In these 5 popular posts from 2014, IQ PARTNERS headhunters touch on hot industry topics from 2014 with tips and information for job seekers and talent seekers alike.
The first day on a new job can be tough for new employees, but it doesn’t have to be. Onboarding is the process of integrating a new hire into the company and helping them acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviors to become effective organizational members and insiders. There is certainly a range in terms of how and how well companies onboard. Most of us have had experiences on both ends of the spectrum at some point in our careers… so we know that effective onboarding makes a world of difference, both in productivity and feeling “at home”, engaged, competent, and committed.
Key 10 in my blog series, Hire Wisdom: The 12 Keys to Successful Hiring, is Perform Reference Checks. When I started writing this blog post, all I kept thinking was…“How can I get people to care about reference checks?” That’s because conducting reference checks have become one of the least meaningful parts of the hiring process. People have started to think of them as a final box to check, a task to “get out of the way” when the candidate has all but signed on the dotted line… but they’re wrong! Thinking of reference checks this way is a missed opportunity. Remember, a bad hire is costly, both in time and money – the cost of attrition is one to three times an employee’s salary!
With so many search firms of all shapes and sizes out there (global or independent; retained or contingent) selecting a partner to help fill a critical vacancy can be challenging. However, there are simple questions you can ask a potential recruitment partner to help ensure a successful search.
As a headhunter, I screen and interview candidates regularly, so I know first-hand about putting candidates on the spot with difficult questions… and how stressful it can be! The only way to handle tough questions is to be as prepared as possible. In this post I’ve outlined the 13 toughest questions interviewers almost always ask, and provided guidance on how to answer them.
As a headhunter I give interview advice every day, and over four years in the business I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. Here are my top interview prep tips, with some very specific advice on how to set yourself up for success in an interview. Better yet, the advice is valid for any discipline and any level of seniority. Here we go…
As a headhunter, I often have A+ candidates who have gone all the way through the interview process with a client, only to have to turn them down toward the final stages – an often heartbreaking but necessary evil in the hiring process. My message to hiring managers and HR professionals is this: the way you go about letting someone down matters!
For anyone who has ever been turned down for an opportunity with a vague explanation like, “we’re going in another direction”, it can absolutely leave a sour taste in a candidate’s mouth, and jeopardize the opportunity to build a strong, ongoing relationship…
It may seem like an impersonal approach to hiring, but I believe that, when used well, ATS’s can actually help you create an exceptional candidate experience, maintain relationships with top candidates, build your company brand, and ultimately attract more top talent. I’ve seen way too many mid-sized and even larger companies who have yet to get on board with an ATS to help them organize job candidates. The right people are the most important part of your company, so you cannot afford not to invest.
Headhunters can do a lot more for your company that just find the ideal candidates for you. Here are the five ways we can add value to your company and improve your organizational structure:
