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Check Github Activity at a Glance with OSS Insight

When it comes to software developers, GitHub is the holy grail of geeks. Everyone who’s anyone is on this platform, and a site you probably frequent if you’re hiring a computer wiz. Want a way to check these developer’s GitHub activity? Then here’s the sauce.

GitHub makes it somewhat straightforward to tell user activity, but there’s a better way. With OSS Insight, you have a clean one page dashboard of all the recent repo updates, pulls and pushes, and everything else in-between. This makes chugging through developer’s GitHub activity extremely painless, to the point where you can tell within seconds just how active this coder is.

There are some other niche features like GPT powered data exploration. It lets you request data in natural language and spits out a very intelligent answer. It can even generate SQL from the dataset. If you have a detailed enough request, you could use this to headhunt active developers in a specific field. The search feature is VERY powerful, give it a try.

You can also explore trending data. If you want to see what sort of code is hot right now, it’s a great place to start. It tracks all sorts of metrics on GitHub, far more than the average person might need.

This tool has a myriad of uses, we really recommend you take a look and see if it’s something you can add to your workflow.

Other Dean Da Costa Content:

Dean has a free page of sourcing tools, links, and other recruiting resources that we highly recommend you check out! That page has an overwhelming amount of stuff, so you gotta really love sourcing to appreciate the infinite hours of work Dean has put into it. For all of the Dean Da Costa resources on RecruitingDaily, click here!

Why Skills-Based Hiring is on the Rise and Should Remain that Way

Even as the economy shifts and layoffs hit the news, hiring is still a challenge. To fill open positions, companies are starting to more closely evaluate how they review applicants and are more willing to overlook educational shortfalls if candidates have the necessary skills.

Skills-based hiring continues to trend.

As you know, skills-based hiring focuses on screening candidates based on their capabilities rather than education or employment history. In today’s hiring environment, if you’re not hiring for skills, you’re missing plenty of potentially high-performing job candidates.

The Benefits of Skills-Based Hiring

When it comes to the benefits of skills-based hiring, the results speak for themselves. In a survey of more than 2,700 employers by TestGorilla, they found dramatic improvements in hiring practices and outcomes when employers shifted to skills-based hiring, including:

  • 89% reduction in the cost-to-hire
  • 91% reduction in the time-to-hire
  • 92% reduction in mis-hires
  • 91% increase in employee retention
  • 91% increase in hiring diversity

A skills-based hiring strategy also creates a better job-fit for employees, which produces greater job satisfaction, employee engagement, and performance appraisal ratings. Those with high job-fit also tend to better adapt to challenges, seek upskilling, and develop transferable skills.

Shifting Hiring Requirements

In an effort to fill spots in several industries, LinkedIn launched a program guaranteeing job seekers an interview with recruiting teams if they can pass a skills-based test. Look for expansion of this type of strategy in the future.

For years, companies have practiced “degree inflation,” demanding four-year college degrees for positions that didn’t require them. This kept many skilled workers out of the talent pool due to the high cost of higher education. This disproportionately impacted those in lower-income communities, especially people of color, leading to a lack of diversity in the workforce in upwardly-mobile positions. With fewer diverse candidates in entry-level jobs, fewer diverse candidates were being promoted upward in companies.

That’s changing.

A review of job descriptions by the Harvard Business Review showed that employers have started to reduce degree requirements by more than 45% for mid-level employees and about a third for high-skilled positions. Job ads showed a marked shift towards skills rather than specific degrees.

Companies like Google, Microsoft, Apple, IBM, and GM have all shifted their hiring practices and offer some high-level positions to employees without college degrees in an attempt to widen the talent pool and attract different types of candidates. Today, about half of the jobs at IBM do not require a four-year degree.

There’s also a greater emphasis on finding candidates with transferable skills that will help them grow within the organization and upskilling current workers to provide more opportunities for internal movement.

Continuing Need for High-Quality Employees

Employers need workers with the right skills and many are desperate to find quality candidates. Despite some companies cutting back, there are still 11 million job openings in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. At the same time, turnover continues to be an issue with monthly layoffs, separations, quits, and discharges topping 11.5 million monthly.

Employees Want to Develop New Skills

The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania reported that nearly a third of tech workers, for example, say skills and self-improvement are what they value most about their job. 92% of professional says having access to professional development is important or very important.

Current employees are also seeking more upskilling opportunities to stay ahead of changing work environments. A study by Amazon and Workplace Intelligence showed that seven out of ten employees say they do not feel prepared for the future of work.

By providing opportunities for employees to adapt and learn new skills on the job, employers can retrain and retain workers at a higher level.

More Opportunities for Skills Development

One piece of good news for employers and job seekers is that there are more opportunities for skills development than ever before.

Colleges are offering online courses and boot camps in greater numbers than in years past. The number of massive open online course (MOOC) platforms has risen, offering free courses and unlimited participation. Many employers have started their own training and certification programs to attract the next generation of workers.

Skills-Based Hiring Will Continue

Hiring based on skills is on the rise and will remain that way into the future. Employers need to reassess their hiring practices to see whether they are leveraging this growing trend.

How Recruiters Can Maximize the Value of Assessments

The most essential element of any effective hiring process is its ability to accurately predict how well candidates will perform in certain roles. As recruiters become increasingly focused on measurable outcomes, traditional hiring methods (such as unstructured interviews and resume reviews) are being called into question.

Companies are increasingly supplementing or replacing these methods with assessments, which are intended to mitigate bias and provide more rigorous evaluations of candidates. While assessments often serve these functions, there are many questions hiring managers should ask themselves before using them: are they focused on soft skills, hard skills, or personality traits? When should assessments be deployed? What characteristics is the company looking for?

Assessments are powerful hiring tools, but they aren’t an automatic solution to the problems recruiters face. They have to be carefully calibrated to pursue specific outcomes, and they need to be used in a way that won’t discriminate against or alienate candidates. With these guidelines in mind, recruiters can fully leverage assessments in their hiring processes.

How Assessments Can Enable Evidence-Based Hiring

Recruiters are increasingly outcome-oriented – they want to make sure that new hires will perform well on the job, contribute to a healthy organizational culture, and remain with the company over the long term. This has led some to question conventional hiring methods such as unstructured interviews, which have a poor record of predictive validity.

On the other hand, pre-employment assessments have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to accurately predict job performance. One reason for this finding is the generalizability of certain traits. A review of the relevant research by the American Psychological Association reports that general cognitive ability and conscientiousness, for instance, “appear to be relevant to performance in virtually every job studied.”

Pre-employment assessments are especially important at a time when companies are prioritizing diversity and inclusion. Traditional hiring methods are prone to bias, which is why some diverse candidates even mask their identities on resumes to land interviews. This is a status quo recruiters shouldn’t accept, and assessments can help them move beyond it.

The Risks Posed by Assessments

Although assessments sometimes allow recruiters to objectively measure candidates on a level playing field, this isn’t always the case. The quality of assessments can vary dramatically depending on how they’re constructed. They can actively work against a company if they aren’t designed to track the right skills and traits.

For example, companies sometimes develop assessments that aren’t sufficiently relevant to the role in question or fail to account for important variables. These problems arise when the developers of assessments make unwarranted assumptions about which characteristics new hires should possess – characteristics that frequently turn out to be counterintuitive. When companies emphasize traits unrelated to job performance or responsibilities, this can be a source of discrimination and lead to poor hiring outcomes.

Companies should develop assessments with the same critical perspective they apply to every other stage of the hiring process. If recruiters rely on flawed assessments, they won’t just confront the costs of bad hires – they’ll also bear the opportunity cost of missing out on employees who would have been a great fit.

Maximizing the Value of Assessments

Not all assessments are created equally. While it makes sense for recruiters to take assessments seriously as a strategy to avoid the pitfalls of conventional hiring, they need to think carefully about why and how these assessments are being used. There are several guidelines recruiters can use to make these determinations, all of which will help them build a more predictive and fair hiring process:

  • Recruiters have to decide when an assessment will be deployed. In many cases, early assessments make sense, as they filter out candidates who aren’t a good fit before the company (or candidate, for that matter) has invested too much time in the process.
  • Need to systematically consider which skills and traits are necessary for each role – as well as the company’s broader culture and operations.
  • Can use this information to establish how those skills and traits will be measured – a process that will be consistently updated as they compare hiring decisions with outcomes.

The best way to take full advantage of assessments is by subjecting them to a constant process of review and reconfiguration. This will ensure that they’re always directly applicable to the company’s hiring goals and capable of producing the outcomes recruiters want.

Why Are Women Leaders Leaving their Jobs in Unprecedented Numbers?

Three years later, we’re still facing unprecedented moves in the job market.  From the “Great Resignation” of 2021 to “Quiet Quitting” in 2022, we now arrive at the “Great Breakup” of 2023.

According to a recent McKinsey/LeanIn study, women are re-evaluating their careers and switching jobs in unprecedented numbers. The global pandemic highlighted challenges associated with child care, family time, and mental health.

But, many of these workplace challenges began for women long before the pandemic started. We just finally seem to be talking about it – out loud and in front of decision-makers.

Are companies listening?  Well, women aren’t waiting around, twiddling their thumbs, waiting politely for an answer. Instead, they’re communicating with their feet – as they walk away from a job (and maybe a career) that doesn’t serve them.

Keep reading to learn more about the Great Breakup and its implications on hiring in 2023 and beyond.

Why Are Women Changing Jobs in Droves?

According to the McKinsey/LeanIn study, women are changing jobs for three primary reasons:

  • Women leaders want to advance, but they face more challenges than men
  • Women are underrepresented in their organizations but overworked
  • Women demand a better work culture focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), overall well-being, and flexibility

Let’s look at each.

1.    Women Leaders Want to Advance, But Face More Challenges than Men

Just like men, women want to grow professionally, advancing in their careers. However, women face unique challenges that men don’t. Here are some examples of these headwinds from the McKinsey/LeanIn study:

  • Women leaders are twice as likely as men to be “mistaken for someone more junior”
  • 37 percent of women leaders have had a co-worker take credit for their idea, compared to 27 percent of men leaders
  • Women are more likely than men leaders to have co-workers who imply they are unqualified or question their judgment
  • Women leaders are more likely to claim that their personal characteristics (such as being a mother or caregiver and/or their gender) have negatively impacted their ability to advance (through receiving a raise or promotion)

2.    Women are Underrepresented, Unrecognized and Overworked in their Organizations

Anyone feel this one? Statistically, women are still underrepresented in their organizations – especially in leadership positions. McKinsey/LeanIn’s Women in the Workplace 2022 Report says that women are “dramatically underrepresented in corporate America with only one in four women serving in an executive, C-suite role.

And, despite this underrepresentation, women are still unrecognized and overworked, giving way to burnout and mental health challenges. In fact, 43 percent of women leaders feel burned out compared to 31 percent of men in similar positions.

But here’s the rub. Women spend 2x more time and effort than men on supporting employee DEI initiatives – both of which improve employee retention and satisfaction rates. However, 40 percent of women leaders say this additional DEI work isn’t acknowledged in performance reviews. While work in DEI helps to attract and retain talent while improving corporate brand, this work doesn’t help women advance – it just stretches them thin.

3.    Women are Demanding a Better Work Culture

Finally, women are demanding a better work culture and changing jobs when they don’t find it. Women are more likely to change jobs to find a culture with more flexibility and commitment to DEI and well-being.

And although these demands were present before 2020, the global pandemic just emphasized the importance of these demands.

Here are some examples to consider:

  • Women leaders are 1.5x more likely than their male counterparts to have left a previous job for one that prioritizes DEI
  • 49 percent of women say that flexibility is a top reason they consider when accepting a job offer or staying at a job

To attract and retain female talent, especially in leadership positions, employers must support women.  If not, women will continue leaving in droves, setting diverse employment and leadership back decades.

Are Younger Generations of Women Changing Jobs Too?

So, what about our future female leaders? Well, the news isn’t much better there. With mid- and senior women leaders leaving for more flexible, diverse, supportive positions, there will be fewer female mentors at a majority of companies – leaving younger women with no one to watch advance up the ranks.

And young women want to advance.  According to the McKinsey/LeanIn study, more than two-thirds of women under 30 want to advance to senior leadership positions. Additionally, more than half of these women say that advancement has become more important to them over the pandemic. Finally, just like their more experienced counterparts, younger women also want to work for an organization that prioritizes flexibility, DEI, and overall well-being.

Companies that fail to focus on these issues will have difficulty retaining women leaders they already have while potentially losing out on recruiting young talent, creating a weak (or broken) leadership pipeline for attracting the next generation of leaders.

Instead, companies must continually embrace flexibility and commitment to DEI and well-being all while providing women with opportunities to advance – free of headwinds. After all, a diverse and inclusive company will continue to attract and retain the best talent while keeping its well-deserved competitive edge.

The 6 Best Tips for Recruiters to Achieve Win-Win Candidate Negotiations

As a recruiter, negotiating with a candidate can be an uphill task. Many come to the meeting with expectations often at odds with what the companies offer. So, your offers, as enticing as you try to make them, may not cut it.

All’s not lost though. Here are four tips you can leverage to achieve win-win outcomes. 

Be Well Prepared

You’re selling your company to the candidate as much as they are selling themselves to you. So be well-prepared so you can make a dazzling impression. Being well-prepared also helps to build trust and create a healthy interviewing atmosphere.

So, once you lock in a time and date for your meeting, do your homework. Refresh your memory of the candidate’s background and skills. Showing that you remember the details of their career history can create a feeling of admiration and respect.

Also, develop a list of targeted questions to ask during the interview. This can ensure the conversation is meaningful and productive. It will also let the candidate know that you are invested in understanding their needs and wants.

Break the Ice

Before jumping into a negotiation, help the candidate feel at ease. You can begin with a casual chat. According to Recruiter, small talk can be a powerful tool to build rapport, connect and foster trust.

According to SHRM, casual talk can also help you gain insight into a candidate’s feelings towards you, personality, and social skills. Here are some examples of questions that can help lighten the mood.

  • How was the traffic on your way here?
  • Was it hard to find the office?
  • What are your hobbies?
  • How long have you lived in the area?

Avoid Dominating the Conversation

When recruiting, you can gain more traction by giving the interviewee the floor. By giving them free rein to express their thoughts, values, and goals, you’ll gain an idea of their needs, motives, and desires. Then, you can use that insight to craft an attractive offer. 

Also, by listening attentively, you show you value their contribution to the conversation, which helps build goodwill and rapport. However, beware of the discussion going off track. Balance the conversation with your insights and point of view to steer it in the right direction.

Give One, Take One

Refusing to budge on an unsuitable offer is a surefire way to get handed a rejection. So, be open to making some concessions. However, for every request you receive and are willing to grant, be sure to ask for one in return. 

For instance, if you are open to bumping up the salary, ask for a longer notice period. Trading concessions ensures that the agreement arrived at is mutually beneficial. 

To avoid making rush decisions, identify what you can offer ahead of time. Also, make sure that the concessions being traded are of similar value. 

Be Transparent

Transparency is a key skill for recruiters, say negotiation trainers. Being hazy can create feelings of mistrust and misunderstanding. Not only can this cost you a great hire, but you run the risk of damaging your reputation and making it difficult to attract talented individuals in the future. 

So, be crystal clear about what a role entails and the attached benefits. Do your best to provide answers to all questions. Circle back to the hiring manager or HR team if there are any questions you’re unable to answer. 

Be Patient

The recruitment process can be a long and drawn-out affair. The more complex the role, the more discussion is involved. According to Workable, the average time to hire ranges roughly between 20 and 30 days. 

Leaving positions unfilled can create a few hiccups in the business. However, rushing to fill roles can create an ill-fit all around. Plus, it can lead to an abrupt resignation shortly after the hire.

So, to create a win-win hire, allow sufficient time to dissect the offer’s pros and cons. Being patient also gives recruiters the opportunity to catch any red flags that pop up along the way. Remember, successful negotiating is a two-way street, so taking the extra time can go a long way.

Recruiters usher in talent and skills to the organization. As such, they’re an integral part of any company’s success. These are a few tips using negotiation skills training that can help carve out win-win outcomes.

6 Ways to Identify Recruitment Bias

Bias can be a seemingly unavoidable issue in the hiring process. Even with new technologies, unconcious biases can sneak in, whether that be intentional or not. Still, it’s so important to take charge and eliminate as much bias as possible. As such, there must be intentional changes made. From looking past just where someone graduated to identifying patterns in your recruits, here are insights from executives and recruiting leaders on how you can best identify and address bias in the recruitment process.

Don’t Recruit Just Based on School

Strictly hiring based on background or school is a usual way recruiters show bias. One way we can identify this is with what schools a company focuses on for job fairs. Making sure as a company you focus on recruiting from all levels of schools is a good way to give equal opportunity across the board.

Maegan Griffin
Founder, CEO and Nurse Practitioner, Skin Pharm

Check Your Wording

Double-check the wording of your job postings in order to identify and remove any potentially biased wording. While such wording is often unintentional, it can still disrupt your hiring initiative if it drives away potential applicants before they even think about trying.

You’ll be able to find online guidelines for writing bias-free job postings that will be easy to follow and highly effective. Once you’ve removed any unintended bias, then you’re free to spruce up your posting and inject your personal style into it.

With ‌extra care, you can avoid accidentally putting off potential applicants who might otherwise be an excellent fit for your roles. It may add a few minutes of time to creating your listings, but it will be well worth it for your business if it helps you land quality hires.

Max Schwartzapfel
CMO, Schwartzapfel Lawyers

Conduct Blind Reviews

One thing I have done to identify recruitment bias is to conduct blind reviews of job candidates. Blind reviews involve removing any identifying information, such as names, genders, dates of birth, and even universities attended, so that decisions can be made on the merits of a candidate’s qualifications alone.

This process removes potential sources of bias by preventing hiring managers from making assumptions based on demographic or other non-essential factors. Additionally, I have conducted surveys among my recruiting team to understand their own personal biases and experiences before developing an interview rubric for screening applicants.

Employers can also use data analytics on the impact of different recruiting strategies. For example, you could analyze whether certain recruitment channels are leading to more success in terms of applicant quality or diversifying your talent pool, versus looking at individuals who applied through less effective channels.

Travis Lindemoen
Managing Director, nexus IT group

Use a Standardized Interview Process

Companies should judge people on their credentials and achievements. If a company judges candidates during recruitment on their race, gender, beauty, or any other illogical thing, it’s highly unethical.

You can identify recruitment bias by using a standardized interview process. In this type of interview, an employer asks candidates the same set of questions for the designated position. It strongly minimizes biases in recruitment. We can fairly judge candidates based on their performance in the interview and the quality of their answers.

Don’t forget to set the questions according to the skills and abilities required for the particular job. This way, you can easily identify whether the interviewer is trying to discriminate. It is now a highly prevalent method of interviewing to avoid any unnecessary issues during the interview.

Saikat Ghosh
Associate Director, HR and Business, Technource

Do a Thorough Job Analysis

An effective approach to uncovering recruitment bias is to conduct a comprehensive examination of our job requirements and responsibilities. By gaining a clear understanding of what our positions entail and how performance is measured, we can pinpoint any potential biases in our hiring procedures. This vigilance enables us to eliminate discrimination and ensure that all applicants are evaluated fairly, regardless of factors such as their race or gender.

Kimberley Tyler-Smith
VP, Strategy and Growth, Resume Worded

Look for Patterns

This might sound bad, so please hear me out: but diversity isn’t just about goodness; it also is an incredible strategic advantage. For example, we actively review our recruiting practices nonstop, intentionally looking for patterns of new recruits.

If our engineers seem to reflect too many males, we go back over applications looking for females who might have been overlooked. This tactic has improved our skill sets and functional capabilities within the first year.

The old days of using “it’s just business” to rationalize building a company of people, all from one demographic, are over. Diversity is here to stay because it’s more than just good—it’s good business.

Shaun Connell
Founder and CEO, Credit Building Tips

Are You Spending Too Much Time on Hiring?

Like other parts of a business, HR teams are under pressure to adapt to rapidly evolving enterprise climates. Most businesses hired extensively in 2022, with 53% of companies attempting to fill open roles and create new ones. However, modern organizations also have to react to the needs of a constantly changing workforce. As younger workers look for employment, businesses must be aware of their needs and respond accordingly. This means businesses must learn to optimize their hiring processes to fill open positions with candidates who are the best fit for them. 

Modern organizations have to process a staggering number of applications to build a shortlist for each open position. Businesses receive an average of 250 applications for each corporate-level role. The best of these applicants are usually interviewing with more than one company at any time. It is, therefore, in the best interest of businesses to quickly find the right candidates and confirm their employment to prevent losing them to a competitor. 

Why Businesses Should Focus On Optimizing Hiring Pipelines

As businesses compete more aggressively for talent, experienced and motivated candidates are in high demand. Recent research has revealed that 57% of job seekers lose interest in a job if the hiring process is too lengthy. The longer the consideration process is, the higher the chance the applicant will go elsewhere. The best move for these organizations is to optimize their hiring processes to quickly gather the information they need and make a decision. 

Businesses that keep the hiring process short and optimized also experience significant economic benefits. The average American employer spends approximately $4,000 and 24 days on a single hire in labor, software, and outreach costs. These numbers can add up quickly for companies that look to expand or need to manage high turnover rates. Optimizing the hiring process can reduce this cost by freeing up resources such as recruitment personnel and meeting rooms. Hiring managers are also often pulled away from their regular job to interview promising candidates, so reducing the time spent on hiring gives them more time to focus on high-value business activities. 

4 Ways to Spend Less Time Hiring

Identify and Automate Repetitive Tasks

The first step for businesses that wish to eliminate inefficiencies is to identify areas that are ripe for modernization. Hiring teams must report tasks that they find repetitive and time-consuming. These usually include essential steps such as providing candidates with visitor and check-in information, vetting resumes for basic qualifications, coordinating interview schedules, and more. 

HR teams now have access to digital tools that can help them save time when organizing interviews and finding the best candidates. AI-powered tools can scrub resumes and weed out applicants who don’t have the appropriate qualifications for the position even before hiring teams do their initial reviews. Once a shortlist is produced, visitor management software can help hiring teams find the best room for the interview, send the relevant information to candidates and recruiters, and optimize the registration process once the candidate arrives at the office. This can significantly improve the candidate experience—and can position a business as an employer of choice for talented candidates. 

Build Talent Pipelines Ahead of Time

Businesses often know their expansion plans and can anticipate their staffing needs. However, there is often no standardized process to track openings and applicants across business departments. Instead of merely posting job descriptions on job boards as necessary, businesses can build talent pipelines to help them fill open positions faster. Candidates who interview for one position can sometimes be directed to other roles where they might also be a fit.

Keeping records of past applicants and making them accessible across business silos can make it easier for recruiters to build a strong shortlist of candidates early in the hiring process. Recruitment teams must avoid waiting until there is an open position to fill before they build a pipeline that can deliver highly qualified candidates to them ahead of time. 

Streamline the Interview Process

There are many things to consider when planning an interview. Hiring teams must develop the interview questions, form an assessment rubric, find an appropriate location for the interview to take place, find interviewers who are available, and choose the best time for both the interviewer and the candidate. These processes can be streamlined by making this information easily accessible to all team members. Even better, providing this information on an integrated platform also makes it easy for the point person to convey relevant data to the candidate. 

Track Time Spent on Hiring

Once effective and efficient systems are in place, hiring teams may assume that the work is done. However, as tools modernize and new solutions are introduced to the industry, hiring processes can be optimized further. Companies must build a culture of constant improvement. The easiest way to do this is to improve recording and reporting. Hiring teams should track exactly how much is spent on each part of the hiring process. This can help business leaders identify areas of inefficiency and account for recruiting costs better. 

The hiring landscape is unlikely to get any less competitive in the coming years. Businesses must use all the tools at their disposal to ensure that their hiring practices are effective and efficient. Modern software can help businesses reduce hiring costs, focus on high-value activities, and fill open positions faster. Companies that wish to hire the best candidates must put the best practices in place to attract and retain them more effectively.

Transform 2023: Let’s Change the Future of Work, Together

The HR technology conference Transform, formerly HR Transform, will take place March 27-29 at the MGM Grand Las Vegas. As they said, this event is not “just another HR conference,” it will deliver thought leadership and innovation to help us all shape the future of work. Transform also promises to “inspire a broader global leadership audience, foster deeper connections, and spark more impactful innovations.”

Better yet, we’ll be there too! We’re excited to see you all live and in-person!

So, What Is Transform 2023?

Transform 2023 is the premier global event for people-driven leaders, entrepreneurs, and workforce tech investors to shape the future of work. With more than 300 speakers and 100 interactive sessions, Transform 2023 will feature:

  • Three days of powerful content
  • Innovation showcases
  • Probing conversations
  • Hands-on learning experiences
  • After-hours networking

Attendees believe the workplace is not just a set of business problems to be worked out. There are social and even philosophical challenges to consider as we collectively chart the course for the new world of work. Being advocates for that shift in philosophy, and finding allies in that effort, is what makes Transform 2023 a unique event.

Learn and discuss diverse people-driven business transformation topics, including:

  • Talent Acquisition
  • DEI
  • Cloud-based and hybrid teams
  • Learning and development
  • Retention
  • Total rewards innovation
  • Workplace experience design
  • And more

Transform 2023 is not just another HR conference. It provides an opportunity to see cutting-edge innovation and companies that are fostering relationships and human connections, mobilizing companies to do good, and transforming the workforce and workplace.

Why Should You Be There?

It’s an opportunity to meet, learn, and discuss new strategies for the workplace and workforce with industry leaders from some of the world’s most notable people-focused WorkTech companies. Join the more than 3,000 people that will attend the events and conference over the course of the three-day event. You’ll be able to engage with business and people leaders, entrepreneurs, and investors.

A number of companies – including some big names in HR Tech and recruiting spaces –  will be in attendance as well as a lineup of over 250 innovative thought leaders. Some stand-outs include Jeff Diana of Calendly, Greenhouse CPO Donald Knight, Heather Dunn of Gem and more.During the event, a variety of sessions will be available from workshops and training to product showcases, all about changing the future of work for the better.

We’re excited for:

  • “Prioritizing Inclusive Hiring to Win in an Evolving Talent Marketplace,” a session featuring talent acquisition and recruiting specialists Israel Gutierrez from Axios, Greenhouse’s Ariana Moon and Elizabeth Shober of Udemy.
  • “Talent Pixelation: Continuous Fragmentation of Talent Supply” which discusses how pixelation can help organization to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
  • “Roundtable: Expanding & Diversifying Candidate Pools with Distributed Hiring,” a discussion on the latest trends in distributed hiring and how to leverage organizational data, hosted by Datapeople.
  • “Should I Stay or Should I Go: Doubling Down on Internal Talent” with Idealis Advisory’s Founder and CEO Sumona De Graaf and David Landman of Goldman Sachs.

Special Offer: Save $200

Join us March 27-29 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas for meaningful connections, impactful innovations, and deep conversations that will continue to shape the future of work all year long.

Recruiting Daily readers and members can take advantage of a special offer. As an official media partner, we are pleased to offer a $200 discount for attending Transform 2023 events.

Learn more about Transform 2023 and sign up for this special offer for Recruiting Daily readers and members.

Recruiting Daily is proud to be an official media partner for Transform 2023.

International Women’s Day 2023: Actionable Ways to #EmbraceEquity

You may be surprised to learn that the very first International Women’s Day (IWD) gathering took place in 1911 and saw the support of more than a million people. In the 112 years since, IWD continues to garner attention, with March 8 serving as a celebration of women’s achievements and a collective call to action to drive gender parity.

For 2023, the official IWD theme is #EmbraceEquity, because equal opportunities aren’t enough, and true equity means creating an inclusive world. Over the last three years, I have marked IWD by talking to women in the HR and recruiting industries, amplifying their voices and sharing their advice for doing the work. Here is what they had to say:

Dr. Denise Caleb, PHR, President of the HUMAN RESOURCE STANDARDS INSTITUTE, on where to start:

International Women's Day: Denise Caleb

“Create a practice of equity within the people, processes, practices, procedures and profits of the business. This requires organizations to review the internal and external approaches to equity by placing accountability and measures of the policies and governance that guides the organizational behaviors. An organization’s work in the DEIAB space needs to be measured, systemized and follow a path of continuous improvement.”

Building on this, Daniela (Dani) Herrera, Director, Recruitment Operations and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at R/GA, talks about best practices:International Women's Day: Daniella Herrera

“It starts with pausing and reviewing all the systems, processes and platforms we have in place in our organization so that we can design them anew – with equity, inclusion, accessibility, transparency and accountability in mind.

Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, but there are a few best practices to help your organization get started. You could, for example, ensure that you’re using inclusive language in all company communications, review your performance and salary raise processes to ensure transparent and equitable processes, deconstruct all your interview questions to identify and minimize biases and continuously work on your company benefits offerings.

Doing this work takes time, effort, flexibility and, more importantly, unwavering commitment!”

Freelance Technical Recruiter Dayna Ciarfalia on understanding how we, as individuals, factor into equity initiatives:

International Women's Day: Dayna Ciarfalia“Breaking biases in hiring and retention is anything but simple. A skill I’ve found to be particularly helpful in decreasing bias across the board is self-awareness.

From identifying unconscious belief systems that drive assumptions of others to snap judgements we make based on “gut” feelings, learning to challenge our beliefs, assumptions and feelings rather than accept them as truth can help mitigate bias and promote equity.”

Elliott White, Director of Recruiting and Onboarding at RemoteBridge, on creating sustainable change:

“The only way to #EmbraceEquity in the workplace is by taking an objective look at where biases already exist in your systems – because they do. Too many times, the wrong efforts are made simply for the sake of making change.International Women's Day: Elliot White

Consider this: Your team implements a tool to lessen bias in initial screenings. Every subsequent candidate then experiences vastly different questions during interviews with your company due to unconscious, or even conscious, bias from interviewers – nothing has changed. Your candidates and employees should be experiencing an honest, unified voice of equity and inclusion, encompassing everything from a job posting to an annual review. If you aren’t moving with intention, you will only ever be moving to the side, never forward.”

With regard to participation, Susan Lowe, Global Chief People & Sustainability Officer for Fuel50, shares:

International Women's Day: Susan Lowe“I think we often don’t talk about discrimination, whether we witness it or experience it, for a multitude of reasons. I heard a phrase last week that resonated, which I have adapted for this as

‘it’s not enough to be a non-discriminator, we must be anti-discriminators.’ We can all play an active role in forging a discrimination-free world!

I am passionate about enabling a world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive, where everyone feels that sense of belonging, even if I can only impact my own ‘backyard.’ But I believe it ‘starts at home,’ so at Fuel50, we are focused on a culture that enables everyone to thrive, especially women in the world of tech.”

Claire Fang, Chief Product officer at SEEKOUT, on flipping the script:

“Human brains like to be ‘lazy’ and make quick judgements based on our prior knowledge, bias, or expectations. To break the biases, we need to intentionally fight the ‘lazy’ brain and approach each person with curiosity and an open mind, to leaInternational Women's Day: Claire Fangrn about what makes the individual special.

When evaluating women for job opportunities, we need to catch that whispering voice in our head that says, ‘she can’t handle our situation because she is too soft-spoken’ or ‘she won’t be able to handle the demanding workload because she has three young kids,’ and give women an equal chance.

Furthermore, we all need to proactively refer women for jobs, promotions, and special projects in the workplace so that we all get to see women shine in a variety of differentiating situations.”

Emphasizing the need for action, Jennifer Cobo, SVP & Global Head of Enterprise Transformation and Cloud Modernization for Virtusa, offers:

“Equity is not about fulfilling a basic need but understanding unique requirements and providing the exact resources to succeed. Equity paves the way for achieving your goals and preparing for success.

International Women's Day: Jennifer CoboThis IWD, in efforts to close the gap in gender equity, Virtusa orchestrated the Engineering Equity Hackathon – ‘a hackathon made for her.’ The hackathon aims to address and solve societal problems by creating a platform for women STEM students to develop solutions that directly address the challenges they face in technology. The event also provides mentoring, training, certifications, scholarship, and job opportunities.

With this contest, we intend to drive gender equality by empowering women to take charge of their careers and providing tools to enhance their talent. We also hope this event sets an example for the industry and inspires other companies to take action in establishing their own gender equality initiatives.”

Katrina Purcell, Chief of Staff at Harri, on the culture International Women's Day: Katrina Purcellconnection:

“Diversity of thought breeds better outcomes for employees and the organization. When an organization creates and fosters an environment of psychological safety – where employees can have open and honest conversations about passions and life choices on a professional and personal level – it provides the opportunity to discover commonalities across generations and career areas and connect on a deeper, more meaningful level.”

And finally, Ayishah F. Williams, MBA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Director, People & Culture at Sounding Board, on recognizing the humanity of it all:

International Women's Day: Asiyah Williams“I am a huge proponent of holistic HR. When practiced consistently, it ensures that you embrace equity because you hire human beings. We need to understand that we get the whole person at work and embrace everything that comes with it. Understanding the needs of your entire employee population, being able to connect and address their specific wants and goals, and then providing services and programs that support them is a holistic HR leader’s primary function in today’s changeable, disruptive marketplace.”

From choosing to challenge to breaking the bias, the annual occurrence of International Women’s Day reminds us that we need to continue to raise awareness and find new ways to take action within our spheres of influence. No matter your role, experience, or gender, we all have a part to play, and I hope this article offered inspiration to help you embrace equity in your workplace this year.

Empowering Women: Reflections on Leadership Journeys

International Women’s Day is an important moment to reflect not only on the women who helped shape our leadership perspective but also on the personal journeys which made us the authentic, impactful leaders we are today.

There are no shortage of challenges for women in the workplace. Those challenges multiply as you consider intersectional realities. My personal belief, however, remains steadfast:  challenges provide opportunities for people of all backgrounds to demonstrate the resolve, faith, and empathy that empathetic leadership requires.

As a neurodiverse woman with physical disabilities, my personal journey to “find the silver lining” through a traumatic health event was not easy. It took time, mentoring, soul-searching, and an open mind to realize the gift of the moment. Making friends with the problems in your life, repositioning the “difficult” to be seen instead as a once-in-a-lifetime catalyst changed my perspective. I’d like to share with you some of the tools I’ve cultivated along the way as well as some really great advice from some impressive leaders.

Respectfully Bold, Boldly Fearless

My mentor Brian Fink wrote a sentence that I’m stuck on – The Plight (an unfortunate, difficult, or precarious situation) of Women – The fact that we must act a certain way to be considered or perceived as professional. Leadership advice is often provided from the male point of view – to be seen as a strategic councilor, you must speak up. To be seen as credible, you must speak loudly. To be seen as influential, you must leverage your power to influence the room… unless you’re a young female. I am not the first to tell a group of women the rules are different for us. If we act like women, we are lacking “leadership traits”. If we act like men, we are “abrasive”.

My first job out of college I was fired for unprofessional behavior. I remember it well. I just landed my first big-ticket sale as the newest hire on the Sales team, (A big deal for a new intern turned Account Manager!). My team was comprised largely of men who had 10 years more experience than me, and one sole woman – (shoutout Simone Goga for her mentorship very early on in my career).

I was so excited – until the senior leadership team decided to take my win from me and give it to one of my male teammates who had more experience. The customer inked the service agreement with me face-to-face, and the lead source was the President who had reached out to me directly on LinkedIn (and signed the agreement because he wanted to work with me). I couldn’t understand the reasoning behind this decision. And as a person of integrity and one who seeks to learn, I took a risk. I respectfully challenged the decision and was fired for unprofessional behavior. That early lesson taught me that being a person of integrity, and surrounding yourself with honest leaders who want to grow the business, not uphold the status quo deeply matters to me. I learned early on to be selective with whom I learn from, and where I choose to offer my time, perspective and energy.

As I work to create more equitable spaces through my leadership and mentorship, I have leaned on some really impressive mentors to help shape my ability to turn the worst days into fuel for the best days: conviction, authenticity, and trust.

Kateryna Keretsman, Vice President Global Business Development, Rossum.

As an embedded Global Talent Partner for Elements Talent Consultancy, I had the pleasure of meeting Kateryna Vice President of Global Business Development at Rossum. Kateryna was super challenged with having to hire her team across brand new markets in US and EU but despite my lack of experience in some of the key cities, she saw the potential in me. I had a clear strategy for how to win talent. She believed in me and helped me believe in myself. 

Fast forward to June 2022, I was invited to spend a few days in Prague to see the office and meet the team. I got to work with her, the Business Development Managers (BDMs), and the Business Development Representatives (BDRs). I was invited to Prague to meet the complete department I was brought in to help grow. It was an unforgettable experience and accomplishment for me to say the least.

Most of the best things I have in my life started off as fears I forced myself to face. Kateryna is bold, driven, respected, and a woman of her word. She is an inspiration I look up to, and I hope to one day rise to her level. I look forward to the next chance I get to see her again. She taught me many things, but mostly that gender and experience aside, badass bold women can get to leadership seats  – not as pretending to be men, but by being our badass female selves. If you have a moment, I encourage you to read her recent article.

Annalisa Esposito Bluhm – Vice President, CEO and Leadership Communications, Northrop Grumman.

Growing up in a large, first-generation Italian household has many benefits. One is the closeness you enjoy with your family. Annalisa is not only just a cousin, but also a close mentor. Her ability to leverage her intersectionality as a neurodivergent, first-generation American, first-generation college graduate and single mom is powerful and fueled by her unfailing ability to be her authentic self.

From the kitchen to the board room, she never flinches when it comes time to give an honest opinion, a respectful counter-point of view or a big hug. It’s what moved her from intern to C-Suite before 40, and continues to motivate her to be a mentor to others.

Above all, Annalisa believes firmly in meeting people where they are with empathy, respect, honesty and humor. She can speak to anyone, at any time, on any topic, and leave you feeling like the best version of yourself.

Jenny Cotie Kangas  Director Talent Acquisition, Employer Branding and Awareness, PandoLogic.

Man, I could write pages on why Jenny is my idol. I’m going to try my best to be concise, but this lady right here deserves her own talk show. She is my Oprah Winfrey.

If you take a look at her LinkedIn profile or go listen to her podcast, she summarizes her brain injury in a cataclysmically professional and concise way.

Jenny changed my life at the Talent Acquisition Week conference in Coronado, California February 1st and empowered me to look at my circumstances through the most positive lens.

Jenny and I don’t have the time or experience together that typical relationship-building requires, but that’s what makes her so special.  She has quickly shown me and told me “Trust is transitive.” Experience, excuses, and masking who you are to appease others is the exact opposite of Jenny’s mantra.

Her bravery to share her journey – that of always having been a catalyst and then surviving a freak accident that made her into an even better catalyst than she already was, is perfectly aligned with my own desired outcome. Jenny told me the other day, “See, amazing things happen when you quiet the voice telling yourself you aren’t worthy. You are 100% worthy of great things, Cristina.”

Another tip she shared and I believe you all deserve to hear, “Lesson: figure out the thing you desire, and reverse engineer outside-the-box ways to get it. There is almost always a path.”

I’m following her lead and taking the steps to share my superheroes’ journey with you all soon.

Jenny says self-care isn’t a nice to have, it’s a need to have. That is the same for me. Women’s health, mental health, neurodiversity, and DE&I matter. We all matter.

Side note – for a shameless plug – Huge thank you to Amy, Luke, Daniel, and my whole tribe over at Elements Talent Consultancy for sending me to represent us at such an incredible event like Talent Acquisition Week.

Closing

If you are or have ever questioned your self-worth as a woman or a human being, or your professional brilliance, or your problems resulting from being a super hero then you are not alone. We are with you.

I encourage and empower you all to make friends with the problems in your life. Connect with women and shoot for Leadership yourself as your goal. We are Leadership Worthy, just as we are.

Keep going. Keep pushing, keep striving, and keep believing in yourself. Never underestimate yourself and look for those other women who will help provide a steady hand on your back to push you forward

Thank you for listening to my story, and happy International Women’s Day.

The Benefits of Second-Chance Hiring

Statistically speaking, one in three US citizens has a criminal record. This rather large percentage of the US population finds it challenging to find gainful employment, yet the US and many other countries continue experiencing massive labor shortages. And to add to that, the job market is incredibly competitive.

A Criminal Record Does Not Automatically Equal Dangerous

Let’s clear the air. It’s crucial not to assume the worst in someone simply because they hold a criminal record, but rather to keep well away from any discrimination and give them a second chance. A criminal record doesn’t automatically mean someone has a murder or theft conviction. They may have been charged with possession of marijuana, which is now legalized. They may have been part of a protest and ended up on the wrong side of the law.

There’s a strong wave of opinion promoting upping our efforts in second-chance hiring. We should be open to employing those with criminal records who find it tough to obtain gainful employment due to their criminal record status. However, the issue bothering many employers is the stigma associated with employing someone with a criminal record. Are we putting our current staff in danger? Are they trustworthy and reliable? Of course, much of this sentiment is a narrative playing out in the employer’s mind rather than the actual reality of the situation.

Why Pursue a Second-Chance Hiring Strategy?

Let’s divide this into two thought directions. One direction is more altruistically concerned, while the other deals with the positives of the second-chance workforce.

The Altruistic Mindset

Altruism is defined as a selfless concern for the well-being of others, even at risk or cost to ourselves. With the stigma around hiring those with a criminal record so prevalent, it does seem like there are risks to second-chance hiring. As humans, we do, however, like to give people a second chance and provide opportunities for those who find it challenging to find employment due to their circumstances.

It is important to point out that much research and gathered statistics point to the fact that most US citizens who are the not-so-proud owners of a rap sheet have yet to actually be convicted of a serious crime. They are perpetrators of misdemeanors, possibly even once-off moments many of us without criminal records have been through often but have managed to get away with.

Offering candidates a second chance because they deserve it is good enough. Of course, rigorous interview processes and screening, as you would for any potential employee, are essential.

A Potentially Motivated Workforce

Obtaining gainful employment is not easy for those with a criminal record. They have to work far harder to gain employment, and often, the job they get is below their skill level.

When you employ someone in this situation, they are more likely to be more motivated to keep their job, making sure they are an asset to the company. Previously incarcerated citizens or those with a bad track record tend to want to alienate themselves from their past. They are eager to build their careers and write a new, more positive chapter in their lives. As the employer, you will have an employee who is highly motivated and eager to learn and develop.

Just a quick online search, and you’ll find many success stories of second-chance employment candidates who have thrived and moved up through the ranks in a company. Let’s not be naive, though. There are, of course, many for who it has yet to work out, but isn’t this the case with any other potential employee?

Industries that Could Benefit from Second-Chance Hiring

It’s important that don’t see second-chance hiring as only trade and labor based. As recruiters, we should screen potential candidates based on their expertise, skills, and motivation. Many candidates with a criminal record have incredible intellectual knowledge and skills to add to the workplace.

However, there is still a deficit and many opportunities available in the labor sector. According to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, about 3.5 million workers are “missing” from the workforce, nearly three years after the pandemic took hold of the world. There are opportunities aplenty, and embarking on a second-chance employment strategy could help alleviate the huge labor force deficit.

You know, the typical movie scenario. We’ve all seen it; the notorious hacker turns good and helps the government unearth the devious plots of the enemy with a few swift clicks of the computer keyboard. While this is part of the cinematic world, it could be a reality for many, taking skills used for ill gain and turning them into positives, adding value to businesses and, yes, governments too. Data capturing, research and many remote work opportunities could be an excellent fit for those who might not fair so well in a person-to-person office environment.

Second-Chance Hiring, Looking Ahead

The positives far outweigh any perceived negatives around second-chance hiring. With rigorous screening systems and interview processes in place and stigmas about criminal record holders put aside, there is an untapped workforce of just over 77 million eager to fill positions and grow in their careers. Second-chance hiring should be given the chance it deserves.

Take Advantage of ChatGPT for Boolean Strings While You Still Can

With AI reaching new heights in conversational prowess, written language, and even art…it’s no surprise that using ChatGPT for Boolean is quite effective. And, it can do it well. The power of AI is reaching such great heights that we have to ask: how much longer until the AI powered friend for us antisocial sourcers??

Having your own smart little monster to boss around can get pretty addicting. ChatGPT‘s ability to interpret even the loosest of commands is quite fascinating.  You could ask it something along the lines of “write boolean for finding software engineers in denver, co” and it will fill in the rest. It’s quite capable at handling more complex commands as well, with a few caveats.

It doesn’t know all of the industry terminology, like for example it has no idea what it means to Xray. But, you can say site search or something coloquial and it can handle that just fine. There are some nuances like that, but you can pretty much “spoken language” your way through the entire string.

Have fun using ChatGPT for boolean, and let us know what works or what doesn’t. While recruiters and sourcers won’t be replaced any time soon, we all are feeling some strong winds of change blowing. We’re sure the world is going to be seeing a lot more of this technology…for better or for worse.

Other Dean Da Costa Content:

Dean has a free page of sourcing tools, links, and other recruiting resources that we highly recommend you check out! That page has an overwhelming amount of stuff, so you gotta really love sourcing to appreciate the infinite hours of work Dean has put into it. For all of the Dean Da Costa resources on RecruitingDaily, click here!

“It’s Not Me, It’s You”: Understanding the Great Breakup in the Workplace

It’s been a long trudge, but we are seeing slow and steady progress toward gender equality. Or aren’t we?

Brilliant women of all races, sexual orientations, and disabilities navigate bias and question unfair treatment in the workplace daily. They’re keen to lean into their strengths, gain leadership positions, and are fueled with the ambition to succeed. But there are still pipeline challenges and workplace environments holding them back.

According to LeanIn.Org CEO, Rachel Thomas, “Women leaders are not only underrepresented. They’re more likely to be investing in good people management, fostering inclusion on their team, and showing up as allies.” She says that from their research, they’ve seen that “business results are better when there are more women and more diverse leadership.”

This article will examine the state of the pipeline for women and answer questions about the current situation. We also look at the call to action for recruiters and businesses to address the root cause and the reaction, known as the “Great Breakup.”

Cracks in the Leadership Pipeline: Gender and Hiring

The ‘leadership pipeline’ that we’re referring to is the steps taken to “get to the top.” The broken rung on the ladder to the top makes up the foundational issue in the state of the pipeline.

A Women in the Workplace report from McKinsey, in partnership with LeanIn.Org, surveyed and interviewed 33 participating organizations and more than 40,000 employees. The 2022 report concluded the following stats that continue to see men outweigh women at management levels:

  • For every 100 promoted men from entry-level roles to manager positions, only 87 women are promoted
  • 40% of the women surveyed said it was commonplace for other people to take credit for their ideas
  • There was a 2% drop from 2018-2022 in female employees in technical roles, with only 16% of the position share going to women
  • Women are repeatedly “stretched thinner” than men in leadership, with 43% of women leaders burned out, compared with only 31% of men at their level
  • 40% of women leaders say their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work isn’t acknowledged

Understanding the “Great Breakup” in the Workplace

The Great Breakup in the workplace is a reaction to the state of the pipeline and the “broken rung.” It refers to a trend of women, particularly those in leadership positions (but also young, ambitious women), leaving their places of employment and seeking new opportunities. Ten percent of women leaders quit their jobs in 2021, with only around 8% of male leaders.

A range of factors affecting women drive this “Great Breakup”:

  • The desire for greater work-life balance (flexibility, well-being)
  • Underrepresentation of females in leadership
  • Dissatisfaction with pay gaps
  • Career advancement opportunities elsewhere
  • Prevalence of gender discrimination
  • Bias in the workplace limits their ability to advance
  • Lack of DEI

The Bad News of the Great Breakup

The result of the Great Breakup is a significant loss of female talent and expertise in the corporate world, which can have negative consequences for both individual women and the organizations they leave behind.

Can The Great Breakup Have a Positive Impact?

Certainly! When people stand together to say “enough is enough,” eventually, they’re heard. And women have been chanting this phrase for decades. The Great Breakup allows women an opportunity to pursue careers that better align with their values and goals and to create more inclusive and equitable work environments.

Enough is Enough! What is a Recruiter’s Call to Action?

The Great Breakup in the workplace will hopefully see attitudes and expectations shift when it comes to promoting or hiring female leaders or young women in leadership. It calls for employees to repair the “broken rung” as the root cause of inequality and create a more supportive, unbiased, and empowering workplace for everyone. Companies need to recognize, incentivize, and reward the valuable contributions of their leading ladies. It’s in their interest to foster an environment that gives credit where it’s due. Without change, companies risk losing the future generation of woman leaders too.

As a recruiter, it’s vital to learn how to build a more inclusive candidate pipeline and represent companies that desire to build diverse teams, no matter the field. When you find these businesses, build solid relationships so that you can direct young, ambitious women to the environments they want without compromising their work-life balance.

As a recruiter, you’ll come across many influential female leaders. They are the ones who are willing to drive the shift. Learn from them, present them to employers when they’re suited to the job, and stand behind the trends that push for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Narrow Down Your Candidate Pool with Seekout Smart Match

Seekout‘s platform has always been one of the industry’s leading bits of recruiting technology.  However, with its recent filter upgrade you can now breeze through candidate searches without having to jump on the Boolean struggle bus. Seekout Smart Match will be a great resource to save some precious sourcing seconds.

Now, you can manually build a boolean search without any of the hassle and nuances of quotations, parentheses, or frustrating mistypes.  This revamped filter system, dubbed Seekout Smart Match, adds a suite of spicy options for you to pick from. You can search all the standard parameters, with a lot of focused filters like diversity tags, experience levels, and previous titles.

It has most (if not all) of the most familiar boolean expressions built right into the settings. You can even combine your search with Boolean phrasing, which is a great boon for power users. Click through all of the Smart Search filters that suite your needs, and then finish off the query with some good ole fashioned Boolean.

If you’re interested, give their demo a try and tell us your thoughts!

Other Dean Da Costa Content:

Dean has a free page of sourcing tools, links, and other recruiting resources that we highly recommend you check out! That page has an overwhelming amount of stuff, so you gotta really love sourcing to appreciate the infinite hours of work Dean has put into it. For all of the Dean Da Costa resources on RecruitingDaily, click here!

#HRTX March is creeping up, save the date!

On March 23rd, our team of sourcing experts will guide you through the fundamentals of sourcing. Our training sessions will cover everything from the building blocks of sourcing to the essential tools & methods you need to master to be an effective sourcer.

So you’re not a newbie? That’s okay. There’s something for everyone at this event, no matter your level. This is a stacked lineup that’s going to help you take your game to the next level.

Click here to find out more information and save the date!

The Benefits of Focusing on Social Well-Being in the Recruiting Process

Successful recruiting is about finding the right message at the right time. Even subtle changes to your recruiting materials can attract a different crowd of applicants and help you improve the quality and depth of your talent pool. 

Today, the best employees are looking for businesses that advertise themselves as employee-centric and supportive. Most people want to work for businesses that can improve their work-life balance and value social well-being. 

As a recruiter, you can take advantage of this trend by focusing on social well-being and balance during the recruiting process. 

Benefits of Social Well-Being

Employees around the globe have had enough toxic work environments that undervalue their efforts or disparage their identity. Employees are jumping ship, and are looking for businesses that value social well-being. 

Meeting the demands of today’s employees can be tricky. However, creating a supportive work environment can help your business land more talented applicants and find your dream candidates. Better social well-being can also improve your business’s brand, too, as everyone wants to buy from a business that values its people. 

Companies that cherish their people are also more open and honest. This can help employees discuss workplace health concerns and improve the lives of all employees. Employees that feel supported will willingly come forward with issues like workplace safety concerns and won’t feel intimidated by managers or HR. This can help business leaders run a safer, healthier business and minimize the risk of lawsuits or high staff turnover. 

Survey Your Current Benefits

You can’t authentically advertise your business as employee-friendly if you don’t have robust benefits and programs that improve social well-being in the workplace. However, that doesn’t mean you need to convince the finance department to spend a fortune on new employee wellness programs. Instead, audit your current programs to ensure you’re making the most of your current offering. 

If, after surveying your current benefits, you find that your business is behind competitors, you can pitch low-cost benefit programs that target younger employees and have a high ROI. Consider initiatives like: 

  • Fully/partial gym membership funding
  • Subscription to apps for meditation/mindfulness
  • Flexible working hours
  • Resource/affinity groups at work

Most of these programs only cost a few dollars per employee but make a major impact on your recruiting efforts. Paying for wellness apps or offering flexi-time shows that you care about employee wellbeing, even if you’re working on a limited budget. 

Advertising Yourself

Advertising yourself as an employee-centric employer is about more than listing a few perks and benefits at the bottom of a job listing. Your entire listing should prove that your business cares about the health and well-being of your staff. 

Start by writing more inclusive job descriptions. Using language that promotes diversity and inclusion ensures that you gather applications from all demographics. It also shows that you are aware of how a person’s background might impact their experience at work. 

Avoid using personal pronouns and reconsider your “values” subheading. Instead, focus on performance-based descriptors and role-specific language. If in doubt, reach out to the department you’re hiring for to gather more research so you can write a comprehensive, inclusive advert. 

You should try to publish your job adverts in non-traditional venues, too. Job forum sites like LinkedIn and Indeed will yield hundreds of applicants, but you need to go above and beyond the normal sites if you want to find the right employees. Consider posting to forums like Black Jobs or your state-wide autism society website. These sites help you find employees who are traditionally underrepresented in some fields and can help you exceed your DEI targets. 

Mental Health-Friendly Application Processes 

Applying for a job is a time-consuming, taxing process. Prospective applicants are looking for employers who value their time and will turn away if faced with unnecessarily convoluted forms and questionnaires. 

Revise your recruiting process to become more mental-health-friendly. Start with the basics, and ensure that applicants do not have to re-write any information that is already included on their CV or resume. Make it clear that you are willing to make reasonable accommodations before the applicant begins the process and try to minimize the rounds of interviews that applicants must go through. 

These steps show that you value applicants’ time and well-being. A robust, mental-health-friendly process may also save you time, as you won’t have to dig through forms or discard unnecessary information every time you open a new application packet. 

Final Thoughts

Businesses that value social well-being appeal to today’s applicants and will draw the most talented prospective employees. As a recruiter, you can take advantage of this trend by writing inclusive adverts and highlighting perks like flexible work hours, wellness programs, and affinity groups in your workplace. Try to make the application as straightforward as possible, as your application is a reflection of your entire business. Make sure applicants don’t have to repeat information and try to cut down on the number of interview rounds you plan on holding.