Mac Prichard's Blog, page 25

Hiring Decisions: Should I Use a Recruiter or Staffing Agency to Hire New Employees?

Finding the right person to join your team is no easy task. The costs in time, effort, and money are significant, no matter the size of your company. As you’re assessing your hiring needs, you may be considering working with a staffing or recruiting agency. While there’s plenty of advice out there to help job seekers pick the right agency, it can be difficult for employers to decide whether it’s worth it for them to use an external partner.

Many businesses partner with staffing companies, even large organizations with existing internal HR and recruiting teams. Although there are many arrangements that fall into the category of “staffing,” the core idea is that by using an agency to help you hire, you are benefitting from their expertise, specialization, and ability to provide you a flexible service that will meet your needs.

To help you decide how to hire a new employee, here are some explanations about the different options and tips on when to use each option.

Before you get started, there are a lot of industry terms in the recruiting and staffing world. If you are not familiar, refer to this glossary of recruiting terms that we’ve been building.

Hire on your own

To hire on your own, you’ll need existing internal resources that can commit the necessary time and skills to filling your open positions. Depending on the size of your company, this could be you, your HR team, or the hiring manager. Can your internal team handle the search, screening, offer process, onboarding, and post-hire support that’s necessary for the number of candidates you need? If so, hiring on your own can be the most straightforward way to find your new talent.

Use this approach when:

You’re hiring folks with skill sets that you’re familiar with and know how to find.
Your existing employees understand your needs and culture enough to help you recruit and evaluate these applicants.

Keep in mind:

Hiring the wrong candidate can be expensive. In 2003, the US Department of Labor estimated a failed hire costs at least 30% above that employee’s first year pay (that’s more than most direct hire recruiters).
Keeping a critical position unfilled is also costly. The cost of leaving a high-level position open for months could be much greater than recruiter fees. It can be helpful to estimate how much revenue you lose if you don’t fill a position.
Personality profiling tools can help you vet candidates (check out Core Values Index, Wonderlic, DISC, and Predictive Index)
Post your positions to sites that will attract the right candidates (Mac’s List, Indeed, Dice, Monster, CareerBuilder, Craigslist)

Recruiting Service: Direct Hire

In theory, hiring on your own is a good way to save money. In practice, discovering the best talent, establishing a consistent process, and finding the time to do it all can be a huge headache for companies without internal recruiting and HR teams. Recruiters are skilled professionals. Their expertise in finding talent means that you can expect better candidates, delivered faster, pre-screened and ready to interview. While not every candidate from an agency will be an exact match for your positions, the success rate should be high.

Use this approach when:

You need a permanent new employee with unique skill sets that are hard to find through traditional job postings.
You want to increase diversity within your candidate pool.
It’s necessary to find more and better candidates than you can generate on your own.

Keep in mind:

If the skill sets you need are different from the skill sets of your current employees, candidates may be hard to evaluate. You will need a plan to screen for these skills (or ask the agency to screen for you).
When working with a staffing or recruiting agency, most direct hire fees are flat, agreed to beforehand, and invoiced upon placement. Establish clarity on the fees before you start accepting candidates.
Agencies typically guarantee at least a partial refund in the first 60-90 days if a candidate does not work out, but you should confirm their policy beforehand.

Staffing Service: Managed Services (or “Outsourcing” or “Statement of Work”)

Some agencies provide “managed services” to do work outside your core business – for example, janitorial services, security services, IT services and web development services. Services like these can be short-term or they can last for years. It all depends on your organization’s needs.

Use this approach when:

You’ll need new staff who work outside the scope of your core business to support long-term growth.
You want to provide stability to workers that serve in supporting roles without having to add them to your permanent payroll.
You need extra help in roles that can be clearly defined and differentiated from your main products or services.
You need consistent help from people who know your business even if they aren’t employees.
You need supplemental HR services, benefits, and screening / offer process support.
You want a streamlined, ongoing hiring process that requires little of your input.

Keep in mind:

Workers providing services over an extended period of time will expect an increase in pay, even if they aren’t your direct employees. Plan ahead for COLA increases to allow for pay raises.
Clarity around responsibilities of a managed services team is critical to a successful engagement. Make sure both companies understand what work is being outsourced and how success will be measured.
Most managed services do not require a set duration of time for the employees’ contracts, but all contracts should include an end date to allow for review and adjustments.

Staffing Service: Temp-to-hire

It is always challenging to evaluate someone’s technical skills and cultural fit in a relatively brief and highly-charged interview process. Temp-to-hire services can help alleviate this problem by allowing you to work with a candidate for a few months to confirm they match your needs. Sometimes referred to as the “try before you buy” method of recruiting, this is also a great way to give a potential candidate regular pay and benefits (through an agency) while giving them time to evaluate your company. The potential of permanent employment makes temp-to-hire positions more attractive than standard temporary positions, therefore providing you with a broader mix of candidates.

Use this approach when:

You have growth goals that go beyond your current recruiting and support capabilities.
You want to develop a pipeline of talent for a growing team or a high-turnover position.
You want to ensure culture fit before making a hiring decision.
You want to spread out the cost of an agency fee over time.

Keep in mind:

Temp-to-hire implies that it is possible (even likely) that candidates who perform well will be hired as regular employees. If something changes that prevents you from being able to hire as intended, make sure to communicate this to the staffing vendor so they can inform their employees.
Temp-to-hire staff are not your employees. All performance feedback, compensation discussions, and other HR concerns need to come through the vendor until you convert the worker to an employee.
Understand the fees before your first placement. In most cases, the total extra cost of the temp-to-hire should be comparable to the cost of a direct hire.

Staffing Service: Temporary Staffing

Temporary staff can give you great flexibility to increase your workforce for seasonal peaks, provide coverage for planned absences, or help with well-defined projects that require unique skill sets. When you need temporary staff, it’s almost always best to work with an agency to find candidates and fill these positions.  Most temp placement fees are billed as a markup on the employee’s hourly rate.

Use this approach when:

You have short-term needs or limited-scope projects such as leave coverage or seasonal work.
External factors prevent you from direct hire options.
You have clear needs and want a streamlined hiring process.

Keep in mind:

Treat your temp employees with just as much respect and consideration as you would your own – this will help them feel included, be more productive, and reflect well on you as a destination for talent. This is true for temp-to-hire and managed services as well.
Temp positions should have a set duration. While the duration can be extended, it should not be arbitrary.
Remember – all HR feedback goes to the supplying vendor, not directly to the employees!

Working with staffing or recruiting agencies is not for everyone, and it’s not necessary for every situation. But there are often many benefits to getting outside help with your hiring. Recruiting new employees is like any other skilled profession: anyone can do it, but sometimes it helps to work with a professional.

The variety of recruiting service options offer a lot of flexibility to get the right workforce for your needs. At Cinder, roughly half of our positions are managed services, a quarter are temp-to-hire, and a quarter are temp staffing (with a few direct hires sprinkled in for good measure). We find that some candidates will only consider direct hire or temp-to-hire, but we also find that the client’s work culture is just as important as the position type in the eyes of many candidates.

One final tip: Recruiting and staffing agencies can be a valuable resource, but remember that any agency you work with is only as good as the information you provide them. When you work with an agency, be sure to provide clear job descriptions, let them know as your needs change, and provide timely feedback on candidates in order to build the best possible partnership.

The post Hiring Decisions: Should I Use a Recruiter or Staffing Agency to Hire New Employees? appeared first on Mac's List.

Staying Focused in a Competitive Industry: Kristen Mozian’s Job Search Story

When you’re looking for jobs out-of-state, it can be tempting to go after anything you can find. But Kristen Mozian had a passion for the economic development sector. So she focused in on this competitive industry and utilized a strong professional network to find a new job that she loves. And it all started by reaching out to one person.

What do you do for a career? Who do you work for?

The Connecticut Small Business Development Center provides no-cost business advising, training, and resources to small business owners and entrepreneurs. My job is to increase awareness and participation in our program.

How did you find your job? What resources did you use? What tool or tactic helped the most?

The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is part of a national federal program under the Small Business Administration. I have worked for SBDCs in Oregon in some capacity over the last 7 years. During that time, I went to national conferences in which I met professionals from other SBDCs all over the country.

For family reasons, I started considering moving back to my home state, Connecticut, at the end of 2016, and knew I didn’t want just any job. I am very passionate about my career in economic development and wanted to stay in the field. From the national conferences, I had one professional contact in Connecticut, so I reached out to her.

Long story short, I ended up interviewing and getting her old position. Being an out-of-state candidate, it was nice having someone on the inside being able to put in a good word so I could actually enter the interview process.

What was the most difficult part of your job search? How did you overcome this challenge?

The biggest challenge for me moving back to Connecticut was to stay in the economic development industry. It’s not the easiest industry to find jobs in, as jobs tend to have low turnover and/or don’t pay well. I was tempted to look outside of the industry but I kept moving toward my long-term career goals and it paid off.

What is the single best piece of advice you would offer other job-seekers?

Build your network and use your network. That advice is offered in every job-seeking advice blog or book, and it is so true. It is important to develop a network of professionals in the industries you’re most interested in when you’re not looking for a job. Be sure to cultivate those relationships so when you are looking for a new opportunity you have a group of supporters behind you.

Why do you love your job?

I love my job because it makes an impact – both on the lives of the small business owners and for the greater economy. I am a big believer and advocate for small businesses, and everyday I get to reach out to small business owners and introduce them to resources that make their goals a reality.

The post Staying Focused in a Competitive Industry: Kristen Mozian’s Job Search Story appeared first on Mac's List.

Find the Right Networking Events For You

“Networking.” Just mention the word and watch the eyes either glaze over with anticipated boredom, or widen with preemptive anxiety. Most people think networking only happens at boozy after-hours events filled with know-it-alls in suits. But networking is actually a huge umbrella of activities that includes anything you do to connect with other professionals with the goal of learning and growing your career. It’s time to start thinking about networking as a varied garden of opportunities, rather than a stuffy room full of strange people and bad appetizers.

Networking can grow your professional network, help you learn new skills, give you insights into the job market, or all of the above. Yes, meeting new people may push you outside your comfort zone. But I would argue that there’s a networking event out there for everybody. It’s just about finding what works for you.

To get you started, let’s explore the many ways you can network, whether you want to learn, meet people, create connections, or just have a fun evening out! Let’s look at different types of networking events and how you can choose what’s worth your time and effort.

Social Networking Events

Traditional networking events are focused on the meet and greet, and give you a great opportunity to meet several new people in the course of an hour. Remember, most everyone has some anxiety about meeting new people, and socially-focused networking events take the pressure off. Everyone is there for the same reason, so you don’t need to be scared to talk to others.

Round tables and speed networking

Prepare your elevator pitch and pull up a chair. Round table networking assigns you to a table and makes you move periodically, so you can engage in group discussion and gather business cards. Speed networking is just like speed dating, but without the romance.

Try it if you make a good first impression and aren’t afraid to talk about yourself without much warmup.

Tip: Give them your business card! It will prompt the other person to give you theirs. Then you can reach out to interesting folks via email or LinkedIn after the whirlwind subsides.



Mixers and happy hour events

When you say “networking event,” most people think of mixers. These are typically not programmed events, and they’re based around loose themes. Often business organizations will hold regular events like this to bring people in for easy, typically low or no cost networking.

Try it if you’re new to town or new to a specific industry. You can meet new people in a more relaxed atmosphere.

Tip: Smaller, volunteer-led networking groups tend to form around more specific topics; check Meetup for events in your area.



Network through learning and shared activities

If you consider yourself introverted or shy, you probably don’t want to go to big events with a lack of structure. Seek out more organized events, panel discussions, and volunteer opportunities that focus on a specific thing. This way, you have something concrete to talk about with the people you meet! Shared learning is also a great way to bond with new professional connections.

Panel discussions and presentations

Panel discussions or solo presentations are a great way to learn something new and start easy conversations with fellow attendees about the subject matter of the event.

Try it if you want to learn more about a certain industry or topic and you find panels and presentations that align. And if you want to mix and mingle but struggle with small talk, these are great opportunities to get into conversation with fellow attendees.

Tip: Look for events with speakers that are either relevant to your current role or in an industry you want to learn more about.



Community groups, boards, and committees

Connecting through shared activity is essential to human nature. Just think about how you made most of your lifelong friends. So join groups that align with your professional interests, and you’ll form relationships with folks who can help shape your career!

Try it if you have the desire and time to volunteer, and enjoy spending time with others who share your interest.

Tip: Find volunteer opportunities and groups that have a clear outline of the time and resources they need from you. Make sure you don’t over-commit!



College alumni associations

If you went to a college or university, chances are your school has an alumni association. Check it out online, join up with local get togethers in your city, or just reconnect with old classmates. You never know who might have a great opportunity for you.

Try it if you want to meet or reconnect with your fellow alumni around a common interest.

Tip: Attend alumni events for a more structured presentation and to learn what’s new at your alma mater.  You can also use an online alumni database to get in touch with individual folks you studied with.



Professional education: workshops, seminars, and courses

When you embark on continuing education courses and certificate programs with an eye toward expanding your network, you’ll learn just as much from your fellow students as you do from your teachers.

Try it if you need continuing education for your career goals and you want to connect with peers who are similarly situated.

Tip: Choose professional education that will get you interacting with fellow students. Ask about group work and how much professional networking will be included in the course before you sign up.



Conferences

Some people love going to conferences, others dislike the constant schmoozing and the crowds (though there are plenty of niche conferences that offer more intimate environs). Wherever you land, conferences are powerful tool to learn a ton and meet people with similar interests in a short amount of time.

Try it if you want to do a deep dive into a particular topic and can afford the registration and potential travel costs.

Tip: Don’t be afraid to walk up to people at conferences, especially if they’re standing alone. Start casual conversations, ask what they’re learning, and get a business card so you can follow up in more depth after the conference.



Online and one-on-one networking – avoid the awkward small talk

If you really truly hate the idea of meeting strangers in person and starting conversations from scratch, it’s OK to start small. Online networking and one-on-one conversations with people you meet through other means are great ways to grow your professional network and find new job opportunities.

Online networking

Use social networks to find, follow, and engage with other professionals online. Find people you can learn from, whether they’re in your city or halfway around the world.

Try it if you want to reach a large audience in your target market, choose your level of engagement, and tune in at your convenience.

Tip: Use groups on LinkedIn and Facebook to find a wide variety of people working in your current industry or in sectors you’re interested in. But don’t just lurk. Find ways to connect online by liking others’ posts, commenting and engaging in discussions, and following up with private messages. Eventually you’ll have a strong professional connection to ask for advice, resources, and help in your career!



Informational interviews

One of my favorite ways to network is through informational interviews. Informational interviews are short, one-on-one conversations between you and a professional working in your field of interest. When you invite someone to have an informational interview, you get to have a deeper conversation about your career interests and collect insider information. And yes, you should buy their coffee.

Try it if you want to follow up with someone you met at a group networking event and learn more about their particular job, career path, or employer.

Tip: Use informational interviews to forge deeper relationships with folks you’ve already met by asking them about their own career path, telling them about your goals, and sharing insights. Also, always end an informational interview with two questions: “How can I help you?” and “Who else should I talk to?”

As you can see, networking comes in many different shapes and sizes, with numerous formats to choose from. All in all, networking is just about connecting with others in your professional space. It’s about building the village that will strengthen and support your career as you move forward! And don’t forget: you’ll find more success, enjoyment, and connection in networking when you seek out the opportunities that align with your personality and your current career goal. Happy networking!

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Pursuing A Dream Job With Passion: Anneliese Davis’s Job Search Story

Anneliese was coming back to work after raising a child, and she knew she wanted to find a job that she could be passionate about. She fleshed out her resume with recent volunteer experience, started networking, and eventually found her dream job pop up in a job posting. She connected with the mission of the organization, volunteered there, and included a letter to the board of directors about how much the work mattered to her. We all know it’s hard to put yourself out there and risk being rejected professionally. But, as Anneliese says, “What have you got to lose?”

What do you do for a career? Who do you work for?

I’m the part-time executive director (and first staff member!) for Rahab’s Sisters, a 14-year-old organization providing radical hospitality to marginalized women every Friday night on SE 82nd. We offer a homemade meal and hygiene supplies, but the real story of Rahab’s Sisters is the community our guests and volunteers build together.

How long did it take you to find this job?

My daughter started kindergarten in 2016, so I began to think about going back into the workforce. I kept an eye on what was out there, talked to a few folks, applied for a job or two, but couldn’t seem to get excited about anything until I saw the Rahab’s Sisters posting in April; I started in June.

How did you find your job? What resources did you use? What tool or tactic helped the most?

I can honestly say I always skim Mac’s List, even when I’m not actively looking for a job. It has given me a good overview of Portland’s nonprofit sector and I learn about a lot of different organizations. This is the first time I have ever found a position from a job posting and not via my network, so it was different to introduce myself to people who knew nothing about me. I spent a lot of time on my resume, cover letter and LinkedIn profile, though, I felt like I was able to accurately represent my skills, experience and values.

What was the most difficult part of your job search? How did you overcome this challenge?

I moved to Portland in 2013 and decided to be a full-time parent, so the last paid job on my resume was a few years back and in another city. I had been doing a lot of volunteer work here, though, and I decided to list my volunteer leadership roles on my resume in the same way as all my paid positions under the heading “Experience” with dates, key responsibilities and accomplishments. I made it clear I was a volunteer, of course, but it demonstrated that I was an active part of the Portland community.

What is the single best piece of advice you would offer other job seekers?

After I spent an evening volunteering with Rahab’s Sisters, I knew I really wanted this job. So the next day, I wrote a letter to the board sharing what that experience had been like for me and how much I wanted to be part of this work. It felt vulnerable to put myself out there like that and after I hit “send” I wondered how I would be perceived. But I knew if I wasn’t selected for the job, my disappointment would be compounded if I didn’t feel I had given it my all. What have you got to lose if you really go for it?

Why do you love your job?

I knew I would enjoy the intellectual challenge of building out an organization that has been doing good work for a long time. But the real joy and learning for me has been coming to know our community of mainstream and marginalized women. My heart is broken open a million times a night, and I am in awe of our guests’ resilience and our volunteers’ love and dedication.

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