A Pregnant Question
Recently, Marissa Mayer was appointed the CEO of Yahoo! She is a 37 year old woman who by all accounts is happily married and on the same day she announced she was leaving Google for Yahoo! she also announced that she and her husband were expecting their first child, setting off a flurry of concern/frustration/congratulation/speculation. One of which gave me pause: Forbes writer Francine...
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Is Social Media Hurting Your Recruiting Efforts?
Before you @ reply to a talented potential candidate, you might want to take a step back and consider. Is it best to stick to the sourcing from traditional resumes, or at least new creative renditions like the infographic and video resume, instead of wading into the world of social? With the veritable deluge of articles espousing social media recruiting, are we ignoring the downsides? First,...
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How Much Does Free Cost?
Services for recruiters abound in today's burgeoning tech market. While investors and consumers have been playing it safe since roughly 2008, the past 18 months have seen a proliferation of pretty sophisticated tools for talent acquisition and recruiters that come with the hefty price tag of... free? Yep, companies like JobScore, BrightMove, SmartRecruiters, and Zoho are all offering free...
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HR and Recruiting Job Demand Recovers
Real-time job data provider WANTED Analytics reports that over 36,000 jobs for HR pros were listed online in June 2012. As was the case in most occupations, the demand for HR hiring experienced a dramatic decline throughout the 2007-2010 recession during which time companies were recruiting far fewer employees. And while June actually experienced a slight decline compared to May 2012, hiring...
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Calabrio Unveils Integrated Web 2.0 Speech Analytics
Calabrio, a leading contact center workforce optimization software provider, has announced the release of its first Web 2.0-based speech analytics application that is fully integrated into its workforce optimization framework. The software, dubbed Calabrio Speech Analytics, is completely integrated into the company's Calabrio One software suite and turns call recordings in meaningful,...
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Windward Releases SharePoint Document Generation Solution with Open Source
Documentation specialist Windward has announced SharePoint Document Generation for document creation and management. The solution extends the capabilities of SharePoint turning it into a unified system. The three-solutions is divided into the areas of AutoTag, for the design of document templates; the Windward engine for generating documents; and the SharePoint open-source add-in called Arrow....
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The Paramedic '7Cs' Service Paradigm: The Right Way to Take Care of Business and People
On the first sweltering day of summer 2012 here in Gibsons, B.C., and just after struggling up a steep hot hill with my bicycle, I suddenly grayed out (just shy of a full blackout) and flopped onto a grassy roadside patch. That was because of a physiological and circumstantial perfect storm that descended on me mid-afternoon, on that sweet sweat-soaked broiler. I learned two lessons...
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Recruiters, Hire Temporary Workers Now
The June joblessness numbers continue to confirm predictions of economists: unemployment will likely remain above eight percent for the next few years. The economy added only 80,000 jobs last month, keeping unemployment at 8.2 percent, but the bleak numbers were accompanied by a silver lining: Of the 80,000 jobs added, nearly a third (25,000) were temporary positions. Recruiters have taken a...
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Is It Ethical to Profit From Candidates You Can't Place?
As recruiters, we all deal with hundreds of job seekers on a monthly basis. As we search for top talent to present to hiring managers, we are left with a pool of candidates we can't use. Many of whom will never be usable. Here's why... The Dreaded "Why Didn't You Pick Me?" Question I think the worst part about being a recruiter is having to deal with the job seekers who contact us...
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2013 Base Salaries to Increase at Stable Rate
According to a new Hay Group study, U.S. employees should expect a median base salary increase of 3 percent next year, a rate consistent with salary projections for the past two years. The increase results in a net gain of 0.8 percent after a net loss of 0.6 percent in 2012. The median compensation increase is being reported for executives, middle management, supervisory, and clerical positions...
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New Guides Issued about FMLA and Employee Rights
As part of the continued effort to keep employers and employees informed on rights afforded by the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the U.S. Department of Labor and Department of Justice have released two new guides, one regarding employee rights under FMLA and the other addressing the application of the Americans with Disabilities Acts provisions to employees with HIV/AIDS. The 16-page DOL...
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Study: Tax Rate Reductions will not Reduce Unemployment Rate
A study by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) has found that most businesses do not believe that reducing business tax rates will improve employment rates. To the contrary, a mere 3 percent of polled HR pros said that high business tax rates actually make hiring more difficult. Two other factors often blamed by politicians for the lack of American jobs, high labor costs and...
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PageUp People to Offer Advanced HCM Reporting with Intelligence Analytics Platform
Talent management solutions provider PageUp People has announced it's new, soon-to-be-released, HCM solution Workforce Intelligence Analytics. The platform will debut in October 2012 with a release date set before the end of the year. The solution will provide clients with metrics to measure all aspects of talent acquisition, performance, compensation, development, and retention to help...
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How to Outsmart Applicant Screening Systems
The rising ubiquity of automated applicant screening and matching systems for many jobs has lead to a debate over whether these applicant software systems are fair to job-seekers. Are these systems overly sensitive to keywords and too reliant on trick questions to weed out "non-optimal" job candidates? In many cases, a single "no" answer to a question that may not even have particular...
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The Skills Gap: Are Employers to Blame?
Professor Peter Cappelli out of the Wharton School of Business has posited that the problem of the skills gap between applicants and job requirements is strictly a problem created by businesses, not by a lack of skilled candidates. Cappelli says that the reason many companies are having trouble finding the talent that they need is that they have either "crazy" employment requirements, do not...
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Ultimate Software Extends HCM Capacities
Ultimate Software, provider of cloud-based people management solutions, has announced the availability of an extended version of UltiPro to all of its SaaS customers. With the new release comes expanded global HCM capabilities, increased payroll processing speed for large organizations, and a more configurable talent management offering for improved business intelligence and employee performance...
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Onboarding Programs Essential but Underused
In a recent poll of 2,100 IT professionals and 1,500 IT leaders, leading IT staffing solutions provider TEKsystems found that both feel that onboarding programs are extremely important but not given the attention that they deserve. Of IT leaders, 62 percent felt that onboarding programs are critical for establishing the ability of a new hire and 53 percent said that such programs show a new hires...
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Resumes Aren't Dead. But They Will Be
I was intrigued by a recent press release which concerned the 'Resume-less' hiring practices of IGN Entertainment, the world's leading video game company. They created the Code-Foo challenge which was a 'no resumes allowed' recruitment program which they were using to find exceptional coding talent, irrespective of education, degree or experience. How did it work? Interested parties had to...
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The Sky is Falling!
Recruiting may be a simple process but it's never been easy. Even consistent top billers and corporate recruiting gurus will tell you that the job is a difficult one, regardless of how much they love it. So it's mildly frustrating, I'm sure, when recruiters are told to do one thing, like say, recruit on social networks or try video recruiting, and in the same breath are told how legally unwise...
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Jaspersoft Business Intelligence Suite to Offer Improved Capabilities and Connectivity
The open-source Jaspersoft business intelligence (BI) suite now gives users more control over report and dashboard formatting, access to data filters, and the ability to remove unneeded columns. Since the software is most widely used for these functions the recent update was focused on simplifying these capabilities and improving self-service functionality. Jaspersoft 4.7 also arrives with...
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Asure Software Combines Forces with PeopleCube in Acquisition
Workplace management software provider Asure Software has acquired PeopleCube to expand Asure's services to include on-demand workplace management solutions, such as real estate minimization, meeting services, travel, and energy costs. The purchase price was composed of a combination of cash and stocks and allows Asure to re-finance some of its current debt. Independently, Asure Software...
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Make More Cold Calls with These Simple Steps
Cold calling is a crucial skill but man, oh man, can it be tough. In fact, if you're reading this article, you probably have some experience in how hard it can be. But even with so many social channels available to us, complex and sophisticated sales funnels and CRMs, with email and automated marketing campaigns, lead generation and more, cold calling remains a necessary and impressive way to win...
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Perceived Value of Performance Assessments Varies Greatly
Accountemps, a leading organization specializing in the staffing of temporary accounting, finance, and bookkeeping professionals has announced the results of its recent survey of CFOs on the value of annual performance reviews when managing personnel. The survey found that 94 percent of CFOs found formal evaluations to be somewhat to very effective in helping employees improve performance....
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Access Announces Release of E-forms Solution for HCM
Electronic-forms management leader Access has announced the release of Formatta, a new electronic forms solution for human capital management (HCM). Formatta is intended to remove the standard hassles of keeping a paper-heavy HR department such as lost forms, records updating, and document scanning. Formatta helps to lower costs and delays of forms-driven processes such as new employee...
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New Payroll App Released for Mobile Devices
Small-business payroll provider Intuit has announced the release of a new payroll app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch that removes the need for spreadsheets and mental math when determining appropriate pay and tax deductions. The new software, dubbed Snap Payroll, lets employers quickly calculate paychecks, hastening payment to employees. The tool is regularly updated with the latest tax rates...
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MicroStrategy Updates BI Platform with Dashboards, Big Data, and Analytics
Business Intelligence (BI) software provider MicroStrategy has announced the release of the latest version of its core BI platform, MicroStrategy 9.3. The platform has been enhanced with better data exploration and dashboard creation for easier access to Big Data insights and advanced analytics. MicroStrategy 9.3 enables business professionals to make better business decisions and become more...
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Matching Salary and Home-Ownership Expectations
When a job candidate ponders the salary you are offering, it is almost certain that the adequacy of the pay will be, at least in part, evaluated in terms of his or her housing budget. Hence, any misconceptions about the cost of housing will result in misconceptions about the salary's clout. On the recruiter side, before feeling guilty or proud —or simply neutral—about the salary...
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Is Temporary the New Permanent?
The way that people are employed is going to radically change over the next few years. This change will have far reaching impacts for career expectations and the sense of stability for both entry level and more experienced workers. Research from Manpower shows that between 2010 and 2012, the use of contingency workers (temporary, part-time etc...) increased from 1.47% of the US workforce to...
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Study: Over 60% of Employees are not Engaged in their Work
In the midst of the most recent economic slowdown Towers Watson's new Global Workforce Study shows that 63 percent of U.S. workers are not fully engaged in their work, largely due to struggles involving work conditions that do not provide sufficient support. The data suggest that employees are lacking positive connections with their employers that results in declining productivity. "When...
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U.S. Near Bottom of List of Projected Salary Budget Increases
The annual WorldatWork 2012-2013 Salary Budget Survey, released by global HR and benefits non-profit WorldatWork projects that salary increases in 2013 will be lowest in many developed countries, such as the United States (3 percent), Spain (2.9 percent), and Japan (2.7 percent) and will be highest in India (10.7 percent), China (8.8 percent), and Brazil (7.2 percent). Countries with mid-line...
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Select International Updates Applicant Tracking System
Employee assessment and hiring solutions provider, Select International, has announced the impending release of a major upgrade to its applicant tracking system, SelecTrak. While continuing to support all of Select International's prior assessment tests, the new version also includes improved health monitoring, systems auditing, enhancements to the administrative platform, expedition of support...
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Human Resource Information Systems
If you work in Human Resources, chances are that your organization is looking for a way to streamline the way that you work in order to make processes more efficient and employees more productive. Well, that solution is here with the advent of Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS), also commonly referred to in the industry as HRMS (Human Resource Management Systems). There are a...
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Recruitment Franchises
Have you ever worked as a recruiter or in sales for a staffing or recruitment agency? Ever secretly told yourself that if you owned your own recruitment firm, that it would rival the world's best? Maybe you aren't aware, but there are several recruitment firms that are franchise operations, which are easily accessible, giving you all of the power and flexibility to help make your recruitment...
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3 Ways Employment Branding is Better than Job Postings
Job postings have been around since the early ages. If an employer needed to hire, they simply wrote out what they were looking for and put it someplace for all to see. Then, newspapers came along and radically changed job postings by making them all rest in one place for easy access. Finally, the Internet came. I still remember the first time I visited Monster.com and realized anyone could...
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How To Gauge Company Culture
Company culture is on everyone's lips these days. Whether the subject of a rousing keynote speech, the oft quoted success stories of Zappos and Rackspace, or the goal of a small business owner who wants to do things right, culture is a buzzword, but an important one. But for all the talk about company culture and what is GOOD culture and what is BAD culture, few, if any, have figured out a way...
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Research Identifies Ways to Foster Employee Engagement
According to a recent study by The Vaya Group, annual performance reviews, despite their prevalence, are not the most effective means of improvement employee engagement and retention. Instead, The Vaya Group found that programs customized for each organization that involved regular interaction with peers and C-level executives resulting in much better employee engagement than more conventional...
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How Common is Social Recruiting? Jobvite Survey Reveals the Answer
Leading recruitment software provider Jobvite has published a report revealing that 92 percent of companies use social media for recruitment purposes; this number is up 14 percent from 2007 where 78 percent reported participating. The most used social network continues to be LinkedIn with 93 percent of respondents preferring it over other networks. However, Facebook, and to a lesser extent...
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Evidence Based Recruitment Software Launches
A new recruitment and talent management software program has been released. Talent Chaser bills itself as the first recruitment and daily staff management software running on the evidence based recruitment method. The software program brings together two functions that typically operate independently by combining scalable personnel recruitment with daily management of staff. Talent Chaser works...
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Updated Employee Scheduling App Released
thisCLICKS has announced the release of a new version of its employee scheduling software called When I Work. Web based, and with over 50,000 active users per month, the software helps reduce overtime costs, improve communication channels between employees, and facilitate staff management. The new version offers a more flexible text-messaging platform and adds smartphone support. Employees can...
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Contingent Labor Management Software
Do you have a contingent workforce? Chances are that you do. While a decade ago, having contractors or many part-time or hourly employees may have seemed an outlandish proposal, today we are seeing an increase in the contingent workforce as people realize the inherent benefits associated with freelance workers who can take over a number of functions, or fill gaps in employment until a...
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Discrimination During the Hiring Process [Infographic]
How to avoid discrimination in the hiring process is a tricky, but extremely important question. For many companies and recruiters, discrimination concerns can become the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about for fear of saying the wrong thing. But just what is discrimination in the hiring process and what isn't? What are some examples of workplace discrimination in action?...
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Cramped Workspace Blues?
When your cubicle mate yawns, does their hand hit your face? The traditional workspace isn't typically so much "space" as it is work, but by looking at your cubicle or office in a different way can help you take better advantage of the space you do have. Even if your only furniture is a desk, there is still plenty of room on your walls, unused portions of your desk, and on your door (if you...
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4 Hiring Tips From Our Nation's Founders
It's that time of year again. Fireworks have exploded in the sky and friends have gathered together to barbecue under red, white, and blue flags. Our nation's birthday is a time when we all remember the humble origins of our country and the dramatic story of its founding. It's also a good time to look at the figures who helped America become the country it is today. These founding...
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Most Employers Still Haven't Addressed Upcoming Health Reform Law Requirements
Global human resources consultancy Mercer's poll of over 4,000 employers immediately following the Supreme Court's upholding of the health care reform law found that the majority of companies had been waiting for a decision before developing a response strategy to address the provision going into effect in 2014. And though 40 percent indicated that they would begin immediate action, 16...
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IRS Releases Results of 401k Compliance Report
The IRS has recently released the findings its 401(k) Compliance Check Questionnaire Interim Report which works to give the federal agency a better understanding of why 401(k) non-compliance exists and how to improve future compliance efforts. The report focuses on a large random sample of employers who file a Form 5500, Annual Return/Report of Employee Benefit Plan. The report collects...
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Free Job Board Announces New Premium Features
Previously free-only job posting company AnyoneHiring.com has a new subscription-based upgrade to its job market offerings that add priority status to job postings, allow for company-branding options such as logos and colors, and access to multiple high-traffic job posting sites. By listing job postings on popular boards such as Juju.com, Jobs2Careers.com, Careerjet.com, and others, premium...
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Recruiting Solutions Company and Benefits Firm Partner Up
Recruiting solutions and RPO company Novotus has announced a partnership with Melita Group, a leading HR and Employee Benefits firm. The partnership will give clients of Melita access to scalable recruiting solutions. "Melita has a tremendous reputation for providing HR solutions and benefits consulting to some great companies," said Novotus CEO Mike Mayuex. "We share a common commitment to...
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Is Recruitment Becoming a Game?
You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation – Plato Do you ever remember that film The Last Starfighter? It was a science fiction about a video game geek, stuck in a dead end small town life who finds that the space game which he has playing in the local video arcade has been placed there by aliens and is actually a recruitment device for an alien...
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