricultural industry, leading some employers to wonder how they can make their workplace more military friendly. Here are a few suggestions to create a more military friendly work environment for veteran employees:
