In today’s uber-competitive job market, it can be tough to know what potential employers are looking for throughout their respective hiring processes. From technical skills to specific personality traits, check out what some of the biggest companies consider when filling new roles on their team:
When you picture a Silicon Valley start-up, you may think of an open office layout, foosball tables, perhaps a couch and a big screen TV in the lunch room, and an atmosphere comparable to that of a fraternity. The goal, of course, is to attract and retain top young talent by having a fun work environment. While this kind of atmosphere certainly can go a long way, it’s also completely unrealistic for some workplaces.
To operate efficiently, most businesses follow workplace rules, policies, and standards. In small businesses, the enforcement of rules is often done on a casual basis by dropping a few well-placed hints in an employee’s direction. However, there are situations when even open and frequent communication doesn’t always work. That being said, a progressive discipline system can be a solution to this. Employees need to know the consequences of unacceptable behaviour or poor performance in advance, so don’t wait until a crisis arises to set up your disciplinary program.
Every manager wants to have a positive outlook and build an effective team. In fact, research shows that a more positive workplace focused on supporting and inspiring staff produces more effective organizations. However, despite your positive influence, there may be one or more employees who develop concerning or problematic behavior. What can you do as a manager to effectively challenge and improve this behavior? […]
What do Uber, Lyft, FedEx, Amazon, Lowes, and Google all have in common? They’ve all been sued for millions of dollars for misclassifying temporary workers.
We’re now living in a gig economy, with over 34 percent of the U.S. workforce classifying themselves as temporary, freelance, or independent contractors. That number is only trending up, with 70 percent of millennials either currently freelancing, or planning to in the future. How did we get here? An unscientific guess would be that a generation grew up watching Office Space, and decided that making TPS reports in a cubicle sounded like the opposite of happiness. But regardless of why a generation of workers no longer identify with the feeling of company loyalty, employers have to figure out how to engage with this freelance workforce without facing a lawsuit (or worse).
Recently, Business in Vancouver published an article expressing concern over the regulation of the Recruitment industry, or lack thereof. Various business owners shared stories detailing their negative experiences with Recruiters, which often highlighted that the candidate they hired through the agency had not been screened properly.
As a company who offers Recruitment services, the article was distressing to read, and while the stories were unfortunate, they open up the conversation as to how the industry can be improved upon.
Oftentimes, a company will have poor experiences with employment agencies and will swear off using them altogether. Not long after attempting to hire on their own, managers come to the realization that sourcing and recruiting top talent is a complex and time consuming process. Once again, they take a chance on another Recruitment agency and the cycle ensues.
Given the fact that managers who are tasked with hiring duties already have a full-time job, it is often unrealistic for them to take on the extensive process of sourcing top quality candidates. Many fail to understand that the process includes screening, scheduling, interviewing, reference checking, background checking, negotiating the offer, and even onboarding the person once they are hired. For the sourcing alone to be done properly, it needs a time commitment of 15 to 30 hours depending on the position.
Unsurprisingly, while many managers tasked with hiring become frustrated from one negative experience with a Recruitment agency, they soon come to understand that hiring for themselves is equally as frustrating and commonly only a temporary solution.
The question remains, what is the solution?
Fortunately, there are several ways to improve your chances of engaging with the right agency and having a positive experience:
There is a common understanding that for athletes to reach the top of their game and compete at the Olympic level, they have worked very hard to train and develop over an extended period of time.
What do Uber, Amazon, Google, Lowe’s, and FedEx all have in common? They’ve all been sued for millions of dollars for misclassifying independent contractors.
Here in Canada, things aren’t quite that dramatic, but with the rise of the gig economy, every company will soon have to make decisions about how they classify non-full-time employees. And like Uber, there will be consequences for those who don’t comply.
Working in a kitchen can be stressful at even the best of times, especially if you’re new to the role.
Like any well oiled machine, kitchens must be organized and run efficiently – But what about the staff? When it comes to working in a kitchen, what can you do to ensure things run as smoothly as possible?
We spoke to TPD Staffing Coordinator Nicole Matson who works with several Hospitality clients, and has some helpful tips to make sure you are successful in your job:
TPD: What experience is needed for TPD’s kitchen roles?
Nicole: Some of our best hires for back of the house work started out as dishwashers, and then moved up to highly skilled positions. In some ways, they are most likely to get hired because they’ve shown they can adapt and be molded and trained by supervisors.
I’m always looking for reliable, cook and utility staff because we work with to 26 different catering companies in the Portland, Oregon area. Our clients are willing to provide training on-site. We have a stellar reputation in the industry, so we attract a lot of top talent.
TPD: How important is work ethic? What’s the best attitude to have?
Nicole: This is probably the most important piece. When hiring, I’m trying to figure out two things. First, are they willing to put in the time? Second, are they willing to do the work?
The best attitude that someone can have is the ability to be flexibile and have an intellectual curiousity for what is going around them. For example, do they see a future doing this? That is the most valuable. Employers appreciate longevity, so a lot of the roles we place candidates in are long-term and ongoing.
TPD: What are the most important items needed?
Nicole: Your black non-skids – This is an element of safety. A nice utlity knife (French chef Knife) – Once you make the investment in this one, the employer knows you are in it for the long haul.
TPD: Are there safety precautions workers should be aware of?
Nicole: Communication is extremely important in a kitchen environment. If you have one person who isn’t communicating, it can throw everything off. Proper communication is the backbone of having a well-functioning kitchen.
TPD: Can entry-level kitchen roles with TPD be a stepping stone for other roles?
Nicole: Definitely! Some of our top staff started out as utility help (bussing, dishwashing) and again – Everything that those people have in common is a bit of intellectual curiousity. Specifically, they wanted to get better and eventually take on bigger roles with more responsibility.
TPD: Any particular success stories in the industry that you’re proud of?
Nicole: One of our staff that was hired on by a client started out with TPD on a part-time basis and worked as a banquet server. They became highly trusted, and worked at several sites for a long time.
Through his hard work (a lot of it self-taught), he became a highly skilled pastry chef. We gave him a platform to learn, and now he’s actually going to culinary school to get a pastry management degree. He came out with a career, not just a job.
Originally posted here by JazzHR.
Balancing between training current employees to fill future positions and investing in staffing processes to land top-tier external candidates is tricky. Even if you’ve already found (and hired) your next top performer; it’s important to know the pros and cons of developing talent within your company.
According to recent research on employee training, the answer is not so cut and dry. Where to focus dollars now to meet future staffing needs depends as much on your organizations’ current makeup as it does on future goals. A 2015 Bersin study determined that while established companies increased their per-person spend on internal training and development by 10 percent in 2014, emerging market leaders primarily focused on maximizing their recruiting processes and talent brands to attract the best and the brightest external hires. In fact, established companies spent 38 percent more on employee training than their up-and-coming peers.
The question for staffing strategists, then, is: Which approach best fits your needs?
