March 2014 HR News Roundup

*Beginning with this post, InterviewStream will curate a collection of HR news to share each month through this blog. To submit an article or post for consideration, contact communications(at)interviewstream(dot)com. 

Below are a few talent-related HR articles from the month of March we thought were pretty great and wanted to make sure our readers didn’t miss.

1. Five Ways the Web Has Changed Recruiting, and How to Keep Up

The internet has changed every industry, especially HR. This article looks at five trends in recruiting that stemmed from advancements in technology, particularly the World Wide Web. It mentions topics such as applicant tracking systems (ATS), mobile recruiting and social media, as well as how to keep up with these changes.

This piece is a great starting point before doing a deep-dive into any of the five trends mentioned.

2. Can People Collaborate Effectively While Working Remotely?

This article addresses the issue of working remotely and debates the dangers and benefits of limited face-to-face interaction. The article also addresses the dilemma companies face when having talent dispersed geographically, as the limited personal interaction has many organizations worrying about engagement issues down the stretch. The piece goes on to address Gallup’s employee engagement research and its findings which show that companies with employees working less than 20 percent remotely have the highest percentage of engaged employees and the lowest percentage of actively disengaged among three other employee groups. In the end, the article mentions various solutions and how other organizations tackled the problem.

This piece is valuable especially to global companies with team members scattered around the world, as it’s hard to keep track of every employee and even more difficult to make sure that they are engaged.

3. Eight Signs You’re About to Lose Your Top Candidate

This article summarizes eight warning signs that the candidate isn’t into the job. It mentions different scenarios such as counter offers, candidate resignations, candidates looking at other opportunities, lack of follow up, etc. It also gives advice on how to best handle these types of situations and whether or not to continue pursuing the candidate.

In today’s job market having top talent is vital in the success of any organization. Making the right hire is critical, but the first step is attracting the candidate. However, if the candidate doesn’t pan out, it’s important to know when to move on and search for other talent out there.

4. How to Get a Bigger Hiring Budget

According to this article, 74 percent of HR professionals believe organizations should be more innovative in the hiring process, but HR faces financial barriers making it harder to engage potential candidates. This article makes the argument of asking the CEO for money, but having strategic reasoning behind the need for more funds. While it’s important to make intelligent arguments and to appeal to CEOs emotionally, it’s important to show potential ROI.

Since the Recession, HR departments have taken a hit financially as organizations try to save money and maximize profits. However, hiring is an important process because a hire can make or break a company in the long-run. Hiring is expensive, so it’s costly to be continuously hiring. It can also have a domino effect, because it limits the productivity of top performers if they have to take on more work due to talent shortages. While resources may be limited at times, it’s important to look at alternatives and be bold. Don’t be shy to ask for more if it’s to enhance the organization. 

5. Eight Things a Resume Won’t Tell You

This article explains the weaknesses in traditional resumes. While resumes are used to get to the interview, it’s difficult to differentiate who is worthy of going on to the next step by only assessing a resume. Sometimes a star performer and a slacker have similar resumes, especially if they have similar job titles, so it’s best to be aware of the weaknesses when considering candidates for an interview. This article points out questions hiring managers should consider when looking at resumes.

6. Mobile Recruiting: Keeping Up With the Movement

Mobile recruiting is gaining momentum as people use their smartphones more frequently than ever before. This article explains the significance of mobile recruiting in HR and how new software enables recruiters to continuously do their job. It mentions having real-time communication and responding quickly to different stimuli, as well as the benefits of having a mobile recruiting strategy, and the author’s take on ways to make the most of this platform.

7. Hire for Bench Strength of Brace for Failure

The article discusses the importance of having depth within your organization. While it’s great to have a top performer, the people surrounding the top performer are just as important. This article discusses four questions to ask when hiring and the importance of being futuristic when making hiring decisions.

Similar to star athletes needing complementary players around them to be at their best, top performers need effective employees to be at their best. When top performers leave it’s important that the others around the former employee soaked in his knowledge and continue the productivity.