3 Powerful Ways Your Company Brand Fuels Your Culture
The ‘War for Talent’. I’m sure you’ve heard this phrase over and over – and perhaps, even have a battlefield story of your own. Today more than ever, companies are competing for talent – forcing employers to find ways to stand out from the pack. There is one thing that makes each company unique and should be the foundation for how you attract job seekers – your employer brand.
When you have a strong employer brand imbedded in your recruiting strategy, you find authentic ways to connect with and inspire the talent you need today and tomorrow. Today’s job seekers aren’t just looking for a J.O.B. – they want to work for a company with a culture that fits their goals, personality and values. If you brand speaks to this, you are more likely to attract the type of people that will fit into your culture – resulting in 50% more qualified candidates at your doorstep. Sounds amazing, right?
Well-known companies such as L’Oreal and Salesforce know how to position their employer brand in recruitment. But you don’t have to be a huge company to do this well – companies large and small made a recent top 10 list for winning at employer branding. So, what are these companies doing well? And, more importantly, how can you start doing it? Start off by considering the following strategies:
Careers Page
Your company’s career page should not just be a place where you list open positions (a thing of the past). Instead, use this as a platform to promote your company’s culture and values. This is your chance to connect to job seekers on an emotional level and make them want to work for you.
Your Employees
Words on a website are not enough. Use videos with testimonials from real, live employees – highlighting why they love to work for you or even show a ‘day-in-the-life’ of an employee. Let your employees do the talking. This connects job seekers to your people, giving it a personal touch.
Cohesive Message
Social media is your friend when it comes to promoting your employer brand. And with 79% of job seekers using social media in their job search (even higher for Millennials), this is a platform you just can’t ignore. Strive for a cohesive message across all social platforms with links back to your careers page – enticing job seekers to learn more. Instagram, Facebook and Twitter are all fantastic platforms to engage and create a fan-following – building a candidate pipeline for the future.
Hiring great talent is not an easy task. With companies competing for the best and brightest, it is vital that you position your company in the strongest way possible. Your brand tells the world who you are as an organization. What is your story?
3 Ways Artificial Intelligence (AI) Can Improve Your Culture, Hiring, and Bottom Line
When it comes to differentiating your organization, leveraging technology such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) can strengthen and improve your culture, and increase operational efficiency and productivity, if it’s implemented in a thoughtful way that doesn’t disrupt workflow. Bill Gates said it best – “The advance of technology is based on making it fit in so that you don’t really even notice, so it’s part of everyday life.”
Recruitment is one of the best applications for AI. Over the years, we’ve seen a gradual shift from traditional recruiting practices (think headhunter) toward automated, machine-driven features. AI is everywhere and is changing the game for recruiters. Chatbots, automated scheduling, gamification, and video-based assessments are all the rage. By 2020, it is predicted that 85% of customer interactions will be managed without a human. Whether we like or not, AI is here to stay and will continue to shape the way we interact with others.
But how can AI technology really help your recruiting function (and bottom line)? Consider these benefits:
- Increased Diversity (which has been linked to higher revenues)
Implementing AI in the recruitment process can help organizations achieve diversity goals – allowing the AI technology to rank and score candidates based on qualifications without bias creeping in. According to a recent Gallup study, the more diversity the better the organization with 14% higher average comparable revenue and a 15-fold increase in sales revenue for companies with high levels of gender and racial diversity.
- Increased Candidate Quality (which leads to less time and money spent sourcing talent)
Predictive algorithms are emerging as a great resource to identify the best candidates for your organization. Outside of what is on their resume, AI technology takes it a step further – assessing a person’s emotions, tone, word choice and behavioral gestures – giving us deeper insights into human behavior.
- AI and Your Culture (not just recruiting)
AI is not just for recruiting. In fact, an organization that embraces AI technology in its day-to-day activities, will promote a culture that is not afraid to try new things, is determined to stay on trend, and wants to offer the best experience for their employees – which just happens to be a culture today’s talent is looking to join.
One thing remains the same – recruiting is one of the most vital activities your organization undertakes. The people you hire will make or break your culture and business. Exploring innovative methods to find the best and brightest talent for your company should be top of mind.
Reach out to us at https://www.successfulculture.com/contact/ to discover how we can help hire and develop your people using today’s most cutting-edge techniques and resources. Our SCALE Academy is the perfect place to start! Building cultures where everyone feels valued is what we do best.
Soft skills make a difference in your culture – what matters to you?
You are sitting across the table from a job applicant. His resume checks off all the hard skills (e.g., technical knowledge, software skills, product knowledge, industry experience). But does he bring the soft skills needed? A common mistake employers make is assuming that just because someone has all the hard skills required, he or she will be successful.
However, soft skills are a critical piece of the hiring puzzle and should not be undervalued. All the experience in the world cannot replace the fundamental soft skills that your culture thrives on, so whether you are interviewing a seasoned exec or a recent college graduate, soft skills can make the difference between a bad hire or a future rock star.
Soft skills reflect how a person relates, listens, thinks, and collaborates with those around him. Employers are finding them increasingly important with 93% reporting soft skills as an “essential” or “very important” factor when considering a candidate. These skills can be challenging to screen for during the hiring process (and even harder to teach after the new hire has started). However, once you know the soft skills that are important to your company, you can design your selection process to reflect those qualities.
Here are a few steps to consider:
Know Which Soft Skills You Need
There is not a one-size-fits-all approach to assessing soft skills. Instead, it’s best to focus on the characteristics that drive the business forward. Consider your corporate culture, your industry, and your unique business.
What soft skills do the most successful people in your organization exude? Are they effective communicators?
Do they collaborate well and rally the troops when you need it most? Identify what skills are most important to your organization and then build them into your hiring process.
Ask the Right Questions
When structuring your interview questions, be sure to ask behavioral-based questions that drill down into the soft skills you have identified. Questions such as ‘Give me an example of how you have changed your approach in order to communicate more effectively with someone’, or ‘Tell me about a major project that you are proud of and why’ are great questions to uncover a candidate’s soft skills.
Add a Soft Skills Assessment to Your Hiring Recipe
There are a variety of assessments on the market that look at factors such as compassion, humility, emotional intelligence, motivation, and countless other soft skills. Find one that fits well with your needs. Just make sure the assessment serves as only part of the puzzle – not a deal breaker.
As the dynamic of our world of work continues to evolve, many top soft skills will remain the desirable – serving as the foundation to success regardless of where we work. When you focus on hiring the right mix of cultural fit, soft skills, and experience, you are sure to hire a winner for your team.
Reach out to us at https://www.successfulculture.com/contact/ to discover how we can help your organization identify the right mix of soft skills to
Hiring College Graduates: Advice for the Employer & the Grad
It’s graduation time and that means lots of new grads will be flooding the market. How can employers and grads team up to create a winning partnership? I recently shared advice for employers and graduates during my regular Small Business Spotlight segment, on ABC’s Washington Business Report. You can access the link to my segment at the conclusion of this column.
If you are an employer thinking about hiring a college grad, or if you know and love a college grad, this column is for you!
Tips for Employers
Is a recent grad a good fit for your company? That depends. From my previous column that compared entry-level workers with experienced workers, here are the advantages, disadvantages, and the best company fit for entry-level employees:
Advantages:
• A clean slate. No need to “unlearn” behaviors.
• An optimistic, non-cynical attitude.
• Great energy.
• Current and comfortable with emerging technologies.
• Inexpensive to hire – entry-level salary.
• Usually willing and able to work long hours.
Disadvantages:
• Clueless regarding a real job. (Sorry college grads. Unless you have had a really awesome internship experience, I’m stating the obvious).
• Lack of understanding of how a company works.
• Lack of experience working with different generations.
• Possible lack of confidence.
• Needs a lot of management.
• In the I-don’t-know-what-I-don’t know box.
• Not ready for client-facing assignments, so will likely be overhead at initial hiring.
Best For…
• Companies that can provide a very structured training environment.
• Companies that want to indoctrinate employees into a specific way of doing things.
• Companies that have the financial cushion and processes to train people and keep them in overhead positions as they get up to speed.
Tips for College Grads
College grads, do you know how to make the most of your first job?
Here are three things you need to do for a successful experience:
Establish Your Mindset.
- Come to work with an open mind. Your office will likely be quite diverse. There will be multiple generations, a potential equal mix of men and women, and many different cultures or nationalities. Organizations consist of complex structures and relationships, and require a large array of skills to run well. For the last few years you have been with people who have the exact same interests as you. Your office provides an opportunity to engage with people that have different skill sets, hobbies, and interests. Embrace the opportunity to go outside your comfort zone.
- Bring a mindset and attitude of humility. You are at the bottom. Sorry to be so blunt, but your company is taking a chance on you. They see your potential, but you have not demonstrated measurable value yet. Check your ego at the door, and embrace an attitude of gratitude for having a job, and for someone entrusting their brand and company to you.
- Listen. Smart new hires spend much of their time listening and observing. Be a sponge. Take in as much as you possibly can. Watch the interactions between your colleagues. Absorb the conversations and what results from the conversations.
Embrace the Organizational Culture
- Get involved in the company’s philanthropy efforts.
- Get connected to the company’s social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Update your LinkedIn page to talk about your position at the company as well as what the company does in the market. If the company uses internal communications tools such as Yammer (an internal Twitter), a company intranet, or a closed Facebook group, get involved and contribute.
- Attend company events, like in-office parties, happy hours, and holiday parties.
- Get involved in any internal committees. Involvement/Engagement = High Satisfaction.
Follow the Rules of Engagement
Finally, follow the rules. I don’t mean the rules in your employee handbook (although you have to follow those as well). I mean the implied rules. I consulted with one of my CEO coaching clients, Bonnie Low-Kramen, who is an expert in workplace communications. Bonnie was the personal assistant to Olympia Dukakis for 25 years before launching Ultimate Assistant, LLC, a global organization that provides training for executives and their assistants to build the most productive and rewarding professional relationship possible.
Bonnie identified these three main rules of engagement that college grads must follow to get noticed, and get ahead.
Show Respect. To succeed and stand out at your new job, showing respect is not only the right thing to do, it is a very smart strategy and will help you stand out. Here’s what that looks like.
- Be on time and if you are going to be late, call your manager
- Power down your phone in meetings
- Dress appropriately
- Follow through on things that you say you will do
- Good manners really do matter to your colleagues no matter what their age. Taking the time to say “please” and “thank you” makes an important and memorable impression.
Show Discretion & Confidentiality. Despite living in the 2015 climate of sharing everything over social media, it is critically important to value your new company’s confidentiality and proprietary information. You may be privy to sensitive information that is not to be shared with others and therefore, will be required to sign an NDA – Non-Disclosure Agreement. Adhering to these rules will mean continued employment and a stellar reputation.
Address Problems Professionally. It’s not a matter of “if,” but “when” conflicts are going to arise. These are tests of professionalism and maturity. The solutions lie in addressing problems as they arise and simply asking, “Can we have 10 minutes today to discuss something that has come up?” Ignoring issues do not make them go away. This is true at work and in life.
What Millennial Workers Really Want
Millennials are committed to working hard at their jobs. They simply want to do that in a way that looks different to previous generations. This is partially due to their personal experiences of watching their parents work excessive hours, at exhaustive paces. The previous generations talk about “work-life balance.” The millennials do it.
- Millennials will work the same number of hours – if not more – but they will organize work around their life.
- Millennials will forego high salaries for organizations that provide meaningful work, and nurturing cultures.
- Millennials want to make impacts from day one. They are not interested in “earning” their way “to the top” over a number of years.
For more insights on how our next-gen leaders will be building our workplaces and work spaces, check out the recent USA Today article and a recent article from Information Week on how CIOs can build a millennial enterprise. There’s a great report included in this article.
It’s exciting to see the various generations come together! We all have so much to learn from one another.
Congrats to the grads, and to those that see their potential!
Sign up here to receive Successful Culture’s leadership blog every Friday. All posts contain actionable content to make you the best leader you can be, to help you develop your people to their greatest potential, and to help you build your best organization.
About Successful Culture
We work with business owners, CEOs, and leadership teams that want to achieve their greatest personal & organizational potential. Through coaching, strategic consulting, retreat facilitation, and workshops, we equip leaders & emerging leaders with the mindset, tools, strategies, and processes they need to excel.
Ready to move forward? Email us today at [email protected]
Connect with me on Instragram, Facebook, and Twitter. Engage with me during my morning Periscope sessions as well (@marissalevin).
Please check out my Inc. Magazine columns on my Author Page too.
– In my latest Inc, article, I share The Essential Guide to Avoiding Workplace Text, Email, & Social Media Disasters.
– Learn about the 9 Leadership Behaviors that Lose Employee Trust & Respect here.
~Marissa Levin
CEO, Successful Culture
“Taking Leaders from Triage to Transformation.”
PS: Want more? Here is the link to my Washington Business Report segment. Enjoy!
Experienced Hire or New Hire… Comparisons to Determine What’s Best for Your Company
In the never-ending battle for great talent, business owners always struggle with the decision to hire someone with experience, or hire someone without experience. There are many factors that business owners must weigh when making a hire. The decision goes way beyond a resume.
Quite often, a start-up will think it’s a good idea to hire someone really experienced because of their rolodex/contacts, and their career experience. I’ve even heard this type of hire called “the grey-hair” factor. Younger business owners believe that someone “older” will bring a certain level of credibility to the organization. This usually fails for these reasons:
1. It’s not a cultural fit.
2. Never hire someone because of their contacts.
3. Often experience in a large firm does not translate well into a small firm. They are totally different universes. Further, someone who’s worked in a company that’s been around for a long time often has difficulty adjusting to the entrepreneurial culture.
Conversely, many small companies, who operate on a shoe-string budget, think it’s a good idea to hire recent college grads or entry-level workers because they think they will get super-hard workers for a really cheap salary. This often fails for these reasons:
1. Inexperienced employees need a lot hand-holding and management. They can’t be thrown into a work environment and be expected to hit the ground running.
2. They need lots of training. Training on their job, training on the general work environment, training on how to be an employee. The move from college campus to office is a major change. Even for hires that have a little experience under their belt, they still need a lot of training.
One small business that seems to be the exception to this rule is my Successful Culture client, technical staffing firm Vector Technical Resources. Vector is a small business powerhouse. I asked President & CEO Marc Berman how he has successfully implemented a model where inexperienced new-hires thrive.
“As a small business starting out, Vector did not have the ability to provide our new hires with a training program. Therefore, it was the responsibility of the leadership to document what they believed were “best practices” based upon our decades of experience in the industry. Our first several hires were seasoned high-producing “A” players who had a proven recipe for success throughout the staffing industry. Once we were comfortable that our core team was assembled, we then felt comfortable and confident that we could repeat these processes with less experienced individuals.
After approximately 2 years, we were in a position to roll out our self-documented and well-honed training program that we fondly refer to as Vector Boot Camp. We have had massive success in a well-scripted and thoroughly designed program that can open our doors to a whole new level of hire. Instead of finding those candidates that have multi-years of experience (not always good experience) in our industry, we now focus on the drive, creativity and professionalism of someone who has a love and passion for the business and the Vector culture.”
Vector is definitely the exception for small businesses. It took the company two years to develop their processes, but now the efforts are paying off.
Below I provide a high-level analysis of what business owners can expect based on experience level. These are generalizations. There are obviously exceptions to every rule. However, across the board, these characterizations are accurate.
Experience Level: Inexperienced (
Advantages:
• A clean slate. No need to “unlearn” behaviors.
• An optimistic, non-cynical attitude.
• Great energy.
• Current and comfortable with emerging technologies.
• Inexpensive to hire – entry-level salary.
• Usually willing and able to work long hours.
Disadvantages:
• Clueless regarding a real job. (Sorry college grads. Unless you have had a really awesome internship experience, I’m stating the obvious).
• Lack of understanding of how a company works.
• Generally not a lot of resilience yet.
• Lack of experience working with different generations.
• Possible lack of confidence.
• Needs a lot of management.
• In the I-don’t-know-what-I-don’t know box.
Best For…
• Companies that can provide a very structured training environment.
• Companies that want to indoctrinate employees into a specific way of doing things.
• Companies that have the financial cushion and processes to train people and keep them in overhead positions as they get up to speed.
Experience Level: Mid-Level (3 – 8 years) to Upper Level (8-15 years)
Advantages:
• Has some experience.
• Has an idea of what they like and don’t like.
• Salary requirements still manageable (mid-level).
• Energy is high.
• Career-focused.
• Has started to develop a good network.
• Has developed a good work ethic.
• Brings knowledge/certifications from education/training opportunities provided by previous companies.
Disadvantages:
• Has possibly job-hopped. Scrutinize for patterns.
• May be vying for an executive position, potentially with a misguided sense of capabilities.
• Salary requirements may be creeping up (upper level).
• May need to “un-learn” behaviors that were acceptable in previous positions.
• May be conditioned to different cultures; expectations may be misaligned.
• May need to be re-trained.
• May have many competing priorities/obligations outside of the office.
Best For…
• Companies that have middle layers of management.
• Companies that can offer clear career tracks.
• Companies that can offer education and training opportunities.
• Companies that have a strong on-boarding process.
Experience Level: Very Experienced (>15 years)
Advantages:
• Is confident in their abilities.
• Brings a lot of experience.
• Has established a good network.
• Does not require a lot of management; has a good work ethic.
• Understands their direct relationship to top-line and bottom-line results.
• Can contribute to a leadership team.
• Can often hit the ground running, and be expected to deliver results quickly.
Disadvantages:
• May need to “un-learn behaviors that were acceptable in previous positions.
• May have high salary demands as they have climbed the corporate ladder.
• May have many competing priorities/obligations outside of the office.
• May not be up-to-speed and/or comfortable with the latest technologies and productivity tools.
• May be used to having a team to manage/delegate to, and is expecting that.
• May not be used to working with younger generations as peers.
• May be experiencing burn-out, or may be thinking about “what’s next.”
• May have some friction with incumbent company execs.
Best For…
• Larger companies that can afford high salaries.
• Companies that have an established infrastructure. Start-ups are typically not a good cultural match for people that have spent a decade climbing a corporate ladder, due to lack of structure and salary constraints.
• Companies that have a very clear idea of their gap in existing leadership, and are looking to fill a very specific void.
Finding the right talent will always be one of the biggest challenges for a growing company. It’s easy to become enamored with a stacked resume, but it’s critical to really think about the cultural fit.
Unlearning behaviors and habits can be more time-consuming and costly than teaching new behaviors and habits.
Realigning and adjusting expectations can be more difficult than setting new expectations with a blank slate.
In addition to these considerations, remember to always ask the three questions I outlined in a previous blog: Do they Get it, Want it, and have the Capacity to do it? I outline these questions here.
Good luck in your hunt for great talent!
Need help determining exactly who you need? Need help on-boarding employees? Let’s chat about your needs in a 15-minute skype call. Email me!
Sign up here to receive Successful Culture’s leadership blog every Friday. All posts contain actionable content to make you the best leader you can be, to help you develop your people to their greatest potential, and to help you build your best organization.
About Successful Culture
We work with business owners, CEOs, and leadership teams that want to achieve their greatest personal & organizational potential. Through coaching, strategic consulting, retreat facilitation, and workshops, we equip leaders & emerging leaders with the mindset, tools, strategies, and processes they need to excel.
Ready to move forward? Email us today at [email protected]
Connect with me on Instragram, Facebook, and Twitter. Engage with me during my morning Periscope sessions as well (@marissalevin).
Please check out my Inc. Magazine columns on my Author Page too.
– In my latest Inc, article, I share The Essential Guide to Avoiding Workplace Text, Email, & Social Media Disasters.
– Learn about the 9 Leadership Behaviors that Lose Employee Trust & Respect here.
~Marissa Levin
CEO, Successful Culture
“Taking Leaders from Triage to Transformation.”
Making The First Hire: 4 Steps Business Owners Can Take to Manage New Hires Successfully
Entrepreneurs who have successfully launched a business will find themselves at a fork in the road.
In one direction, there is the option to stay at the solopreneur level. This is a great option for those who…
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Whether you are an employee or an employer, chances are you have your share of nightmare stories about the fallout of hires that were not the right fit for a position, or the organizational culture.
Avoiding SP-RH Syndrome
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But wait. I’ve been down this road before with Information Experts. I’ve bitten off more than I can chew, and then tossed the overflow to a team mate. Eager to please, they say yes, even though my new request is outside of their core expertise… setting us both up for disappointment.
The Three Things Companies Need to Thrive
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One of my coaching clients called me this week, asking for advice on where to find a great sales rep. She’s launching a start-up that has been in the works for months, and is obviously anxious to get her product to the market. My advice to her was to look in the mirror. That’s where she would find her best sales rep.
