Improve Your Technical Employees Satisfaction! Use These Tips

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It is well known that happy employees are better for a company’s bottom line. Employees represent the company in public and are more productive when they are actually working. During the height of the recent recession, many employees understood when company’s had to tighten their belts, and they made a number of sacrifices. Now that the economy is recovering, employees have begun looking for the benefits they once had.

Hiring in the technical sector has become highly competitive. This means it will take more effort to keep your top performing technical employees around. To increase their job satisfaction, consider the following tips.

Reevaluate Your Benefits Package

When the recession hit, many companies stripped down their benefits packages to help make ends meet. Now that things are stabilizing, it is time to see how your benefits package compares to the competition. If employee contributions for health insurance were raised during tough times, see if they can be lowered now. This includes the introduction of high-deductible plans as well as the cost of monthly premiums. Bring health insurance costs down is always well received.

Similarly, retirement packages need to be examined. Now may be the time to increase the company match for a 401(k), or look into providing employees with stock options with the company. If retirement adjustments can’t be made, promote a healthier work/life balance with additional paid time off.

Increase Flexibility

Allowing employees to assert some level of control over their lives will increase their overall job satisfaction. Whether this involves creating alternate or flexible work schedules, or the ability to work remotely, providing options on how work can be accomplished will help employees better manage the demands of their work and life. Every employee has different scheduling needs. By promoting a method for working with these difference, and not forcing every employee into the same schedule, can provide relief to a variety of stress points.

Keep the Lines of Communication Open

Many businesses blindsided employees during the last recession. Those working in the trenches often didn’t know the full extent of the trouble their company was in until people were being shown the door. With those memories still very clear in the minds of anyone working during that time, being open and transparent with employees can go a long way. This means telling them to good and the bad, regardless of what it may be. Informed employees may be more likely to rally behind a company that treats them well, and is open about the current situation, allowing them to work towards solving your problem by your side.

Provide Opportunities for Growth and Advancement

Your best technical employees will relish the chance to learn new systems and advance their knowledge. Many top performers want to be able to keep growing within their field. By providing built-in mechanisms to support that idea, you can keep the more talented interested.

Consider creating a training budget to help employees explore new technologies. You can also create a mentorship or cross-training plan for internal development. If you want to promote furthering their educations, consider tuition reimbursement programs.

Want More Ways to Keep Employees Satisfied?

If you are looking for more ways to increase employee satisfaction, the professionals at Advance Staffing Solutions have the knowledge and expertise to help you develop a new plan. Contact Advance Staffing Solutions today!

 

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How to Improve Productivity Among Middle Managers

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Improved productivity throughout the management structure is a goal for many organizations. While a significant amount of information tends to focus on the needs of employees, it can be challenging to find tips for improving the productivity of middle managers. With that in mind, here are some tips that will help those who bridge the gap between frontline employees and upper management succeed in their unique space.

Trust and Honesty

Building trust between employees, regardless of their position within the organization, is always important. Middle managers require honesty from upper management to help coordinate their teams and ensure they are focused on the correct goals. When upper management is open about the current state of the business and any associated expectations, middle managers will feel better prepared to succeed in their work. It also avoids any sense of secrecy from those at the top and helps middle managers feel as though their contribution is valued.

Consistent Feedback

By keeping communication open, you enable your middle managers to be more effective. Keep them apprised of changing goals and priorities, as well as provide feedback on completed tasks. This helps remove the mystery as to how upper management feels about their work and the work of their team. It also provides them with valuable input that can be shared with those they supervise. It creates a cascading effect and can provide productivity benefits at every organizational level.

Make sure that any criticism is constructive and don’t neglect to highlight accomplishments. The idea is to help mold middle managers into more effective employees and leaders. Since their job involves a bit of both, presenting information in the proper way helps middle managers address their direct reports in a way that promotes better outcomes. This can help their morale stay high. They will feel more confident in their work and can help them become more effective leaders.

Reward Throughout Projects

Most reward-based systems focus on the end of the project. Often, there are multiple stages that must be completed to consider the entire project a success. Instead of simply focusing on the result, consider connecting important tasks and milestone to desirable activities.

Projects have some degree of drudgery to them regardless of the purpose. By integrating something enticing into the mix, you can combine the less desirable tasks with more enjoyable ones through a tactic called temptation building. Since the activity that is perceived as enjoyable is connected to one that is less so, it can help you limit the need for pure willpower to get through difficult challenges.

A simple example of temptation building is allowing yourself to enjoy your favorite music while doing a tedious task, like cleaning. While the example is not directly applicable to the business world, it does convey the general principle. Allow them to team an enjoyable task, even if it doesn’t expressly forward any goal, to a job duty that needs to be completed. By allowing them to work together, the job duty is more enjoyable by association.

Looking for More Productivity Tips

If you are looking for more information about how to increase the productivity of your teams, or are looking for someone to fill a middle management position, Advance Staffing Solutions is available to assist. Contact Advance Staffing Solutions today for a more productive tomorrow.

 

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When to Bid Farewell to a Flakey Job Seeker

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More often than not, a job seeker will be accommodating and appreciative of your taking time to meet with them, even if they do not end up with the position. However, there are times when a candidate becomes a problem. While unexpected things happen to us all, if it seems that all of the unanticipated issues are happening to one applicant, or they are showing other signs of being disrespectful to the process, it may be time to remove them from contention.

Here are some signs that it is time to say goodbye to a flaky job seeker and move forward without them.

Issues Making Contact

Not every candidate will be able to pick up the phone when you call or answer an email within the first five minutes of receiving it. However, applicants should be getting back to you in a reasonable amount of time. While most candidates will return contact as quickly as they can, often the same day, others may seem to be MIA.

Hiring is a multi-day process, so top candidates will need to be reached at different points throughout the process. If your emails repeatedly go unanswered, your phone calls all go to voicemail (and you have already left more than one message), or their phone doesn’t have service at the time, there is only so much you can do.

If an applicant seems to be unreachable, there is no need to overextend your efforts. For example, if you leave a message on Monday (and Wednesday) to schedule an interview for Friday, and they don’t return your call until late Friday, you are not obligated to squeeze them in at another time.

Failure to Meet as Scheduled

Candidates who do not arrive for their scheduled interview, or do not call at a designated time to which you both agreed, you do not have to give them another opportunity. While the occasional emergency may require any candidate to reschedule at the last minute, failure to make any contact to explain the situation before the scheduled time is not a great sign.

Similarly, if the candidate waits to the last minute to reschedule, and does so more than once, feel free to remove them from the process.

Lack of Flexibility

While the applicant’s schedule may not be wide open, that doesn’t mean you need to adjust your schedule to them. If they are actively interested in securing a new position, they will make reasonable efforts to conform to your schedule. Granted, there may be extenuating circumstances that prevent a particular time for being workable, but if you offer multiple times and none of them will work, you do not have to make changes to suit them.

This is particularly the case if they are requesting you meet with them after traditional business hours. Even if they have current employment, they should be able to make arrangements to attend something as important as an interview. If they aren’t prepared to do that, they may not be a great fit for your organization.

If you are looking for your next job candidate, let the professionals at Advance Staffing Solutions help remove the flakey applicants from the equation for you. That way, you can spend time managing things that matter. Contact Advance Staffing Solutions today.

 

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What’s So Hard about Hiring Good IT Talent?

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Hiring can be a difficult task in and unto itself. Couple that with the unique challenges in finding top IT talent and you can find yourself in a sticky situation. But the question is, why has it become more difficult as of late?

Here, we explore the hiring landscape as it specifically relates to the IT field and what you can do to up your odds of finding the new employees that your business needs.

Supply and Demand

At this time, it is a job seekers market when it comes to IT positions. The available supply of skilled IT talent is not able to meet the demands of the marketplace. It is estimated only three percent of IT workers are currently unemployed. This means that recruiters and hiring managers have to work even harder to identify candidates who are both willing and able to fill the needs of a particular position.

These challenges may be even more dramatic when examining individual skill sets. Since the ideas around Big Data management are relatively new, it can take longer to find a candidate with the necessary skills to perform the work. Developers for software and the web are also in high demand, along with those specializing in IT security. Certain legacy systems, though still used in many workplaces, are not being taught to recent graduates, making suitable applicants in these areas a rarity as well.

Increased Costs for Recruitment and Hiring

To help locate suitable applicants from a shrinking pool of IT talent, most businesses are forced to spend more on their recruitment efforts. It can take longer to find the candidates you need, which means advertising runs have to go on longer and be placed using multiple mechanisms. With the broad range of job posting sites, LinkedIn profiles, and direct recruitments, businesses have to cast a wide net to find the people they need.

These costs are coupled with the need to offer higher starting wages and more benefits. Since job seekers know they are in the pilot’s seat, they aren’t afraid to make more demands. And, with competition so high, they will likely get them. Technology hotspots, like Seattle and Minneapolis, have seen wages rise faster than other locations as talent in the region becomes difficult to find, and competing businesses have no choice but to hire at higher rates.

Candidates who are receiving competing offers also drives prices higher. Since job seekers rarely apply to only one new opening, it isn’t uncommon for a bidding war to begin as companies duke it out to win the applicant over. This process can also lengthen the time required to complete a hire.

Freelance Markets

Freelancing is an attractive option for job seekers who are looking for increased flexibility. Not only can they stick with the IT areas they enjoy most, but they can also charge a premium for their services. Schedules can be created to suit their needs and obligations, instead of having to force their lives around your schedule. This shift in the workforce dynamic has led companies to be more open to hiring freelancers, further fueling the fire.

How to Compete

To attract the best talent, your business needs to make sure your compensation packages are competitive for your area. Other benefits, like flexible work schedules or remote-worker options, can also be enticing to candidates.

If you want to cast a wider recruitment net, consider working with a staffing company like Advance Staffing Solutions. We have the skills and resources necessary to actively find the candidates you need to fill your vacancies. Contact Advance Staffing Solutions today and put their recruitment skills to work for you.

 

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Hidden Skills to Look For in Marketing Candidates

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Success in marketing is driven by more than a college education and experience working in the industry. While those can be important, there are numerous other skills that are just as essential, and they are harder to identify. Being able to look beyond the resume for these hidden skills may help you separate the good candidates from the great.

Before you begin recruiting for your marketing position, here are the hidden talents you need to find to uncover the best applicant out there.

Creativity

Marketing is an art; it requires creative thinking and innovation to continuously come up with new ideas for current and future campaigns. Whether the candidate is skilled in the areas of design or concept development, being able to see the product or service in new ways that will appeal to your target demographics is a crucial skill to succeed in the position.

Writing

To create powerful campaigns, marketing employees need to be articulate. Ideal candidates will have a strong grasp of formal and informal writing choices, as well as the ability to adapt the style to the product or service that is being promoted. While writing does involve creativity, it also adheres to certain structural norms. Candidates who do not use proper punctuation or include grammar errors in their materials will not reflect the level of professionalism you may require.

Public Speaking

If you need your marketing employees to pitch ideas to other members of the business or outside customers, then public speaking skills are essential. An ideal marketing candidate will be comfortable speaking to large crowds, as well as handling questions on the fly. They need to be calm under pressure and able to manage the unexpected.

For times when a preset presentation isn’t functioning properly, you need an applicant who can engage the audience and keep them interested, even in the face of technical difficulties.

Negotiation

A surprising amount of business involves negotiations. Marketing employees may need to coordinate budgets and timelines while managing expectations regarding deliverables. When working with outside clients, all of these tasks fall back on negotiating skills.

Work with vendors and suppliers also requires a deal be made. Negotiating helps ensure your business gets the products or services it needs at the best price available. When purchasing en masse, competent negotiators can save your company a notable sum.

Technical

While some technical skills are easy to identify – such as whether a candidate is familiar with a particular program – having a solid relationship with technology in general is actually much more useful. Someone who is tech-oriented understands that changes in that sector can impact their strategies and may require them to learn something new quickly.

Remember, Twitter didn’t exist until 2006, and Facebook was founded in 2004. Both of these mechanisms provided new avenues for marketing efforts, and some companies had the vision to take advantage before others.

Stress Management

Positions in marketing are often high stress. To be successful, a candidate needs to demonstrate that they can manage the pressure effectively, even when caught off-guard. This field of work can have short deadlines, change priorities, and little innate room for error. An employee working under those conditions need to be able to adjust quickly without panicking.

If you are looking for your next marketing candidate, the professionals at Advance Staffing Solutions have the knowledge you need to help you locate the best applicants available. Contact Advance Staffing Solutions today and see what they can do for your business.

 

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Is It Time For Your Company to Staff Up?

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The end of the year is traditionally a time for reflection. In a business sense, companies often review budgets and create a plan for the upcoming year. This makes it an ideal time to consider your staffing needs for the future, and begin to staff up.

Recruiting is a vital part of any business strategy, but it can be challenging to decide if now is the right time to bring on new staff members. Whether your company recently added a vacancy or is considering supplementing your current team, here are some signs that now may be the right time to bring on an extra set of hands (or two!) and staff up.

Workload Issues

The biggest sign that it is time to bring on new employees is the simple inability to keep up with the current workload. Often, increasing workloads mean that business has also increased, which it an excellent development. But not being able to keep up with the new business could have repercussions.

While it is common to avoid overstaffing, if your ability to meet deadlines and complete tasks is compromised, that can have an adverse impact on business. Instead of running the risk of disappointing customers or members of management, it may just be time to invest in additional team members to manage the new pace.

Non-Emergent Tasks Take a Backseat

Sometimes you can keep up with the work that brings in the dollars, but other job duties begin to fall by the wayside. While letting non-vital tasks go during a short-term increase in business may be manageable, collecting a year’s worth of filing is a sign of a problem.

There are two ways to conquer a backlog of non-emergent tasks. One, you can hire an employee specifically to manage these tasks or to adjust the workload of others so that all members of the team can handle these duties more efficiently.

Your second option is to bring in a temporary or contract employee to manage these projects until the backlog is cleared. If the increase in business is temporary, as can be the case with seasonal businesses, a temporary employee may be just the ticket to get things back on track.

New Skill Gaps

A change in any business may make a skills gap more apparent. Whether you recently lost a team member that covered a specific subset of duties, or a change in process demands new skills to maintain an active workforce, the sudden appearance that the available skills are not enough is a sign to bring in someone new.

The longer a skills gap exists, the more operations in that area may suffer. Aside from slowing the pace of business, it can also lead to missed business opportunities as people scramble for a solution. Bringing in someone with those abilities lets you cover the gap immediately. They may also be able to cross-train co-workers, helping to prevent a similar situation in the future.

You’re Ready for New Ideas

Even the most competent team may become stagnant with time. Once everyone is familiar with the duties and has been using the same skills over the long-term, it may seem that new ideas are few and far between. Sometimes just bringing in a new set of eyes means you will have a source for ideas that current employees may not see.

When business is stable, and you have the room in your budget to bring in someone new, then they might be just the jumpstart you need to get things moving forward again.

If you think now is the right time to bring on someone new, the professionals at Advance Staffing Solutions have the knowledge you need to find the best fit for all of your permanent and temporary employment needs. Contact Advance Staffing Solutions today and let us help you staff up your workplace.

 

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Motivation Low Around the Holiday Season? Use These Tips for an Instant Boost!

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The holiday season has us pulled in all different directions. Preparing for family gatherings, budgeting for holiday shopping and the general demands surrounding the season can be overwhelming by themselves. Add the stress of the year-end activities at most workplaces, and it can be hard to keep yourself motivated to accomplish everything that needs to be done.

Set Reasonable Goals

Motivation can dwindle when it feels like the work is just piling up. However, you can make all of your responsibilities seem more manageable by dividing tasks into small specific goals. Whether the activities relate to work or your personal life, split each task into subtasks that can be completed in less than half an hour. That way, instead of trying to motivate yourself for the entire project, you just have to manage the motivation for a single task.

You can make yourself a list, set appointments on your calendar or use whatever method works for you. Then focus on the small task at hand until it is complete. Once you are done, check it off of your list and move on to the next. Just repeat the process, and you’ll reach the end before you know it.

The same process can also combat decision fatigue by spacing out the major decisions that have to be made.

Manage Your Health

When the pace of the holiday season has us scrambling, it is easy to neglect your own health. Besides the plethora of sweets and other seasonal food trappings, it is easy to put off workouts and even sleep. All of this can leave you tired and worn out. Making an effort to look after your health helps keep your energy levels up. You’ll be better equipped to manage the day when you provide yourself with the proper nutrition and take the time to exercise.

Additionally, make sure relaxation is part of your schedule. Whether it is participating in a hobby, watching your favorite holiday movie or kicking back with a book and some hot apple cider, taking time for yourself will help you recharge before the next challenge.

Enjoy the Outdoors

Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, affects many adults in the U.S. Symptoms are similar to those suffering from depression, including difficulty sleeping and a general sense of fatigue. The primary cause of SAD is simply a lack of sunlight. It’s dark later into the morning and earlier at night. This excess darkness can affect you in a negative way and make finding motivation more difficult.

The easiest way to combat SAD is to enjoy some time outdoors. While the cold weather may make this seem unappealing, it can actually provide significant benefits. Consider taking a brisk walk outside during your lunch break. Not only will this provide some needed outdoor time, but it also acts as a form of exercise. If you want to experience even more benefits, bring a friend along for a chat. Then you can get the social connection you need while you work towards a more motivated you.

Sometimes a change of pace is all you need to feel motivated again. Luckily, Advance Staffing Solutions is here to help. If you think a new job is a key to feeling more motivated, contact us today and see what jobs are available.

 

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Resolve to Solve Employee Conflict Before the New Year

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Employee conflict in the workplace can have significant damaging effects on your business. Not only can it make the environment more challenging to be in, but it can also hurt productivity, attendance, and profitability. The longer a workplace remains in a toxic state, the more difficult it is to reverse course.

By resolving to solve employee conflict issues as soon as possible, you can get your business back on track in time for the New Year. To help you take advantage of this perfect time to start anew, here are some tips to make workplace conflict a thing of the past.

Lead by Example

Your employees will not respect your position on employee conflict if you are unable to adhere to your own principles. Conflict management can be mitigated by setting a proper example of what is and is not acceptable. Don’t hold employees to standards that you are not willing to maintain yourself.

Act Early

It is easier to manage workplace conflicts when they are addressed early. The longer an issue is allowed to fester, the more entrenched it can become in your business’ culture. Over time, a problem between two people will grow to involve more employees. As word of the issue spreads, some employees will naturally choose sides, expanding the issue into other areas.

As tension mounts, you may find some of your employees choosing to leave the company instead of tolerating the situation. Many of your top talents can find work with other businesses in your industry and may exercise that ability if the workplace becomes unbearable.

Create a plan to manage conflicts as they arise. This can include mediation with supervisors or members of human resources, additional training on conflict management in the workplace, as well as disciplinary actions if necessary. Regardless of the content of the plan, it is important for it to be clearly defined and readily available to those working for your business. Maintaining a standard with clear expectations and consequences can alleviate any confusion regarding what will or won’t be tolerated.

Be Decisive

While a conflict may not resolve overnight, it is appropriate to set clear boundaries and expectations regarding employee behavior. However, you can’t solely rely on these rules if you aren’t willing to follow through with appropriate consequences should they be broken.

Create a disciplinary plan regarding how issues will be addressed if employees are not willing to work with the new program. Give them an opportunity to succeed, but also be willing to make the tough calls should someone repeatedly fail to align with the new workplace standards.

At times, the best course of action – after other corrective measures have been tried – is to release a problem employee from their position. While this may not be an appropriate first step, it can be necessary if an employee repeatedly ignores the new standards and any attempts to correct the behavior.

Again, if managed early, the damage to the rest of the business may be minimal, allowing you to bring in a new employee that promotes an ideal work environment.

If you think now is the right time to bring on someone new, the professionals at Advance Staffing Solutions have the knowledge you need to find the best fit for all of your new conflict-free workplace. Contact Advance Staffing Solutions today and see what they can do for your business.

 

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Are Top Candidates Slipping Out of Your Grasp?

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You’ve read through mountains of resumes and applications and left messages to schedule interviews. Sometimes, you’ve even conducted the interviews and began the second round or even made a job offer. And, then, nothing. It’s as if the candidate has just disappeared. No returned phone call, no cancellation email, just gone.

Having top candidates just dissolve into the ether leaves hiring managers with a lot of questions, especially if they thought the person could be the ideal employee. And that makes finding out what is happening even more important. While not every candidate ceases contact for the same reason, there are certain factors that increase the odds. If more candidates seem to be vanishing into thin air, here are some common reasons that may be driving their decision.

You Disappeared First

Candidates have expectations regarding communication, just as you do. If you fall short of their expectations, they may simply write off the opportunity as a wasted venture. When a person applies for a position, they often expect certain responses as the process moves forward. This includes a quick note that the application was received, updates regarding any progress, contact after interviews if they weren’t selected and more.

If your company is falling short in these areas, top candidates may lose interest in potentially working for your company. And, sometimes, that means they simply won’t respond when you do finally reach out.

Your Process is Slow

Unemployment numbers are low, but hiring processes haven’t been streamlined to compensate for the high competition for top candidates. If an applicant is truly talented, possessing the right combination of knowledge and experience, then demand for them will be high. And, if they have a particularly hard to find skill set, your competitors might be considering them too.

If your process moves too slowly, you may miss out on these candidates for numerous reasons. First, they may get an offer from another company. Once that happens, some job seekers simply remove themselves from the job market and just stop responding to other offers.

Second, some candidates see a slow process as a sign about how your company manages other internal practices. They may question the level of organization surrounding the hiring process, or how much of a priority the position actually is. Others will see it as a sign that they might not be an ideal candidate, and that your silence is a sign that you aren’t interested. Then, even if you call, the applicant may have concerns that they were chosen as a last resort.

While you can’t accelerate through all portions of the process, keeping candidates informed can help compensate for the delays. Open communication lets the applicant know that you appreciate their effort and that they are still in contention. Granted, it might not prevent them from accepting another offer, but it can give them a reason to take your call when the time comes.

If you need assistance accelerating your hiring process, the professionals at The Advance Group have the processes you need to keep things moving forward. Contact us and speak with one of our professional recruiters today to see what services we have to offer.

 

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What Are the Best IT Employees Looking For?

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A business is only as good as the people it hires. So, it’s no wonder that every company wants to find the best IT employees available. But what exactly attracts the best IT professionals to an organization? The answer may surprise you.

A Challenge

The best and the brightest IT employees want to solve challenging problems. It keeps them engaged in the workplace and gives them an opportunity to flex their creative problem-solving muscles.

One of the biggest factors that lead talented employees to look for new opportunities is boredom. While every day isn’t going to be laden with the troubles of the world, having regular opportunities to think outside the box will keep them interested long term.

However, it is important that the challenge not be solely an issue of volume. Having more work than any person can reasonably keep up with will just breed frustration. Creating a challenge isn’t about working your IT professionals to death, it about letting them use their skills in new or unconventional ways.

Flexibility

Flexible schedules are becoming more common, especially as potential employers work to lure in the best IT employees. Nontraditional hours, compressed weeks, remote worker options, or a combination of all three can help attract candidates that value work-life balance as much as their career. Flexibility is becoming a new standard in the workplace, and failing to get onboard could lead skilled employees to look for opportunities elsewhere.

Training and Education

Your most driven employees have big plans for their careers and, if you choose to be a part of that plan, you can retain top performers longer. Whether you offer traditional training options, educational incentives, mentoring and job shadowing options, or simple cross-training opportunities, giving them a chance to grow in their career will give them the incentive to stay with your organizations. Superstar workers likely don’t see their current position as the endpoint of their career, so it’s better to work with that then fight against it.

Updated Technology

You won’t keep the best IT workers if your tech isn’t up with the times. While you don’t have to embrace every new tool or technology that comes around, it is important that your current solutions are reasonably modern. Cloud-solutions, mobile technology, and updated software options are all critical to when you are looking to hire the cream of the crop. So, if your office computers still feature Windows XP or your idea of mobile technology is limited to a source of email on the go, you might find it hard to attract younger professionals in the current job market.

Competitive Compensation

Regardless of what else you have to offer, if you don’t have a competitive compensation package, you are going to miss out. Do some research and see what similar employees are being offered by your competitors and then make sure you are operating in the same ballpark. While salary isn’t the only factor in deciding whether to accept a job offer, it is always a factor.

If you are looking to hire a new IT professional for your business, The Advance Group has the industry knowledge and hiring expertise to find you ideal candidates for your needs. Contact us today and put us to work for you.

 

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Get Your New Staff Up to Speed in 2017

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One you’ve selected a candidate and they arrive for their first day on the job, the hard part is done, right? Nope, not even close.

Onboarding new employees properly is a key step to their ultimate success in the workplace, and it is surprisingly easy to get wrong. If you want your new staff to get up to speed as efficiently as possible, integrate these tips into your new employee onboarding process.

Avoid Quick Judgments

Think back to the last time you started a position with a new company. How long did it take you to feel confident in your daily work? A month? Six months? A year?

Some companies operate under the idea that a new employee should be completely comfortable in as little as two weeks. And, normally, that just isn’t enough time to determine an employee’s likelihood of success over the long term.

Instead of rushing to judgment regarding their capabilities, see those first few months as investments in their development, especially if the position is entry-level. Set goals regarding how their abilities should grow, and create training opportunities around meeting those goals. By creating a larger plan, it is easier to see how long it should actually take for all of your expectations to be met.

Help Them Connect to the Mission

It can be hard for new employees to see how their work fits into the larger picture. But not having that sense of larger purpose can actually be very harmful to morale.

Instead of leaving new employees floundering as they try and figure out how their work fits in, help them learn about how everything comes together. Introduce them to the people their work supports, and let them know how that work furthers the mission. It’s also useful to share success stories about the company’s work so that the end results are easier to grasp.

Recognize Achievements

As the employee begins to pick up new tasks and make progress through training plans, make sure and acknowledge their effort. By letting them know that you see their effort, you help them build confidence in their new positions and can help encourage additional development in the future.

Employees that feel acknowledge are often more productive. And that, when that is applied to an employee going through the onboarding process, can help motivate them to push through what can be a challenging time.

This also opens the door to have conversations about any challenges they are facing. Often, it is easier to discuss problem areas when you feel that your hard work is otherwise recognized, which may make them more comfortable when it comes time to ask for help.

Learn from Your Mistakes

As you work on the onboarding process, it is likely you’ll try some techniques that work while others simply don’t. Just as it takes some trial and error to learn a new job, the same can be said for creating the ideal onboarding process. So, give yourself the time it takes to work out the kinks, and you’ll end up with a system you can build on for years to come.

If you’re looking for your next new employee for 2017, The Advance Group is here to help. Contact us and speak with one of your professional recruiters about your hiring needs today.