There are several resources and readings out there with details on how to make your business grow. It is important to consider what will help a company expand, but it is also equally important to understand what may be hindering your growth. Once you get past these growth-halting factors, your business can thrive.

1.     No social media or website

2.     Not analyzing properly

You should be analyzing and tracking every aspect of your company. This includes sales, social media activity, and hiring activity if you are trying to expand. As you track the numbers in these areas, you will start to see what makes your business tick.

3.     You haven’t built up a positive image yet

This factor also ties into having a strong social media presence. You want the best reviews possible for your business. It is important to remember that customers are much more likely to share a negative experience rather than a positive experience with your service or product, so try your best to prevent any negativity!

4.     You haven’t found the right audience

It is essential to target your service or product at the right group. Make sure that you are advertising correctly and in the right places.

5.     You need more referrals

Sometimes simply encouraging customers to spread the word may help you gain referrals, but also consider implementing a reward system for referrals. An example of this is $5 off your product or service if a customer refers a friend. Although this may not apply to all companies, referrals help you grow!

6.     You aren’t hiring the right people

An efficient ATS is one of the most important parts of hiring, but in addition to that you should also take the time to research the steps of successful hiring. Your employees what make your company!  

If you can get past some of these hindrances you will start to see some growth in your company. Just remember to analyze everything along the way!  

Virtual Reality in recruiting is starting to prove useful when it comes to finding the right candidates.

Virtual reality has gone from being a gimmicky form of technology to a developed and useful tool used in many different fields.  Companies like PwC and General Mills were some of the first to incorporate VR into their recruiting process.  They are finding that strapping a VR headset on a potential hire to give them tours of facilities, and explain benefits/company procedures while on the tour.  Even the Navy is using VR to bring possible recruits into realistic naval simulations to give them a look at what it really is like to be in the Navy.  

As technology advances, it is important to advance with it.  It strengthens your company’s image and makes you company more attractive to candidates.  VR can really be the wow factor your recruiting team needs to really enhance your hiring process and impress quality candidates.  

Many times, there is a lot of uncertainty on what new hires should expect on their first day of a new job.

Incorporating virtual reality in recruiting washes away all of that uncertainty because people know exactly where they are working and procedures they are expected to follow before they even step into the office or facility.

If you are looking to get a leg up on competitors, virtual reality in recruiting could be just that.  It is something that not many companies are using, but is increasing in popularity.  If you hop onboard early, it shows that your company is cutting edge and a pioneer as opposed to joining the fad after it becomes industry standard a few years down the road.  

Time to take advantage of the amazing technology that is available to make your recruiting process the best it can possibly be.    

A successful business sets itself apart from the rest. In order for a business to show exponential growth, it must have defining features unlike those of competitors. Here are some tips for creative a unique business position.

Keep it catchy

A short and simple name or slogan is easier for people to remember and catch on to. This also includes an eye-catching logo for your company or a well-designed and easy to use website. Some of the biggest name brands share short and catchy names such as “Google”, “Spotify”, or “Twitter”. This is just one small feature to differentiate your company!

Social media

Having social media established for your company does not mean simply setting up a Facebook and Twitter page that you post on once a month. A unique company has exciting and engaging social media. Creating a viral social media campaign will excel your company.

Superior customer service

No one likes talking to an automated voice on the phone. Try your best to personally respond to your customers’ needs. This shows a certain level of care and dedication that many businesses lack.

Have the best offers

Research your competitors and see what they offer for their product or service. From there, think creatively about how to set yourself apart from what your competitors are selling or doing. Take the time to highlight features of your product or service that you feel are defining. This also means truly believing in your product or service.

Have a defined purpose

Having some sort of inspiration or backstory along with your business is the ultimate form of uniqueness. The most important question is: For what reason did you start your business? Not every backstory or purpose behind starting a company has to be emotional or comedic, but your intent and goals should still be clear.

Employees

You want employees that match the uniqueness of your company. Hiring the right people can be tricky, but not if you use social media and/or an ATS. Your employees represent your company, so using software to carefully sort through your applicants is essential.

Every successful business differentiates itself with these features. So how is your company unique?

You finally found the perfect person for that job you’ve been looking to fill.  Their resume is full of accolades and qualities that you, the recruiter have been searching for.  They are starting next week; how do you ensure successful onboarding?  Here are a few tips on the matter.

Comfortability

There is always nervousness both from the new employee and the current staff when there is a new addition to the team.  It’s important to make the new hire feel at home, as cliche as that sounds.  Doing things like getting lunch as a team or just going up to them and having an introductory conversation could quickly ease the tension of having someone new in the office.  If the new staff member is comfortable and can embrace the company culture right from the start, there is a higher chance you will see success and positive results of the hire quickly.  

Train, Train, Train  

Another important aspect to ensure success of a new hire is training.  You cannot expect the new hire to understand everything from the start and putting a thick training manual on their desk isn’t an effective way of teaching.  Creating a training itinerary that is divided into parts that can be easily consumed by the trainee.

Also, get different team members to train, this is effective in two ways: it helps the employees to get to know the new staff member and it gives the new hire different perspectives on how to get things done.  Paper training is a thing of the past, if you want the new employee to catch on fast, fact-to-face training is the way to go.

Mentorship

Assign someone who the new hire can go to when they need help, have questions or may confide in if any problems arise.  Many times, new employees may have questions but are scared or nervous to ask anyone, so they try to figure it out themselves.  

This can lead to confusion and wasted time on something that could possibly be answered by a team member. New hires don’t want to seem unknowledgeable, so it is a good idea to assign a team member to help them from the start.  This will help make the new hire be an effective employee right away.

Having a digital footprint online is mandatory for business growth and success in today’s social media dominate world.  37% of the world’s entire population uses social media; (that’s 2.8 billion people)!  Startup businesses looking to gain recognition must understand the major social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, (to name a few), the demographics they serve, and the best way to use them for building a customer base and loyal following.   Social media is a unique resource that is easy and mostly free to use, so new businesses have a great advantage compared to the past.   Here are some important data points to consider when using the top 3 major platforms: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn…

Age is just a number…

Yet young adults between ages 18-29 are using social media the most in general.  The graph below via Pew Research Center indicates, however, the trend for older adults using social media has increased in recent years.  The age factor is the only factor that seems to vary when measuring demographics of people who use social media.  Young users dominate, yet people of all ages, careers, and education levels use social media in general. Recent data does also shows that most people (28% of internet users) only use 1 platform.  Keep this in mind before posting out content or job opportunities.  You want to make sure you are sharing relevant content and job opportunities to the correct social platform that will reach people most relevant to your cause.

Facebook remains king…

Facebook is still the most-widely used social media site across the internet population.  Users between the ages of 45-54 are using it most, representing 21% of total time spent on the platform compared to any other age group.  Facebook is free to use, and companies can set up business pages that provide key insights into website traffic, audience reach, and with 1.19 billion Facebook users, will increase company exposure.  For the majority of Facebook users, the average time spent on Facebook is about 20 minutes.  This is huge for business exposure, and if content is posted daily, your followers are highly likely to see your posts and engage.

Twitter 

Twitter is a unique platform that allows users to reach audiences within seconds and using only 140 characters.  Often considered a site catering to “news junkies,” Twitter is also a great (and free) platform to use for employer branding and connecting to people within specific industries directly. The use of hashtags with the ability to “attach” a person’s Twitter username to posts using the “@” symbol can help with marketing, networking, and communicating with prospects.  Industry-specific content with proper use of hashtags can reach thousands of people within seconds.  Retweets of your content will increase that number even more.  Twitter is all about learning what keywords are commonly used with hashtags and applying these to your posts so those searching that keyword will see your message.   It’s important to note that Twitter users spend only about 3 minutes per day on the site – a drastic difference compared to Facebook users.  That’s why it’s important to also discover the best days and time to post to Twitter to receive the highest impressions possible (read more on that here).

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the leading social media platform that hosts millions of professional profiles across all industries. With a whopping 106 million users per month, LinkedIn users are less likely to use any other social media platform (take note).  Building a company page on LinkedIn can help highlight what makes your company special: company culture, the industry you serve, and also what makes you unique (and attractive to prospects looking for a new opportunity).  LinkedIn also provides businesses a career page linking interested applicants to jobs so they can apply instantly.

Manage Them All…

Hootsuite is a helpful social network management tool with a free option allowing you to post content on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn while keeping track of progress.  You can schedule posts to push live on specific days and times of the week and select the platform(s) you’d like content to be posted.  Here’s a great article detailing the benefits of Hootsuite.

Snapchat is a popular mobile application created by three former Stanford University students in 2011.  The app allows its users to share images and multimedia instantly through its platform and has since developed into a graphics and overlay king that attracts a particularly younger audience.

It is estimated there are 160 million active users world-wide using Snapchat, with a majority of its user-base ranging between the ages of 18 – 24 years old.   For employers who are looking to recruit younger workers, Snapchat is a great source to tap into.  Not only can it be great for job recruitment, but it can be used as a tool to promote company brand and build an online audience in a fun and unique way. Here’s how some big names are using Snapchat to recruit talent and expand:

Snapchat for job recruitment: 

A social media campaign launched by McDonald’s in Australia called “Snaplications” aimed to attract young job seekers on Snapchat.  It required users to upload a 10-second video as an introductory application.  Once reviewed, McDonald’s would then send prospects a link through Snapchat connecting applicants to their website to apply online.  The Australia chief operating officer Shaun Ruming said, “We think this is actually a world first. Snaplications is basically a Snapchat ‘lens’ that gives users the ability to apply for a job —or at least commence that process—by sending a 10-second snap.”

Snapchat also includes a geofilter capability that enables visual overlays on specified locations on a map.  This allows employers to target specific locations and places (such as college campuses or businesses) and offers a unique method of promotion and interest.

Snapchat for employer branding:

The well-known IT and networking company Cisco started a social media campaign allowing their employees to capture daily work activities and experiences using Snapchat. Workers from different locations world-wide post videos of their offices, events they attend, and tours of product-testing centers to showcase what a day in the life of a Cisco employee entails.  New content is posted by a group of Cisco employees chosen from their 165 global locations daily, which is a great way to get noticed by interested Snapchatters who would possibly be interested in joining the company.

Cisco’s director for culture and global employer branding Macy Andrews says, “We want to showcase a different variety of jobs, so we might pick someone from engineering, or finance or legal, so we can show what various jobs at Cisco look like,” she says. “Some of it is location-based — we might be looking to fill a position at our site in Germany or our Richardson, Texas office, so we’ll get someone to snap from those locations.” 

Andrews also commented on the role employees play when attending special events.  “If our CEO goes to the New York office, we may have a group of employees there follow him around and snap various meetings or photos of him taking our interns out to lunch.”  

As Snapchat was once viewed as simply a video-sharing platform with fun graphics, it is now becoming more and more recognized as a tool for businesses to recruit talent and focus on improving employer brand. President of New York-based marketing firm Jody Ordinoni says that if you’re using Snapchat to recruit, “It means you’re kind of cool…it’s a way to show your audience that you’re embracing new technology.”

Pereless Systems Applicant Tracking includes free, innovative tools to promote jobs through social media platforms like Snapchat.  Let us show you how to post & share for free!  

A good HR professional is a “people person.” After all, your field requires you to interact with or learn about people all day long. However, there are defining factors and skill sets that make the difference between a good Human Resource professional and a great one. Here are some HR tips.

Good communication

Although your job might consist of reading over applications all day, clear and effective communication is still necessary. People will approach you with numerous questions and even complaints. A big part of Human Resources is being able to handle whatever people may throw at you. Good communication involves careful listening, understanding, and problem solving.

Technology-savvy

A strong understanding of technology is required in almost all fields of work today, but in HR being tech-savvy will give you a huge leap in your career. Being well-versed in technology means not only hiring through online software such as an ATS, but also being engaged with social media. According to a Glassdoor survey, 79% are likely to use social media in their job search.

Additionally, 75% of hiring and talent managers use either applicant tracking or recruiting software to improve their hiring process. You certainly do not want to be the 10% to 15% that do not implement social media or HR software. Not only will your business benefit, but the hiring process will be significantly less stressful.

Growth-minded

Being a part of a small business can be wonderful, however in the HR department you need to constantly be thinking of the future. As your business grows you must be able to adapt. Being prepared for growth and change is essential as an HR professional. You must be ready to hire and work with new employees.

Whether you are hiring, screening, or interviewing, perfecting these skills will help you become a great HR professional.

Sifting through paper and emailed resumes is tedious and unorganized.  An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is a software Human Resource tool that automates this and all other aspects of the recruiting process.  Here are 3 ways how an ATS will make your HR department more efficient.

Reduce the Amount of HR Tasks

When hiring, the HR department is weighed down with many tasks.  From creating the job details, posting on job board, reviewing candidates, and interviewing.  It can get pretty hectic.  With recruiting software, the workload lightens as an ATS does all of the hard work like posting on job boards and organizing applications for you.

Find Quality Candidates

With the help of an ATS it is easier to find high quality candidates.  There is nothing more frustrating than bringing in unqualified candidates for interviews.  This could be a big waste of time and money while looking to fill an open job opening.  With features that help sort through candidates by automatically removing unqualified applications to seamlessly sending candidates to co-workers for approval, it has never been easier to increase the efficiency the quality of candidates.  

Smooth Onboarding Process

Once you have found the right person for the job, it’s time for the onboarding process to begin.  This could be a headache for both the new employee and the company.  There is usually a lot of stress to get all the necessary paperwork filled out and submitted before the first day of work.  Sending the paperwork via email or giving hard copies could be delay the process.  With an ATS, an onboarding portal eliminates this by sending e-forms that can be filled out online and submitted in real time, ensuring that all forms are taken care of prior to the employee’s first day.

Modernize your recruitment process by investing in an ATS.  All of the reasons why an ATS is right for your company listed above are available on Pereless Systems’ easy to use Applicant Tracking System.  To learn more request a free demo today!

Job boards have taken over online recruiting. It is less and less common for a job applicant to seek out a specific company when looking for a new position. For this reason, some companies have been struggling to keep their job applications numbers on the rise.

If you’ve missed Google’s recent addition, you’ve missed out on a huge hiring opportunity.

Google for Jobs

Previously, an applicant could type in the job industry and location that would fit their needs and different job boards would pop up on Google.

However, Google for Jobs has now eliminated that crucial one step and has funneled all of the job boards to one place.

Instead of job boards, there may be a sponsored post at the top but it is immediate followed by Google’s own version of a job board – a true disruption for the recruiting industry.

Aside from the highlighted 3-4 jobs that appear on the homepage, candidates can click a link and view more.

Google for Jobs

How can you be seen on Google for Jobs?

It is unclear exactly what algorithm Google for Jobs is using to choose which jobs appear in their ranking order but it seems that the distribution of job boards is fairly even. Still, it is important to make sure that your company takes advantage of this new opportunity.

It can be difficult for HR managers to stay on top of these technological trends, especially when managing multiple job boards, openings, applicants, interviews, screening processes, etc. An applicant tracking system and talent acquisition software can streamline the hiring process.

Not only will this type of system post the jobs online and track analytics from clicks and applies, it goes a few steps further by allowing hiring managers to search, import, tag, contact and organize candidates.

Once a candidate is chosen, ATS like Pereless also include an onboarding portal which aids companies with digital paperwork, tasks, and communication with the candidates up until the day they officially become an employee.

Google for Jobs

Social media recruiting has recently grown in popularity.  More and more companies are gearing up to find quality candidates via social media.  The social media takeover is sweeping the nation and has now moved over into the recruitment world.  

80% of job seekers will use social media to help them in the job search.  

It is important to get on board the social media recruiting train because it gives companies access to the most diverse candidate pool possible.

It is proven that jobseekers are more likely to apply for a position if the company is actively updating and managing their social media accounts. It is important to actively manage and post on your social media platforms because it shows jobseekers a good company culture and work environment.

The biggest platform that companies are using is LinkedIn; this is where companies are seeing the best results for hiring candidates.

It is apparent that using social media can really boost your applicant pool, giving you the most options when hiring a candidate.  In today’s day and age, everyone uses their phones and social media for just about everything.

Isn’t it time to bring your recruiting into the modern day?

Almost all successful companies plan to use social media for their recruiting and are investing serious money in their social recruiting.  Join the movement and use your social media accounts to make your hiring process the best it can be.  As candidates get younger, the more social media will play a factor in the recruitment process.