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In the midst of chatter of an impending recession—Lancaster County continues to have a low unemployment rate of 3.3% as of September 2019. Though job prospects are as good as ever for job seekers, this historically low unemployment rate presents an added challenge to companies looking to fill open positions.

As companies around the county look to sharpen their recruiting efforts, it’s important to remember one vital, yet often overlooked, portion of recruitment strategies: Knowing the company’s recruiting competition. Recognizing where the competition is and what they are doing to attract talent is an ideal recruiting practice. 

Here are several ways to keep internal recruitment strategies sharp and ahead of the competition:

1. Conduct an ongoing analysis of future needs in hiring. Planning ahead can help avoid hasty decisions, limited last-minute options, or overlooking available internal skills.
2. If possible, maintain a pool of applicants and tap into individual and personal networks to find candidates who are the best fit for the role. But don’t get too focused on landing a “purple squirrel” – a staffing industry term for the person who checks every box on the hiring checklist. Always consider whether a candidate with the right personality and cultural fit can be trained for specific ... Read More

In several previous blog posts, we have provided guidance on effective steps to take when recruiting employees. In this post, we’ll focus on what not to do—mistakes to avoid—while referencing some of our past blog posts.

In order to get the most out of your recruitment efforts and find the candidates you need, plan ahead. Consider each of these “don’ts” when developing your recruitment strategies:

1. Don’t rely on old-fashioned recruitment tools – If you’re just posting ads in the newspaper and on job sites, you’re short-changing yourself and missing promising candidates. Use your social media pages, professional online forums, and specialized search tools, too. If you don’t have access to these, get in touch with a professional recruiter with this experience. See our blog post on technology used by professional recruiters.
2. Don’t overlook current employees – Could a great candidate already be working for your company, maybe within another department? Don’t be so focused on getting the best candidate “out there” that you miss a great candidate “in here.” Someone who excels in a position within the company may be ready for increased responsibility. And a promotion is a great way to hang on to talented staff. See our blog post ... Read More

Many job seekers delay contacting a staffing agency because they believe they can find a better job on their own. However, recruiters offer significant advantages and even the most demanding candidates can benefit from the assistance staffing agencies provide.

Seeking out help can be tough. As you start your job search, you’re confident you can find a position on your own. After all, no one can understand your background better than you and only you can properly steer your career toward your desired trajectory.

Right? Well, not exactly.

Working with a recruiter doesn’t replace your understanding of your skills or change the direction of your career. Instead, staffing agencies are there to amplify those powers. They can unlock possibilities you didn’t know existed.

Here are some of the ways you benefit from working with a recruiter, rather than trying to land a position on your own:

Unadvertised Opportunities

Employers don’t always publish their open positions. This is especially true if those companies work with a staffing firm. Instead of going through the trouble and expense of soliciting applications from the public, they will go directly through the recruiter to get the workers they need.

By signing up with a staffing agency, you ... Read More

It may seem like a simple ice-breaker-type question, little more than an excuse to recite your resume, or maybe just a lead-in to more meaningful inquiries. However, the query “tell me about yourself” can represent a trap. In fact, it can become as much a trap for unprepared job seekers as more obvious head-scratchers like “what’s your biggest weakness?”.

However, it doesn’t have to be. Instead of becoming an awkward point in the interview, the question offers you a significant opportunity. You can use it to set the tone for the rest of the meeting and outline your baseline case for getting hired.

Here are some things to include as you respond to the all-but-inevitable “tell me about your yourself” prompt.

Briefly Rundown Your History

The bulk of your answer should involve your biography. At this point, you should mostly stick to your education and work history, as this is most pertinent to a job situation.

However, look to include more personal elements, as well. These can help make a connection with your interviewers. Mention details like where you were born, where you grew up, how many brothers and sisters you have, etc.

One warning, though: Make sure not to dip into things like politics or ... Read More

The average amount of time for recruiting employees—from first posting to accepted offer—increased 62 percent at large global organizations from 2010 to 2015. The hiring time for white-collar positions reached, on average, 68 business days in 2015. That’s 26 days longer than in 2010.^*

Hiring can definitely take too long, dragging on for weeks and weeks and even months with no real benefit to anyone—employer, their employees, and job candidates. Among the reasons: more people involved in the hiring process, increased testing and background clearances, and managers loaded down with hiring duties as well as day-to-day administrative responsibilities.

So, how quickly should companies hire? While we generally advocate for hiring fast, especially in the currently tight job market, there are sometimes legitimate reasons for hiring slow. But not often.

When recruiting employees, what’s the harm in routinely hiring slow?

Top candidates can lose interest if the hiring process takes too long; meanwhile, they get other competitive offers, and you can lose them. In fact, some companies keep looking for the perfect candidate—”this one looks really good, but maybe someone even better is out there.” Then, they lose a great candidate and settle for less in the end. So, more time and deliberation doesn’t mean ... Read More