Month: September 2022

Talent Reimagined -Dream2Career

Attract Motivated Job Seekers without Increasing Salaries

by Edu-Advisor, posted in HR Professionals

Offering new hires larger salaries for entry-level positions is a very bad idea when there is a labor shortage. By continuing to raise the salaries to attract talent creates a bidding war among all the businesses seeking talent. Agencies are reaping the benefits, but businesses are wasting time and money recruiting the same candidates, who have no intention of staying with the first company when the next company is offering a little more.  This battle for talent, consequently, makes your seasoned employees upset because the newcomers are making the same salaries as they are, with no experience. This process creates resentful, hostile employees who are also going to start looking for another job and they will treat the new employees badly making the new employee unhappy before they leave. The vicious cycle is being repeated over and over in businesses across the nation.

It’s time to reimagine talent management and look for positive ways that businesses can attract, retain, and inspire best-fit candidates who will exceed production goals and add value to the company culture without having to continue to raise salaries.

Instead of offering more money and sign-on bonuses let’s fix the problem for good:

Cluster and Repackage Position Titles and Descriptions

According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), there are over 11 million jobs open in the U.S. each month. Imagine that you are a job seeker, where do you begin streaming through all the jobs? The system of listing jobs on a job board is ineffective and difficult to maintain. Less than 35% of people find their job based on the job title. We need to start thinking about posting careers using a cluster method rather than just a list with keyword searches. Keywords are useless when you don’t know what you are looking for. Even advanced filters and Boolean searching has significant flaws because most users are not familiar with them.  It’s impossible to determine all the keywords that might be used to describe a position.

Dream2Career uses HIF cluster logic, which is aligned with the 16 clusters used by both the DoE and DoL and then translated into a common language that helps users find positions matching their personality and their career interests. The Horizontal Industry Framework (HIF) allows for job promotion using six personality clusters, Mavens, Processors, Protectors, Specialists, Naturalists and Visionaries. This process of organization works with current systems, and it helps the job seeker understand where they belong based on who they are and what they like to do. Just like STEM helps businesses communicate effectively across industries and with career seekers, the HIF categorizes all positions in the same way, providing understanding, structure, and personal connection to the career choices which leads to happiness in the workplace.

Attracting talent is a positioning problem. Career seekers are not motivated unless they see the job as value added. We need to think about that when writing job descriptions, especially for entry-level work. When a product is incorrectly positioned in the marketplace, even if it’s a great product, it will not sell. This is true for job posting too!  Positive messages bring in positive workers so keep the terms motivating and simple.

Shorten the Message

In a competitive market, getting to the point is most important. If you can list an entry-level job description with 5 bullet points or less do that! As much as you want a potential employee to research your organization and come to appreciate what you have to offer, that is not the way to attract people to your business. It is your responsibility to attract them to you! This requires thinking about a communication plan, instead of job lists that no one scrolls through and lists that are impossible to maintain having positions that you don’t currently need.

Generate Leads Using Position Clusters

Many organizations attempt to collect all the candidate data right off the bat.  Fifty-seven percent of job seekers are passive job seekers, and making the application process complex from the beginning is unadvised. It is not necessary to capture every detail about a prospect on the first encounter and the less information you ask, the more likely you are to get a response from the right kind of candidate. Consider creating an evergreen HIF communication process using career clusters. It will take a little time on the front end, but it will make the process easier to maintain, easier for the job seeker, and more cost effective in the long run.

Collaborate Locally

Helping people find their best path forward means being selfless and collaborative. HR professionals often know each other well, even from other industries. It is important to make referrals to colleagues when you have a great candidate who just stumbled into the wrong business. Make the recommendation to your colleague and help the job seeker find their pathway to success. Even if the applicant could do a great job for you, if they are unhappy, you owe it to your community to allow that candidate to become the best version of themselves. It will come back ten-fold if organizations stop trying to “steal” talent and help each other and help the candidates. We are all in this together, so let’s work together to solve the talent shortage.

Offer Quality of- Life Benefits

Improving the quality of life for all your workers will offer the greatest return on investment. When people are happy and they have hope that tomorrow will be better than today, they are more productive, and they create an environment that is fun and exciting. Offering local benefits, rewards, and recognition programs will make your employees feel safer and more committed to their career. This small mindset shift will lead to innovation and company growth that every business needs right now.

These steps allow companies to reimagine talent acquisition so that the process works for everyone, and it will help to put the “human” back in human resources.

If you would like to discuss ways to create evergreen communications plans for talent acquisition or if you are interested in using HIF logic, contact Dream2Career.

About the Author:

Kathleen Houlihan, CEO of Dream2Career, is on a mission to help students and career seekers find onramps to their dream careers. Kathy taught full-time at the university level for over 6 years and continues to teach as an adjunct while consulting for businesses and educational providers. She’s serves on several workforce development groups including the T3 Innovation Network and Midwest Credential Transparency Alliance and has a Ph.D. in Organizational Management, an MBA, and B.A. in Psychology.

Earn-Learn Programs: Minimizing the Skills Gap

by Edu-Advisor, posted in HR Professionals, Workforce Development

In my 20+ years of experience working with workforce development and education, I’ve seen the use of work-learn solutions as the most effective model in reducing the skills gap. The outcomes far exceed the investment for the company, the mentee, the mentor, and the community.

Businesses and educators often look for someone to blame for the skills gap. Each entity wants to blame the other group instead of working together to solve the issue. Our philosophy at Dream2Career has always been don’t blame, collaborate! When business and education work together, like with internships or apprenticeships, both sides experience significant benefits.

When businesses spend a small amount of time and resources developing learn-earn programs, they get customized training that fits their specific needs it boosts company morale and increases employee retention.  When seasoned workers have the opportunity to teach another person about their job, they experience a greater sense of responsibility and importance to the company. This sense of achievement also helps to reduce stress and creates a sense of belonging.  The apprenticeship model has a net positive effect on the company culture and ultimately the bottom line.

Students also gain from the work-learn model because it so neatly helps students match the classroom lessons to related concepts they learned “on-the-job”. Now that math problem has context, which increases comprehension and interest in math. It also helps give student a sense of hope about their future and lets them discover a pathway forward.

I like to describe our current workforce system by giving students the opportunity to understand their personality using HIF Logic and then matching who they are to the work-learn onramp experiences that inspire and delight so they can see a future that is bright. It makes so much more sense to give students access to career pathways that match their interests and their aspirational goals so they can succeed in learning and in life. Workforce-related learning give students the opportunity to see the outcome and how they fit into the structure. By creating this work-learn connection, students have the opportunity to find a successful and rewarding career that they love.

If you would like to discuss internships, apprenticeships, or other educational reimbursement solutions that inspire and delight, contact Dream2Career.

About the Author:

Kathleen Houlihan, CEO of Dream2Career, is on a mission to help students and displaced workers find onramps to their dream careers. Kathy taught full-time at the university level for over 6 years and continues to teach as an adjunct while consulting for businesses and educational providers. She serves on several workforce development groups including the T3 Innovation Network and Midwest Credential Transparency Alliance and has a Ph.D. in Organizational Management, an MBA, and B.A. in Psychology.

Staffing Crisis: It’s Time to Get Back to the Basics

by Edu-Advisor, posted in HR Professionals, Workforce Development

Is your inability to find employees causing a crisis? Hiring managers, don’t panic, take a deep breath, and get back to the basics.  Here are 4 tips to get your staffing levels back to normal; simplify the application process, hire local, collaborate in the community, and retain employees through quality-of-life benefits.

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Tip #1 Simplify Don’t make the process any more difficult than it needs to be for the prospective employee. Jobseekers who are inquiring about a position, should not need all their transcripts, clearances, and background checks right out of the gate, specifically when you need entry-level workers. The process for onramp positions should be designed to be simpler and utilizing temp-to-hire positions is a great way to manage expectations. Another option is to start an internship program working with your local colleges.

Designing a communication plan that is focused will yield better results. Most companies have positions for several industry sectors at the same time.  Prospects don’t understand your workforce jargon so keep it simple in the job description and stay away from posting on job boards. There are too many jobs listed on job boards and your best candidates are not going to be found there.

My first job, as a newspaper carrier, came from a referral from my sister; she asked me to come along with her and she showed me the route. It wasn’t until after I completed the work with her that I actually applied for the job. You may not want to encourage something this extreme, but it proves a point. Doing a job is about learning what is involved and seeing if it works for you. More companies could utilize job shadowing days so that prospective employees could see the job for themselves. BONUS: the current employees in the division will feel empowered to have input into the hiring process.

I was in a meeting yesterday with a government entity that is in dire straits, having almost 500 positions open and they were explaining the application process so we could help our clients to complete the application. The process was daunting and not user-friendly. Nothing turns candidates away, especially when there are jobs everywhere, than a long, complicated application process for a minimum wage entry-level position.

Tip #2 Check your surroundings I’ve said this before, your best workers are in your neighborhood. We’ve become so focused on the internet, job boards, and the pandemic that we forgot that we work in HUMAN resources. It is so easy to stay hidden away, especially if we have a cushy job that now allows work from home. Psychologically, the home is safe but it also limiting and not all positions can be completed from there. It is important that you set self-imposed rules to engage, in person, with other people at work. If you don’t force yourself to change, you will stop growing and then depression and loneliness will follow. If you don’t start today, tomorrow you might not be able to leave. The pandemic has created a nation of agoraphobics and we must fight this disease in ourselves if we want to get things back to normal. You will be happier in everything you do if you find reasons to connect face-to-face with the world around you.

In addition, not every position can be performed remotely which means looking in the neighborhood is advisable. Offering referral bonuses to current employees is smart, but also using local media to offer reasons for people to come to your business, not just to complete the application, will work too.

Tip #3 Find Allies

There are lots of ways to interest prospects. Leverage your marketing team and brainstorm ways to recruit prospective employees or develop a local communication strategy with other local businesses to create community-focused messaging like Operation Dream Landing. Don’t perceive other businesses as competition with regards to hiring, see them as collaborators. Activities like an industry scavenger hunt at several local businesses could be fun. Another idea is to have local awards programs for specific industries, make it open to the public, hire a local band, and really celebrate your employees. This will improve company morale and change the entire mindset around the worker experience. In Colorado, they have Server Appreciation Day, and all the local businesses participate together to celebrate those who work in the hospitality industry. These kinds of initiatives are underutilized, and we are working with the Champaign, IL community to improve collaboration and accelerate site-based hiring initiatives.

Tip # 4 Keep Employees Motivated

Do you have employees that show up late and when they get there, they offer nothing but bad karma–complaining and checking out mentally? One approach is to fire them, but you know that right now it’s difficult to replace them.  A preferred option is to inspire them, there is no question that there are bad people in the world, but most people are naturally positive, but lack motivation because of all of the sadness in the news and, today, they have no hope for the future. Instead of using discipline, offer quality-of-life benefits and rewards programs that will help employees navigate their options more effectively in life. Celebrate those who are outperforming in the workplace, provide promotions, and other pathways to success including educational reimbursement programs. There are countless options that will cost less to implement than onboarding new people. Bottom-Line: Motivated workers consistently exceed production goals and improve the working conditions for everyone. Try these steps and you’ll see that you have the workforce you always wanted.

If you would like to discuss community-focused recruitment strategies that inspire and retain quality workers, contact Dream2Career.

About the Author:

Kathleen Houlihan, CEO of Dream2Career, is on a mission to help students and displaced workers find onramps to their dream careers. Kathy taught full-time at the university level for over 6 years and continues to teach as an adjunct while consulting for businesses and educational providers. She serves on several workforce development groups including the T3 Innovation Network and Midwest Credential Transparency Alliance and has a Ph.D. in Organizational Management, an MBA, and B.A. in Psychology.

Dream2Career (D2C) is a women-owned agency that reimagines talent acquisition and optimizes the system for candidates and employers. D2C provides human-centric solutions that filter-in candidates who exceed expectations in the workplace.

Hope: The Secret to Worker Retention

by Edu-Advisor, posted in HR Professionals, Work-Learn Solutions for Businesses, Workforce Development

According to US News & World Report, people feel sad and hopeless when they read the news.  This is having a huge impact on communities across the nation. When we feel depressed, we are not motivated to work. The consequences for businesses are less workers seeking employment, less workers showing up on time, if they show up at all. The blaugh feeling, that we are all feeling from reading the news, means businesses are forced to cut hours of operation and reduce production making it impossible to get things back to normal. We don’t have the conveniences that we once shared because people lost hope that things will get any better and they even believe things are getting worse. Perception is reality and this hopeless feeling must change if we ever want to feel accomplished, happy, and productive again.

Companies are offering hiring bonuses and better salaries, but these options do little to change the employee sentiment about having to go to work or their overall feelings of hopelessness. You can have all the money in the world, but if you are not happy,  it makes it difficult to enjoy the benefits that financial security provides.

Today’s workers prefer work-from-home jobs, not realizing this level of isolation is leading to more feelings of depression and hopelessness. According to the American Psychological Association, a study conducted by Cigna in 2018, found that 40% of participants sometimes or always felt isolated. Note this study was conducted before the pandemic. The article posits that isolation leads to poorer health, early death, and a reduced quality-of-life. These challenges impact the individual but, they also negatively impact our families and communities. The sentiment of being sad, from the news that we read, is passed on to the next person forcing everyone into feeling angry and scared, lacking the confidence we once had to fix the situation.

Schools used to be seen as a place for connection, discovery, and growth but schools are now being attacked in the media, from all sides, because of opposing views, costs, and lack of trust. These feelings of hate and fear are causing communities to turn on each other making them more violent and less productive. Schools used to give a sense of belonging, offering a place where it was safe to develop and learn, but now everything is under a microscope. We are all looking for ways to control the schools because we feel so out of control in our personal lives. The worst part is that the children are the ones who are impacted the most. Children don’t know who to trust or who to believe, which is negatively impacting their psychological development.  Society cannot flourish when there is fear and violence.  Remember the Dark Ages?  Children are forced to do active shooter drills and they are told the police are bad and their teachers are bad. These generalizations don’t reflect most of the people performing in these professions in my community. I bet most of the professional teachers and police officers in your community are good people, too.

Business leaders have an opportunity to step in and support their community and their employees by offering benefits and experiences that improve their overall quality-of-life. This means looking beyond the salary and using resources and influence to make communities a better place to work, learn, and live. Empowering employees to become the best versions of themselves will make them better contributors to your community and, consequently, better contributors to the bottom line. The process begins with a mindset shift and a focus on solving the things that can be fixed and giving people hope.

Instead of blaming the government, the schools, the workers, or the general state of the world. Focus on what can be done and look for ways to work with others interested in supporting positive endeavors to make communities thrive. No one is perfect and it is time we start to look past what we read, our flaws, and our differences and focus what we have in common; an interest in raising and working with productive collaborative citizens who are living without fear or hate. We can bring about positive change if we just learn trust and respect people again.

This minor shift in mindset will change the culture of your organization and your community. Leaders manage challenges and objections everyday and if they lead by example; by showing kindness, humility, and support, the climate will change. Employees will respect their employers and start to trust that things can get better. They will feel a sense of accomplishment and purpose about what they are doing.  Employees will be compelled to support their employer because  they will see that their employer wants them to succeed. The idea that tomorrow could be better than today will help them get out of the house and show up to work—show up for life.

Follow the lines from Beauty and the Beast:

Tale as old as time
True as it can be
Barely even friends
Then somebody bends
Unexpectedly

Just a little change
Small to say the least
Both a little scared
Neither one prepared…

By Celine Dion, Peabo Bryson

Our nation will always be the Beast; rich, powerful, and in some ways ugly, but we will not win if we don’t support each other, especially during our darkest days. Every interaction gives us the opportunity to return life to normal and provide hope for what is yet to come.

If you would like to discuss community focused talent development strategies that offer hope and inspiration, contact Dream2Career.

About the Author:

Kathleen Houlihan, is the CEO of Dream2Career and writes about creating synergies between workforce and education. Houlihan taught full-time at the university level for over 6 years and continues to teach as an adjunct while consulting for businesses and educational providers. She serves on several workforce development groups including the T3 Innovation Network and Midwest Credential Transparency Alliance and has a Ph.D. in Organizational Management, an MBA, and B.A. in Psychology.

Dream2Career (D2C) is a women-owned agency that reimagines talent acquisition and optimizes the system for candidates and employers. D2C provides human-centric solutions that filter-in candidates who exceed expectations in the workplace.