.com
Magazine
ISSUE 1 March 2018
Talent 2018 5 Executive Leaders Predict the Future of Hiring
The Past Is the Future What the 1960s Can Teach Us About HR Automation Today
LET'S NOT TALK ABOUT MONEY Compensation History Bans Sweep the U.S.
Editor’s Note Dear Readers, Welcome to the inaugural issue of Recruiter. com Magazine! A new quarterly publication dedicated to human resources and recruiting, Recruiter.com Magazine aims to deliver practical advice, actionable insights, and knowledgeable analysis to talent acquisition and management professionals. We think this first issue offers a representative taste of what's to come in future installments. BountyJobs' Erin Geiger shares a comprehensive overview of the compensation history bans being passed across the US. Recruiter.com contributor Jason McDowell explores how Netflix is shaping the future of employee learning and development software. Othamar Gama Filho, CEO of Talentify.io, outlines the keys to a mobile-first employer branding strategy. OrangeScape's Neil Miller tells us why we should look to the 1960s to understand recruiting technology today. And that's only half of what you'll find inside! So sit back, relax, and enjoy Recruiter.com Magazine's debut. We hope you'll have as much fun reading as we had assembling this issue! Matthew Kosinski Managing Editor
Recruiter.com Magazine is published quarterly by Recruiter.com. For media and editorial inquiries, contact Matthew Kosinski (matthew@recruiter.com). For advertising inquiries, visit our website. 2
Recruiter.com Magazine
Table of Contents Executive Spotlight: James Hu ... Pg. 4 Recruiter.com
'Cell' Yourself! How to Build a Mobile-First Employer Branding Strategy ... Pg. 17 Othamar Gama Filho
Compensation History Bans: What Recruiters and HR Pros Need to Know ... Pg. 5 Erin Geiger The Right Way to Deliver Bad News ... Pg. 9 Dudley Slater Talent Today: 5 Recruiting and Hiring Predictions for the Coming Year ... Pg. 11 Recruiter.com In 2018, It's Good to Be a Recruiter ... Pg. 15 Matthew Kosinski
What Netflix and Employee Development Have in Common ... Pg. 20 Jason McDowell Where Is HR Automation Heading in 2018? Take a Hint From 1960 ... Pg. 24 Neil Miller From Bankruptcy to Billion-Dollar Business: 4 Lessons From Serial Entrepreneurs on Bouncing Back From Failure ... Pg. 26 Steve McGerr
Share your insights. Put your brand in front of more than 10 million social media followers. Become a Recruiter.com contributor today. Recruiter.com Magazine
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Executive Spotlight: James Hu, Jobscan Every quarter, Recruiter.com Magazine‘s “Executive Spotlight” features top executives, HR professionals, recruiters, and business leaders sharing their insights on hiring, management, and best recruiting practices. This Quarter’s Spotlight: James Hu, Founder and CEO of Jobscan James Hu created Jobscan out of a frustration that job seekers know all too well: the frustration of trying to get your resume through an applicant tracking system (ATS). Hu felt manually optimizing his resume for each position was simply too time-consuming. So, he created a tool to automate as much of the process as possible. This would be the birth of Jobscan. Jobscan compares job seekers' resumes to job posts, scoring how well a resume aligns with the criteria outlined in the job post. It also offers suggestions on the keywords, skills, and other information a job seeker can add to their resume to boost its chances of getting past the ATS. What do you love most about your job? I love seeing the tool that we built is helping thousands of people land interviews. I love coming up with ideas and building something from nothing. Creation and innovation bring a joy that is hard to put into words. When you create something that is useful and that people incorporate into their lives, that's when you know you've made a difference. I also love working with my team and seeing them take ownership of their areas. Providing an environment where individuals can grow, breaking their limits and achieving the impossible, is an amazing thing to see.
member can not only execute, but also lead. They set examples, constantly raise the bar, and bring in additional top talent. This is in fact the current way we run the company. We encourage each team member to leverage knowledge, tools, and outside help to become a more productive/influential individual. What is your must-follow hiring rule? Each person has to be impressive. I have to be able to learn a few things from this individual I'm hiring. In other words, my employees should be smarter than I am.
The individual also has to match our values and raise the overall bar for the entire team. I look for the impossible candidates. It takes longer and There has not been a single moment, but an we'll take more rejections, but we aim for the sky accumulation of moments. For Jobscan to be in most things we do. where it is today is my proudest project to date. The fact that a small idea could turn into a reality If you had to sum up your entire career to this and benefit thousands is incredible. point in one quote, what would it be? What is your proudest professional moment?
Describe your ideal team.
One step back, two steps forward.
My ideal team is a "SWAT" team where each 4
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Compensation History Bans: What Recruiters and HR Pros Need to Know Erin Geiger
some locations, the rules surrounding the ban are different for public and private employers. The full extent of these laws is still being hammered out, so at this early stage the guidelines are a bit fuzzy in general. Employers also cannot request a potential employee’s compensation history from another source. However, in some instances, candidates can still freely share their compensation histories with employers if they choose to do so. One of the more common reasons employers cite in support of asking about compensation histories is the need to weed out candidates who are earning or expecting salaries that are outside the budget range for a role. Why Is the Compensation History Ban Being Put Into Place? The spirit of the law is to ensure pay equality for all based on merit and experience. One driving factor is that, despite small steps of progress along the years, there is still a gender pay gap in t’s likely you’ve been hearing discussions the US. According to the National Women’s Law about a ban on compensation history inquiries Center, women earn on average about 80 cents to (referred to in this piece as the “compensation a man’s dollar. That gap has not narrowed much history ban”) in the hiring world. It started off as in the past decade, and it is even wider for women a slight murmur, something that some cities were of color. contemplating. Now, the ban has grown to a loud chatter as entire states have begun adopting this By prohibiting employers from asking about a new legislation. In this piece, we’ll break down candidate’s compensation history, proponents of exactly what this compensation history ban is, the ban aim to keep organizations from basing an why it’s happening, who it’s impacting, and what, employee’s pay on their previous history. Instead, if anything, to do about it. employers would (ideally) base compensation on the employee’s experience and performance. What Exactly Is This Compensation History Ban?
I
It is thought that the gender pay gap begins early In its most basic form, the ban is a new set of in a woman’s career, and that the gap persists laws that make it illegal for employers to ask job each time a woman gives their compensation applicants for their compensation histories. In Recruiter.com Magazine
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history as part of the hiring process for a new role. What Steps Should Employers Take Once an employer is aware of a woman candidate to Apply This Legislation? earning a lower rate than her male peers, that candidate would be hard-pressed to successfully Many industry experts suggest that the best course negotiate a higher salary. of action for employers is to do complete audits of the documents used for their hiring processes. According to data from PayScale, a woman who Make sure compensation history questions are refuses to supply her salary history when asked removed from all job applications, background receives, on average, 1.8 percent less than a check papers, hiring policy paperwork, etc. woman who does disclose her salary history. On the flip side, a man who refuses to disclose will All employees of the organization, not just human earn on average 1.2 percent more than a man resources or talent acquisition teams, should be who does. trained on these new laws. Employers need to ensure none of their employees are asking these How Are Employers Interpreting the Law? questions to candidates. If employers utilize external hiring agencies, recruiters, or other thirdAs you can imagine, employers are scrambling, party vendors, those folks need to be educated on trying to figure out exactly what the legislation these new policies as well. requires and pinpointing how they must apply it to remain in compliance. Most experts seem BountyJobs, for example, has stayed ahead of to recommend following the legislation to the these changes with a dual-confirmation system. strictest letter possible. Upon reviewing a potential opportunity, a recruiter will be notified that the employer has instituted Kerry Lear, director of HR content at Mammoth a ban on compensation history inquiries. The HR, offered this advice to the radio program recruiter will then be required to acknowledge Marketplace: “Just take the salary questions off and agree to this policy before moving forward. for everyone. We expect other states to be joining along. Employers might as well just get ahead of When submitting a candidate for consideration, it.” a recruiter will again confirm that they abided by the policy and did not inquire about compensation Jason Habinsky, employment lawyer and partner history. at the law firm Haynes and Boone, told Business Insider: “One easy way to make sure you're in Rather than relying on previous compensation compliance with employment laws nationwide or history as a benchmark, come up with a specific state-wide, depending on how vast your business compensation range for each open role. Then, look is, is to pick the strictest law and then comply at each candidate’s experience and education to with that across the board. determine a fair offer. "In other words, even if other states or cities don't have a requirement or a ban on requesting salary information, you apply it universally or uniformly outside of New York City as well. It's a lot easier to administer, and there are also good reasons for doing it. The purpose of the law is to not perpetuate discrepancies or gaps in pay and equity. There's a good reason behind it and you can accomplish that beyond the state or city where it's required.” 6
This Sounds Like a Lot of Effort. What If Employers Don’t Comply? If employers violate these laws, they put themselves at risk for lawsuits. If found guilty, the penalties could amount to $250,000, plus legal fees, negative press, and everything else that comes along with a lawsuit – which could include class action. Recruiter.com Magazine
What Should a Candidate Do If Asked About Salary History?
Where Are the Bans?
Realistically, not all employers will follow this legislation to the full extent. Before going so far as taking legal action, a candidate could:
1. Albany County, New York: The law went into effect in December 2017 and impacts private and public employers.
1. Refocus the discussion. Hone in on why you are qualified for the job. 2. Do your homework. Know what the going compensation range is for that role with someone of your experience level. These laws do not prohibit candidates from discussing the compensation they are expecting.
2. California: The law went into effect January 2018 and impacts private and public employers.
If a candidate does decide to consider a lawsuit, they could start by lodging a legal complaint. In New York City specifically, the NYC Commission on Human Rights has a hotline for those who have experienced compensation history discrimination. Check to see what resources your community provides as a starting point. – The compensation history ban shows no sign of slowing. Hiring authorities should assume the ban will be adopted by more states and cities in the near future. To avoid costly and frustrating legal headaches, experts are erring on the side of caution and encouraging employers to apply the law to the fullest degree. Embrace the spirit of the law, which is to help ensure pay equality for all professionals, regardless of gender or race. Erin Geiger is senior content marketing manager at BountyJobs. Download the BountyJobs report on compensation history bans here. About BountyJobs: BountyJobs is the leading technology for collaboration between employers and agencies. Its web-based platform consolidates thirdparty search activities into one convenient location; giving talent acquisition leaders the tools to track, manage, and evaluate their search spend. The result: better hires, faster. BountyJobs is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and is backed by Greylock Partners, Accel Partners, and RPM Ventures. 7
3. Delaware: The law went into effect December 2017 and impacts private and public employers. Compensation information may be confirmed after an offer is made. 4. Massachusetts: The law goes into effect July 2018 and impacts private and public employers. 5. New Jersey: The law went into effect February 2018 but only impacts state agencies and offices. 6. New Orleans: The law went into effect January 2017 but only impacts city departments and the employees of contractors that work for the city. 7. New York City: The law went into effect October 31, 2017, and impacts private and public employers. 8. Oregon: The law goes into effect January 2019 and impacts private and public employers. 10. Philadelphia: The law was supposed to go into effect May 23, 2017, but has been halted temporarily due to a lawsuit from the Chamber of Commerce. 11. Pittsburgh: The law went into effect January 2017 but only impacts city employees. 12. Puerto Rico: The law went into effect March 2018 and impacts private and public employers.
Reactions to the Bans For
Against
1. "Removing questions about applicants' salary history will help job seekers who have been underpaid for too long negotiate a salary based on their skills and qualifications rather than their past salaries.”
1. "Employers have generally argued that they utilize salary history information for legitimate, nondiscriminatory reasons, such as matching their job offers to current market rates."
— Carmelyn P. Malalis, chair and commissioner, NYC Commission on Human Rights (Source: amNewYork)
2. "Broadridge supports the goal of eliminating the gender compensation gap by prohibiting the collection and use of historical compensation data in the U.S. to determine offers." – Steven Davis, vice president, global head of talent acquisition, Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (Source: BountyJobs)
3. "Our advice to organizations is that they should price the position, not price the person. You're trying to fill a certain role. What you should be doing is understanding the market rate for that role." – Lydia Frank, vice president, PayScale (Source: USA Today)
– Benjamin Ebbink, attorney, Fisher Phillips (Source: SHRM)
2. "There will be more people applying who may not even be in the ballpark at all." – Mark Jaffe, president and CEO, the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce (Source: amNewYork)
3. "We think the law is unconstitutional, and we want to stand up for the economic rights and the free speech rights the First Amendment guarantees. Second, we think it’s a good venue to really signal that we would like to see a shift in the regulatory environment of our local government." – Rob Wonderling, president and CEO, Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia (Source: The Inquirer)
The Right Way to Deliver Bad News to Your Team
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Dudley Slater
Because I am better than the rest of you, this and I had digested the full impact of the recession that was ravaging our national economy, I faced is your problem. Good luck.” the horrible task of closing a regional office that Would that message inspire you? Would you trust employed 50 people. Our rapid growth consumed an organization to navigate successfully the next cash, and our financial survival required that challenge if this were the message it offered in conserving cash become my new top priority. I had traveled the CEO’s road for a few years and had response to today’s crisis? unfortunately gained experience in terminating Of course not. Yet, this is exactly the message underperforming employees. But this was new; I most leaders communicate when facing bad had never terminated 50 people – especially not news, like the departure of a critical customer to 50 people who were performing perfectly well. a competitor or the team of hard-working people They had done nothing wrong. that must be terminated during an economic Fortunately for me, my vice president of human downturn. resources was a superstar. She had deep What message should a company communicate experience dealing with the good, the bad, and the in tough times? What message do you want horrible – like the job of terminating 50 people. your organization to retain going forward? What As we prepared for that dark day, she walked me distinguishes success from failure when it comes through the termination letter she would deliver. to communicating bad news to your organization? She explained the outplacement services we would provide. She summarized our severance Early in my entrepreneurial journey, once my board policy and helped me understand the window of Recruiter.com Magazine
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time each terminated employee would have to find a new job. I marveled at the VP’s composure, her preparedness, and her ability to lead this difficult process. As I listened to her, I thought to myself, “This is why she is here. This is her job.” We employed hundreds of people. Perhaps it would be better for me to stay at headquarters and focus on those employees who would remain with the organization.
telecommunications industry, Integra Telecom. The internal struggle as to whose job it is to deliver bad news is one of many opportunities leaders have to “fuse” their teams together around a shared mission, a leadership process I came to describe as “Fusion Leadership.” Fusion leaders obsess over the questions of how to inspire the following of others, how to earn the loyalties of an organization, and how to motivate teams of people to manifest an organization’s mission.
Besides, I was the CEO. If I stayed back at When leaders fall victim to the selfish needs of their headquarters, I could better prepare to address egos – as when delegating the communication of bad news – they drive a wedge between their the media and our key customers. team and the organization’s mission. The leader This decision as to whose job it is to deliver effectively tells the team their personal needs are bad news is where most leaders fail. They more important than the organization’s mission. miss a critical opportunity to demonstrate That is a demotivating message to send. People their commitment to the mission. Instead, they want to work together toward a cause or mission; delegate the unpleasant task to avoid the painful they are repelled by the notion of working to simply fulfill their boss’s personal needs. experience of taking ownership of the crisis. When leaders delegate the task of delivering bad news, they unwittingly communicate the message, “I am above the rest of you.” Or, “This is your problem.” Or, even worse, “My needs come first. My team merely shows up on Monday morning to make me wealthier and more powerful.”
Fusion leaders look for every opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to the mission. They consider critical questions like: When you conduct a meeting, who becomes the smartest person in the room?
On the other hand, when a great leader assumes Whom do you prioritize on your calendar when you responsibility for communicating the bad news, allocate your precious time? they communicate the following messages: How much do you pay yourself compared to how much you pay others who are also working to realize “We are all responsible to some degree.” the mission? “We are in this together.” Next time your organization sees a crisis “I, as the leader, am handling this crisis because looming over the horizon, ask yourself: “Is this an opportunity to demonstrate my commitment this is necessary to achieve our mission.” to our mission? Whose job is it to deliver the bad When I ultimately decided to get on the plane and news?” deliver the news myself, I did not appreciate the powerful moment I was about to experience in Dudley Slater is coauthor, with Steve Taylor, of my own leadership development. I did not realize Fusion Leadership: Unleashing The Movement of that my team and I would move through this Monday Morning Enthusiasts. crisis and ultimately build one of the ten largest companies in the United States fiber-based 10
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Talent Today: 5 Recruiting and Hiring Predictions for the Coming Year
1. Tech-Enabled, Actionable Feedback
In 2018, companies will look to HR technologies to enable the collection of real-time actionable feedback from employees to improve collaboration and decision-making. Employees are passionate and engaged, and they want their voices to be heard and their input to matter. Many companies recognize the value of their employees’ input, creativity, and ideas. These companies want to use these things to inform decision-making, but it is difficult to do this productively and at scale. By implementing enterprise platforms, employers will easily and quickly give their employees opportunities to weigh in on decisions and share their comments, concerns, and questions about the business. — Kathy Smith-Willman, senior director of people and talent, Bazaarvoice
2. Gamified Learning and Development
In 2018, organizations need to create employee-centric continuous learning and development programs to attract and retain talent. To succeed in ramping up employee performance and personal development, companies will increasingly look to solutions that can be rolled out and tested in bite-sized courses. Gamification solutions are a perfect channel for continuous development. In fact, Gartner predicted that gamification, combined with other emerging technologies, would significantly impact hiring and retention. When game mechanics are integrated into training programs, employees are more engaged and, therefore, more motivated to participate. Gamification technology can also connect employees with their entire company beyond their direct managers, leading to increased opportunities for the company to collaborate globally with an individual touch. — Doug Stephen, senior vice president, learning division, CGS
3. More Efforts to Cultivate In-Demand Skills in the Workforce
There is continued urgency to increase the amount of available tech talent holding scarce, indemand skills. In 2018, we’ll see a rise in training partnerships and corporate-endorsed online certification programs. We'll also see incentives to attract potential talent into fields such as AI, software engineering, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and more. Leading this charge are companies such as GE and Microsoft, which are validating online learning credentials by guaranteeing job interviews for students who complete specific programs in subject areas including AI and computer science. - Anant Agarwal, CEO, edX
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4. More Boomerang Employees
In 2018, we’ll see the trend of boomerang employees even more than we already do. Here at MediaMath, we encourage people who leave the company to share what they’ve learned here and the skills they’ve developed with the wider industry. Many people who leave remain champions of MediaMath, and they often return in their new roles at their new jobs to conduct business with us. Increasingly, we are seeing former employees come back to us as boomerang employees. This is exciting, as these people are already very knowledgeable about our culture and have the added benefit of injecting new nsights from their time outside the company into MediaMath’s operations. — Jenna Griffith, chief operating officer, MediaMath
5. A Lack of Seasonal and Part-Time Workers
In 2018, many businesses will struggle to hire seasonal and part-time workforces. Given the incredibly low unemployment rate, the landscape for minimum wage careers is changing. The demand for hourly workers is only increasing. However, given the economic landscape and the low number of unemployed workers, expectations around minimum wage careers are shifting. Today’s employees are looking for flexible schedules that enable productive work/life balances, and they want a sense of community at work. Attracting seasonal and hourly employees will require businesses to react appropriately to these shifting expectations. Businesses will need to offer the desired benefits while presenting robust company cultures and rewarding team structures. If companies do not address this ahead of peak season, it is likely they will have too many empty seats and too few employees to meet consumer demands and maximize ROI. – Kelly Scally, director, strategic staffing, Radial
In 2018, It’s Good to Be a Recruiter Matthew Kosinski
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Luckily, these companies don’t have to go it alone. They can always turn to recruiters – professionals who specialize in locating the right person for an Well, it’s always a challenging time to run a open job. business, but 2018 may be more challenging than years past. Between disruptive new technologies, Despite all the bluster directed at recruiters the rise of the gig economy, and fierce global by some segments of the workforce, these competition, businesses today must contest with professionals perform an integral function, especially in times of crisis like our current a host of complicating factors. moment. One obstacle in particular causes many companies grief. It’s an obstacle that stands between a Perhaps that’s why the recruiting industry is business and one of its most fundamental needs: thriving, seeing year over year revenue growth since 2008. In 2016 alone, the recruiting and a thriving workforce. staffing industry brought in $150 billion in sales. The obstacle in question is the talent shortage. Finding Fulfillment as a Recruiter Through According to a 2017 survey from the National the Recruiter.com Certification Program Association for Business Economics, one-third of employers across industries are having trouble finding qualified talent for their open roles. When Recruiting is a lucrative field, and it is also a companies can’t find the talent they need, they rewarding one. lack the manpower to achieve their goals. Profits Just ask Delinda Giles, director of recruitment suffer. Innovation is frustrated. hese are challenging times in which to run a business.
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services at Recruiter.com.
weekly live webinars with industry experts – not to mention mentors [members] can consult “Having been a recruiter myself for many years, with, a private Facebook page people can utilize the satisfaction you get when you help someone to connect with fellow trainees, and an amazing find a job is always my main motivating factor,” internal team of customer success managers Giles says. “Plus, every day is different, and the to offer assistance every step of the way,” Giles unlimited income potential doesn't hurt either!” says. Given Giles’s fondness for recruiting, it may come as no surprise that she has dedicated the past six months of her life to creating a training program designed to help others start fulfilling careers in the field.
The RCP was specifically designed with newbies in mind, so those who have never made a hire should feel perfectly comfortable applying to the program.
“The RCP is really for those who have no previous Together with Contributing Editor Patti Epstein recruiting experience but are looking to start a and Webinar Manager Dana Lee, Giles has career in the field,” Giles says. “Because people created the Recruiter.com Certification Program can self-pace through the program and decide (RCP), a self-paced 12-week program designed how much time they want to invest in working as a to introduce people with no previous recruiting recruiter, the program is ideal for anyone wanting experience to the recruiting industry. to make a career change, new college graduates, stay-at-home parents, and veterans transitioning “Our goal is to teach [people] the basics, and after out of active duty.” they have finished all the courses, to let them get their feet wet on the Recruiter.com Job Market That said, additional lessons aimed at helping Platform,” Giles says. experienced recruiters sharpen their skills will likely be added at a later date. What sets the RCP apart from other recruiter training programs is its interactive element. Giles Become a Recruiter Today notes that while creating the program, the team really made it a point to shy away from textbook- As talent-strapped employers increasingly turn to style training in favor of a more immersive, specialized professionals to fill their open roles, 2018 is a good time to be a recruiter. If you’re engaging approach. looking for a financially and personally fulfilling “We have videos that introduce you to the career, look no further than the world of recruiting. courses, fun animated explainer videos to watch, To get your foot in the door of the recruiting industry, check out the Recruiter.com Certification Program. No experience required. As Giles says, “The possibilities are endless.” She’s referring to the future expansion of the RCP, but she might as well be talking about life as a recruiter. Matthew Kosinski is managing editor of Recruiter.com Note: The author of this article contributed to the creation of the RCP. 16
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inding a job is stressful – but so is finding someone to fill a job. In a recent CNBC survey, 44 percent of the entrepreneurs and executives polled named hiring qualified talent their biggest challenge. In a survey conducted by the World Economic Forum, more than threequarters of CEOs voiced concern that skills shortages could threaten their organizations’ growth. In this hostile climate, recruiters now find themselves taking on the roles of marketers and salespeople, pitching their companies to prospects in an attempt to attract and retain top talent. Alongside this strategy shift, many organizations have been increasing their spending on employer branding.
‘Cell’ Yourself! How to Build a Mobile-First Employer Branding Strategy Othamar Gama Filho
There is one crucial weakness in the employer branding strategies of many organizations: Despite the fact that more and more job site traffic now comes from mobile devices, most recruiters follow employer branding strategies designed for desktop. In failing to address mobile, these recruiters are losing their opportunities to capture the best new talent. Here is how organizations can use mobile-first employer branding content strategies to reach the best modern job seekers: Highlight Content That Features Employees Job seekers show a strong interest in employeeauthored content, with 35 percent of candidates in a Talent Board survey naming it the most valuable piece of recruitment marketing content a company can offer. The idea is that current employees are the best authorities on what it’s like to work at a company, day-to-day office life, and the skills and opportunities one can gain while working at an organization. Recruiters should highlight employees’ testimonials, Instagram photos, and blog posts to build greater trust with candidates. While testimonials from current employees are particularly effective, so are testimonials from
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future bosses, as they can give candidates another glimpse into what it may be like to work at a company. According to LinkedIn, the No. 1 obstacle for job applicants is not knowing what it’s like to work at an organization. Given this fact, visual content is particularly useful, especially infographics and videos. Videos that take prospects on job walk-throughs, campus tours, and cool employee events can give applicants a better idea of what to expect from a job. An added bonus is that this content can double as pre-employment training, thereby helping to onboard employees faster. Create Short, Digestible Content Granted, this type of content is effective across the board, and many companies are already using it on their websites to attract candidates. However, the content must be packaged for mobile specifically, as data shows that more than half of candidates now use mobile devices to visit company webpages and apply for jobs. Candidates on mobile, however, fail to convert at the same rate as candidates on desktop. To improve conversion rates, recruiters should focus on the messages they want to send – and they need to send those messages fast. According to Google, 53 percent of page visits are abandoned if it takes longer than three seconds for a mobile page to load. To address this issue, a great starting point is to resize or compress high-quality videos and images from desktop websites so that they are more friendly to mobile device speeds. Companies should keep in mind that people are on the run when using their mobile phones. In accordance with this fact, organizations should create shorter content to appeal to mobile job seekers. Take longer content from desktop sites and boil it down to the essentials. Ideally, the content should be consumed in a minute or less. Longer videos can be shortened to highlight reels. Blog posts can be cut to a few paragraphs or a bulleted list. The key is to share short, digestible content. Monitor Content Performance and Adjust as Necessary Just as it is important to specifically design and curate content for mobile devices, it is equally critical to monitor the performance of this content. Check key performance indicators like the average time people spend watching videos or stay on pages, and adjust the content to fit those metrics. Keep a close eye on conversion and bounce rates to see what is really working and what isn’t. Recruiters can compare these metrics against expectations to see which content needs to be adjusted and how. When setting expectations, there are certain averages to keep in mind. With videos, take the specific channel into consideration. The optimum mobile video length can vary dramatically depending on where the video is published. On Snapchat, for example, videos are viewed 18
for a much shorter time than on YouTube. Finally, content pages should always include calls to action so that click-through rates can be closely measured. These calls to action can ask visitors to sign up for the company’s talent pool or to view the company’s job listings. This is perhaps the most important metric to track, as it shows how effective the content is in capturing the attention of the audience and motivating candidates to move forward in the recruitment process. The changing habits of modern job applicants necessitate that companies and recruiters make mobile visitors a primary focus of their employer branding content strategies. Ultimately, if the content doesn’t meet candidates’ expectations, they won’t meet yours. Othamar Gama Filho is cofounder and CEO at Talentify.io.
The people. The platform. The power. Recruiter.com drives top talent to the companies that want to hire them. Our job market distributes open jobs from employers to the largest network of recruiters on the planet. SIGN UP TODAY Recruiter.com Magazine
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What Netflix and Employee Development Have in Common
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isruptive technologies regularly shake up our workplaces, changing everything from the way we perform simple tasks to how we communicate with one another. To keep pace, companies need workforces who pursue continual education in order to meet new demands as they arise. However, it’s up to employers to provide the resources workers need to develop those skills. That old training VHS from 1997? Not going to cut it.
Jason McDowell
like they need their Netflix – on demand.
“We’ve seen a lot of consumer habits invade the business world, and binge-watching is one example,” says Shelley Osborne, head of learning and development (L&D) for online learning platform Udemy. “Netflix and Amazon have given customers the power to program their own TV schedules, and employees now want the same freedom to decide for themselves what, when, where, Today’s workers are also today’s and how they’re going to learn.” consumers, and they prefer to absorb information in new ways. These employee preferences Employees need their training mean employers need to move 20
beyond one-size-fits-all training sessions at designated times and places. “Any L&D program must be flexible and responsive enough to meet individual needs and changing workplace conditions,” Osborne says. “Learning needs to be woven into the way people perform their jobs, so it’s not a scheduled event but an ongoing engagement.” The Workplace Isn’t a Game. Or Is It? More and more L&D professionals are using gamification as a means to Recruiter.com Magazine
encourage voluntary employee participation in professional development initiatives. Gamification has been shown to improve employee focus, but it can also create undue anxiety if it isn’t implemented correctly.
likely these technologies will have an impact on workplace L&D as well in the very near future.
“These technologies hold tremendous promise for delivering knowledge and “The important thing is to understanding to workers understand what gamification precisely when and where they is, what it isn’t, and how it need it most,” says Osborne. works,” Osborne says. “In a work context, gamification is Osborne notes that when we use game elements organizations in the to motivate employees and manufacturing and healthcare influence their behavior. Game- industries are already adopting based learning is when we use these immersive technologies a game as part of the learning to deliver information to process. Problems arise when employees wherever and people think they can boost whenever they might need it. engagement and outcomes just It’s only a matter of time before by turning a boring exercise into other industries follow suit. a game or by setting up a leader board to drive competition.” Keeping Pace With the Speed of Technology Before gamifying anything and everything, L&D professionals “Disruptive” is a buzzword for a need to take a step back and reason. New technologies offer ask if gamification is the right many benefits, but they also way to connect with employees disrupt the status quo. Keeping in a given context. up with the latest developments can be a challenge for even the “For example, some teams could most tech-oriented HR and L&D find leader boards off-putting or departments. stressful,” Osborne says. “If they haven’t taken the time to define “If companies want to enable the behaviors they’re trying to personalized learning, they shape, L&D people won’t get the can’t operate the same way they results they want from their ‘fun’ always have – taking months to gamification tools, nor will they develop, produce, and deliver see lasting improvements in new learning content, only to employee performance.” have it be already outdated,” Osborne says. Speaking of games, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality Instead, businesses must (VR) technologies have come be quicker and more flexible to prominence recently in the in developing, acquiring, or consumer gaming world. It’s implementing new training Recruiter.com Magazine
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the average time of completion, and use that data to develop common learning paths,” Osborne explains. “Data-driven algorithms can also make recommendations on what courses an employee should take next, taking the guesswork out of the hands of leaders too far away from that day-to-day “Rather than investing time work.” creating content that’s quickly outdated and too broad to be L&D professionals need to effective, L&D teams should remember that participation in adopt an iterative process that a single training session isn’t enables them to release new always enough. If it were, we content rapidly, then continue to could all skip college and just refine and optimize it,” Osborne learn everything from YouTube. says. Instead, employees need Osborne notes that data can support and resources after be of significant value to agile training is complete to help them implement the skills learning initiatives. they’ve learned into their daily “For example, L&D could analyze work. One-on-one coaching and the topics employees in certain accountability partners are two roles usually train on, the order ways that L&D professionals in which they take courses, and can build post-training support resources. L&D professionals should take a cue from programmers and developers to make this happen. In fact, many L&D professionals already are starting to think like programmers by adopting “agile learning,” a concept based on agile software development.
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into their programs. “L&D can’t simply provide access to training content and just assume people will understand and retain it,” Osborne says. “There needs to be an ongoing connection between the employee and their learning support network. Coaches need to stay close to and engaged with their employees. Like a sports coach, they need to observe employees practicing their skills and offer feedback and encouragement on the spot. To change behaviors, every manager must become an effective team leader – a coach engaged in continuous improvement.” Jason McDowell holds a BS in English from the University of Wisconsin-Superior and an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School.
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Where Is HR Automation Heading in 2018? Take a Hint From 1960
T
Neil Miller
he relationship between HR and automation has been uneven to say the least. While functions like payroll, benefits adjustments, and recordkeeping are often handled fully by machines, human beings still play major roles in other HR functions.
involved in onboarding on their own is daunting and inefficient. With about an hour’s work, however, you can create an automated HR process that sequentially guides new employees from task to task. The human doesn’t totally leave the process. Instead, they are responsible for managing the system and caring for exceptions. What can we expect 2018 to bring with regard The system distributes important documents to HR automation? To answer that question, we from a centralized hub, schedules meetings, should turn our attention to the past. creates agendas, and notifies key stakeholders when their tasks are due. For the next few years, we will see the peak of what computer scientist JCR Licklider called the Recruiting With Co-Bots “man-computer symbiosis” back in 1960. This is a period of time during which humans and The automation of key recruiting and hiring machines will work together, each bringing their processes has been one of the most over-hyped unique advantages to the task at hand. and under-delivered promises in contemporary HR. The sheer size of the task demands some The man-computer symbiosis assumes there are kind of system interaction. The future of recruiting things that computers can do – or will soon do is likely to be a team of humans and systems – at a level of perfection and speed that humans working together. will never reach. Similarly, it assumes there are certain areas in which humans have the upper Computers and software will do the heavy lifting hand – at least for the next decade or two. of finding qualified leads, conducting baselevel assessments, and even carrying out initial How does this concept apply to HR? conversations with candidates. In the next year, be on the lookout for more tools like DeepSense Process-Driven HR from Frrole that will quickly assess candidates based on their social profiles. When applied to HR involves many mundane tasks and endless email conversations and internal messages, email chains. It’s likely that these tedious aspects these tools can provide highly intelligent views of the function will be fully automated soon, if of how people work, communicate, and manage they have not been already. others. Take employee onboarding for example. The typical onboarding workflow is fairly long and may involve a dozen or more people. To execute onboarding well requires a lot of coordination, communication, and sheer manual force to push the process along.
Humans will still provide some input on cultural fit, and they’ll likely be responsible for reference checks. Eventually, however, these roles will also be turned over to computers.
That said, as long as humans can find ways to beat an algorithm, we’ll always need other humans Asking one person to perform all the tasks to catch and put a stop to these tricks. We’ve 24
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seen this fact play out with regard to candidates keyword-stuffing their resumes to beat ATSs.
Reducing Transactional Work With HR Automation
For now, recruiters should leverage machines for their strengths of scale and perfection while banking on human intuition for character judgments.
According to Josh Bersin, HR professionals spend 41 percent of their time on “transactional activities,” 40 percent of their time on “talent and people,” and 19 percent on “workplace and culture.”
HR Help With Chatbots
To lighten their transactional loads, HR teams Busy HR teams simply have no time to handle should look to software and systems. This would routine requests about things employees would free HR pros up to spend more time thinking know if they would just read the handbook. As creatively about workplace culture and talent chatbots grow more popular, you can expect that management. HR teams will no longer have to worry about this hassle. Automation is the key to getting your company on track, and the man-computer symbiosis is the It is reasonable to expect that companies will right way to think about where we are today. To soon – if they haven’t already – task chatbots get the results they want, HR professionals need with fielding employees’ questions about benefits, to work alongside machines as teammates. pay periods, paid time off, and similar company policies and procedures. If you knew there were a candidate out there who could accomplish the things that software can Humans will still be required to answer highly today, you would go after that candidate hard. specific or complicated questions, to handle Well, the software is out there – so go ahead and exceptions to the rules, and to keep chatbots add it to your team. updated on the latest policies. However, you can expect a single person to manage what might Neil Miller is the content marketing head for have required ten or more without automation. OrangeScape, makers of KiSSFLOW.
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From Bankruptcy to Billion-Dollar Business: 4 Lessons From Serial Entrepreneurs on Bouncing Back From Failure 26
Steve McGerr
Recruiter.com Magazine
D
ecided to bite the bullet and set up your own business? The good news is you’re not alone. More than 650,000 new businesses were created in 2016 in the UK, and while the numbers aren’t in yet for 2017, they’re likely to be similarly high. In the US, meanwhile, a conservative estimate suggests about 400,000 new businesses start each year. But any successful entrepreneur will tell you that starting a new business isn’t for the faint-hearted. It’s probably one of the hardest things you’ll ever do. Major obstacles and setbacks are almost inevitable. Even some of the best-known serial entrepreneurs, like Jeff Bezos and James Dyson, suffered huge disappointments in their early years. What can we learn from how these entrepreneurs bounced back from failure? How can first-time founders prevent setbacks from stopping them in their tracks? Here are four lessons from the lives of some of the world’s most successful serial entrepreneurs: 1. Learn From Past Failures With an estimated fortune of roughly $9.8 billion, Sir James Dyson is regarded as one of Britain’s greatest entrepreneurs. Despite inventing the bagless vacuum cleaner and revolutionary hand-drying technology, Dyson’s early commercial ventures almost left him in financial ruin. One of Dyson’s first inventions was the Ballbarrow, a novel version of the wheelbarrow with a ball instead of a wheel. The product quickly became a market leader within three years. After Dyson’s sales manager stole and sold the design to a rival company, however, Dyson fell into considerable debt fighting patent lawsuits. With the patent only registered under the company’s name and not his own, Dyson soon lost all claim to his designs when he was forced out of the business he’d created. When Dyson invented the bagless vacuum cleaner in the mid-80s, he vowed not to make the same mistake again. Dyson secured a lucrative patent for his new design under his own name and licensed it to a Japanese manufacturer, which helped bring in enough revenue to get his new company off the ground. Had the entrepreneur not learned those painful lessons from his past trademark battles, he might never have built Dyson into the billion-dollar business it is today. 2. Don’t Be Afraid to Take Risks Taking risks as an entrepreneur can be scary, especially when they’re big financial risks that involve your own money. However, a quick look at the life of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos shows that risktaking is part and parcel of creating a successful company. Bezos gambled on a long list of ventures while he was building the “everything store” – many of which
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paid off, and many of which didn’t. Bezos’ failed bets include $120 million spent on toys in a bid to break into the toy industry, $175 million on an attempt to dethrone eBay as the world’s favorite auction site, and $175 million on Junglee, a price comparison site that ultimately flopped. It is worth noting that some of Amazon’s gambles turned into its biggest successes. The online retailer’s move into selling CDs and DVDs, followed later by cloud and electronics, made it the world’s biggest online store. Without taking (calculated) risks, Bezos would never have achieved the billiondollar revenue Amazon does today. 3. Accept Your Weaknesses As an entrepreneur, you’re often expected to be multitalented, juggling everything from sales and marketing to finance in your new company. However, you will inevitably excel in certain areas while falling short in others. That’s just human nature. While hundreds of self-help books exist to assist you in fixing your weaknesses, serial entrepreneur Tim Ferris recommends a different approach: spend more time focusing on your strengths instead. In his best-selling book The 4-Hour Work Week, Ferris outlines the lessons he learned from working 14 hours a day building his first business, BrainQUICKEN. By spending more energy on what he was good at, Ferris was able to turn BrainQUICKEN into a profitable business and sell it to a private equity firm for an impressive sum. “If you try and fix all of your weaknesses, you will be – at best – mediocre at most things you’re inherently poor at,” Ferris said in a 2008 interview.” Focus on leveraging and amplifying your strengths, which allows you to multiply your results.” 4. Make Sure You’re in It for the Long Run Starting a business from scratch requires patience. If huge profits don’t come in the first year, you can’t get too despondent. Amazon’s first year of profit didn’t come until 2004, 10 years after Bezos started the company in his garage in Seattle. In fact, Amazon’s first two years in business resulted in a $30 million loss, followed by another $1.25 million loss in 1998. Contrast that with Amazon’s profits in the fourth quarter of 2016, which reached $749 million, and it’s easy to see why entrepreneurs should be willing to play the long game. Bezos built a reputation for sacrificing profits in a bid to grow his company, and his efforts paid off. By sticking with his company and not cashing in too soon, Bezos has seen his decades-long effort to build up Amazon turn him into one of the richest men in the world. As an entrepreneur you’re bound to encounter disappointments, setbacks, and moments when you feel like giving up along the way. However, the examples of Jeff Bezos, James Dyson, and Tim Ferris show that past failures can give you the grit and determination you’ll need to find business success. Steve McGerr is the head of direct commercial for Hiscox UK. 28
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