Increasing Your Referrals: “Friends of the Firm”
How often have you been forwarded a new job opening from a friend asking if you “know of anyone good”? This is happening more often as leaders with positions to fill turn to trusted, well-respective professional and industry friends, family and vendors to help fill positions in today’s tight hiring environment. A recent article on recruiting resource site ERE by Dr. John Sullivan calls this “Friends of the Firm Referrals”. Employee referral programs have been a mainstay for years, but non-employees can also be a valuable source. Dr. Sullivan writes of the benefits of recognizing this recruiting channel and gives…
The Importance of an Applicant’s “Ability to Learn”
Making high-quality hires is always important but seldom more so than during “start-ups” when every hire will likely “define” the position for years to come. The most successful of these workplaces also put the highest premium on an applicant’s “ability to learn.” The best way to determine if someone actually can learn pertinent job skills and knowledge is to observe them in action (ex. watch them draw a straight bead using MIG or TIG welding). In addition, these companies instituted rigorous formal programs such as: pre-hire training, pay-for-knowledge programs, pay-for-skill programs, internships and apprenticeship programs (both external and internal). Such…
Perspectives: Fundamentals of Good Hiring
Costs associated with making a bad hire are considerable. Put the right person in the right place at the right time and your problems melt away. You can also quickly put your organization on track towards realizing its strategic objectives. Doing this well, however, requires building a customized plan and then deliberately executing that plan. Effective hiring should never be left to chance. Improve results by designing a series of activities and tools that collect and evaluate job-related information from individuals and can be used to extend an offer of employment. There are several hallmarks of good hiring plans. Include…
Manufacturing and the Millennial Generation
Every day for the next 19 years 10,000 Baby Boomers will reach 65, reports Industry Week, and by just 2015 millennials will be nearly 50% of the employees worldwide. As your own workforce has started to retire and we face a tighter market for skilled labor, we too in manufacturing see the need to attract millennials. How do we make sure our company is attractive to the millennial generation and is relevant to their job and career expectations? Fast Company reports, “Businesses that want to attract millennials need to emphasize their innovative ways and positive societal impacts.” According to a…
Keys to Retaining Good Employees
As we all look for ways to solve the growing qualified labor gap, retention of our best and most talent employees plays a crucial role. Erica Fener of Human Resources IQ shares these great tips: Ensure clear and consistent expectations. Just like in your employees’ personal lives, when confronted continually with unclear and ever-changing situations on the job, employee stress and insecurity can build resulting in worker unhappiness. Employee security and confidence increase when they know what to expect on the job and understand job performance goals and requirements. Ensure high quality supervision. Ms. Fener writes, “A…
Why Choose a Career in MN Manufacturing?
Today’s manufacturing offers a wide range of exciting and challenging careers. Manufacturing is the third largest industry in Minnesota. Minnesota manufacturers produce everything from food products and snow mobiles to high-tech medical devices that save and improve lives. According to Dream It Do It, 13% of all jobs in Minnesota are in manufacturing (over 290,000 careers!) and Minnesota typically has 3,300 job openings every year! These include careers in: Engineering Machining Business Development Sales Customer Service Assembly Management Inspection and Quality Control Minnesota manufacturing jobs on average have a salary of around $56,000 a year versus the state average of…