What Should Firms Be Doing to Attract the Best Young Talent

What Should Firms Be Doing to Attract the Best Young Talent All indicators agree: until 2030, the number of skilled jobs needed in the global economy will exceed the number of available candidates. The war for talent is raging, and companies are not sure they will win it. What should firms be doing to attract the best young talent? Not offer a career but an exciting, international, entrepreneurial and meaningful adventure. Companies must take into account the aspirations and behaviors of this new generation of talent, even if they are sometimes paradoxical. Large companies are not only competing with each other to recruit the best talent, but they are also competing with the entrepreneurial drive of young people who are creating or joining human-sized organizations and start-ups, learning and growing faster. To attract the best young talents, companies must offer “fast track” or “rotational programmes” as early career development, which allows young talent to develop and take up challenges that have impact and meaning. Companies must also capitalize on their specificities: collective dynamics and learning from other employees. Young talents do not necessarily seek to work in non-profit associations or NGOs but want their employers Social and Environmental Responsibility to be reflected in their missions. The next issue is, how do young people approach looking for placements/first jobs, where do they search, and what are their expectations during the recruitment process? A recent study was carried out earlier this year by the EDHEC business school  and JobTeaser. They analyzed data from more than 1700  respondents, students, and recent graduates, who had either studied in Europe or were of European nationality. They found that to look for internships and first jobs; young people mainly use their universities’ career intranet platforms (48%) then the companies websites (39%) and their network (35%). 71% of young people also ask for transparency on the recruitment process. Young graduates are used to instant application responses and want more fluidity during the recruitment process, i.e., speed and simplicity when applying. They no longer want to complete an application form when they have already sent the same information in their CV. They would instead write a quick motivation email than a long cover letter. 74 % find it necessary to receive a personalized reply. They want to get feedback for each step of the application procedure. In particular, they want a debriefing of their interview performance when they are not selected to improve. Another critical issue is the importance of transparency in job offers, personalization and offering a range of application processes Before applying, information found on the company is often decisive: 80 % of young people research the company culture before applying, and 78% believe that the company culture in ­fluences their application. Recruitment communication must adapt to these new requirements. Corporate discourse must be less stereotyped: more specific and more sincere. They want updated, documented job offers and transparency in salaries. They would like the offers to be more detailed and reflect the companys culture and values. During the application process, young graduates want a personalized candidate experience that makes them want to get involved in the company because they will feel unique. Finally, how are social networks  impacting the recruitment process? 87% of students and recent graduates are already registered on at least one professio ­nal social network. Among them, 78% consult their account at least once a week and three students among 4 read their news feed. Companies can no longer be satisfied with a presence of their employer brand only on personal social networks; they must also communicate on professional networks and have content adapted to this target of young, qualified and demanding talent. 81% read the news and the company page before applying. Social networks have an impact on the decisions of young talents before they apply. They make it easy to check that companies promises match the realities experienced by young graduates already employed in the company. The experts are their ex-peers. However, this digital presence does not exempt companies from establishing direct contacts with students: job and career fairs, campus presence, educational partnerships, business games This generation needs human relations and mentoring and coaching. In conclusion, in a globalized, fluid and graduate-friendly job market, employer brands need to be proactive and sincere in order not only to attract and recruit but also to retain and engage these talents. About the author:  Manuelle Malot  is the Director, Alumni Careers, and NewGenTalent center, EDHEC. Manuelle is a specialist in graduate recruitment and career management. She is an author and recognized expert on new generation career and workplace trends. She has more than 25 years of experience advising both executive professionals and organizations on the changing world of work.

Improve Your Leadership Skills and Manage Change More Effectively -

Improve Your Leadership Skills and Manage Change More Effectively - The importance of having a good change manager should never be under-estimated by organisations. They are required to ensure full implementation and acceptance of projects, that ultimately help with the achievement of organisational goals and objectives. If an organisation can embrace and embed change then it can see a marked improvement in employee productivity and the ability to motivate and retain good people as a step to reaching it’s goals. Attributes of a good change manager The foremost quality, even ahead of experience, is that a change manager should have exceptional leadership qualities. A change manager must be a good leader in order to successfully implement complex organisational change. They must be willing and able to stand apart from the crowd and be the best in their field. It takes a combination of personal attributes, talent, practice and hard work to make a professional change manager. A good leader is often defined as someone who is optimistic, is inspired enough to manage change and empower his or her team. There are different kinds of leaders in management roles, however, their style depends upon the kind of team they are leading. A team, group or department’s performance will often be defined by the way the leader behaves. Therefore, the performance of an organisation can depend entirely upon the leadership skills and style in place. During times of significant change, an organisation usually opts for an organisational change management expert who is passionate and ambitious, while concerned about individuals and aiming to help them achieve their full potential. How to improve and manage change as a leader Style of leadership The first thing that is important for a leader is to analyse their style of leadership. What are the strengths that define his or her skills? What are the weaknesses that might hamper their style and prevent them from reaching the desired goals and objectives? A very quick and simple way to assess this is to take different leadership style quizzes. Such quizzes reveal the most important characteristics. If there are some weaknesses in a character, the leader could look for ways to improve on these. Once a change manager has assessed their leadership style, then they could look for ways to improve their style and abilities to become a better leader. One way to do this might be to undertake a relevant masterclass, workshop or facilitations skills training course. Creativity Another important aspect of good leadership is creativity. Many leaders ask those working for them to complete tasks “by the book”. They might not, of course, be innately creative individuals; however, encouraging creativity is a very important aspect of good leadership. An effective leader should empower others to bring new ideas to the table. The purpose of encouraging creativity is to push people out of their comfort zone in order to achieve greater success â€" both on a personal level and also for the organisation. Listening skills Listening skills are another important aspect of good leadership. Effective communication is essential within a change management environment in order to be able to communicate the aims of the change, encourage and motivate people to embrace the change then embed it in the organisational culture. However, a good leader has to believe in two-way, open, candid communication so must listen as well as speak. This is often the hardest part of good communication. On-going process The last thing that a change manager can do to improve their leadership skills is to recognise that improving their capabilities is an on-going process. Simply never stop learning…

Personal Branding Interview Douglas Rushkoff - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding Interview Douglas Rushkoff - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Today, I spoke to Douglas Rushkoff, who is the author of the new book Life Inc.: How the World Became a Corporation and How to Take It Back.   In this interview, Douglas discusses his view of personal branding, how branding impacts online transactions, how we can take the world back from corporations, as well as some commentary on Gen-Y. Should a personal brand be about the person his/herself or about what he/she can do for the customer? I think personal branding such as people feeling the need to brand themselves in order to sell their goods and services is really tricky, and most often works against everyones interests. Branding is really a technique that was developed to allow big, impersonal corporations to pretend they were human beings. Big boxes of goods, shipped from a great distance, needed to create the same kinds of connections with people that they used to have with the merchants and workers who once actually made their stuff. They are a substitute for human relationships. Thats why its so strange for people to use them. We are people, and dont require them except for the most dehumanized of business relationships. Does having a personal brand, and owning it online, make interaction over the internet more personal or more disconnected? It can make a transaction feel more personal. But it is not actually more personal. The customer is relating to an artificial construct instead of a human being. This makes sense when its not really a person youre branding anyway. Like a George Foreman grill. George Foreman is not a human in this case. Hes only as real as the Quaker on Quaker Oats. How can we take the world back from corporations? The easiest way is simply by conducting transactions and interactions directly. Buying and selling things from one another, rather than through corporations. You do something, you sell it. Instead of outsourcing your work to a company, you do the work, create the value, and sell it to or exchange it with someone else. You stop outsourcing your investment to Wall Street, and start investing in people and businesses you can see, or who you know. You stop bailing out the very companies who have sucked the economy dry, and start rebuilding an economy based on the needs of real people instead of the tyranny of the balance sheet. The economic crisis provides that opportunity, because people are now incapable of finding banks willing to lend them money, or companies willing to give them jobs. They have to work for each other now, as a matter of survival. What advantages does Gen-Y have in the corporate world? Im not sure what we mean by Gen-Y. I suppose since Gen-X are people in their late 30s and 40s, Gen-Y would be people in their early and mid-thirties. If we understand the corporate world to be the world of debt of big bank-driven corporate shells that extract labor and value from people then the 30-something would have some advantages, I suppose. Certain ones, the more cynical ones, have been raised in a more highly corporatized environment than earlier generations. So they can more easily disconnect spiritually and emotionally from the effects of their actions. This might allow them to behave one way during the day at work, and another with their families or friends during their time off. Or if theyre really part of the whole American Idol culture that has been created for them, they dont need to ever even separate from the corporate teet. Just work for it during the day, and be entertained by it at night. I think Gen-Y people are less guilt-ridden than their Gen-X counterparts, and can go that way if they want to. The advantage for more conscious Gen-Y adults is their facility with new and alternative media. They can connect and communicate beneath or above the radar, and engage in a culture completely apart from the mainstream programming. How can Gen-Y get back into the box when they were raised asking, whats the next big thing? Well, they will have to get back in the box if they want to be able create value for anyone. As the incompetence of big corporations is becoming more apparent, they are getting rid of more and more dead weight. Competence is so very rare, so few people know how to do anything except get hired, that the rare birds who are capable of doing something will be extremely employable. The fact that they can get jobs, stable jobs, doing real things, may motivate some of the Gen-Y people to learn a trade. - Douglas Rushkoff is the Winner of the first Neil Postman award for Career Achievement in Public Intellectual Activity.   He is an author, teacher, and documentarian who focuses on the ways people, cultures, and institutions create, share, and influence each other’s values. He teaches media studies at the New School University, serves as technology columnist for The Daily Beast, and lectures around the world.   He has just released his most important book to date: an analysis of the corporate spectacle called Life Inc. for RandomHouse, as well as a series of short films called Life Inc Dispatches.   His ten best-selling books on new media and popular culture have been translated to over thirty languages.   Rushkoff is on the board of several new media non-profits and companies, and regularly consults on new media arts and ethics to museums, governments, synagogues, churches, and universities, as well as Sony, TCI, advertising agencies, and other Fortune 500 companies.

Simple Ways to Boost Employee Engagement

Simple Ways to Boost Employee Engagement Many a report finds that the majority of workers are either not engaged, or even actively disengaged, at their place of work. Creating an engaged workplace goes a long way to creating higher profitability, reduced turnover, and increased customer ratings. So how can we address employee engagement? There’s definitely no shortage of consultants, software and wellness programs out there, but the truth is, some of the most effective ways to boost employee engagement are the simplest and most cost effective. Here are 10 simple ways to boost your employee engagement right now. Begin at the Top You need to walk the walk. Employees should see their leaders demonstrating the behaviours and characteristics they are asked to display. Be Transparent Management transparency has a direct effect on employee happiness. By trusting employees with sensitive information, for instance, gives them a sense of deeper investment in the business and can help to create a more cooperative team. Offer Visibility This can manifest in several ways. Managers need to be accessible and visible around the office. That way, employees see them as approachable. Secondly, employees should be publicly recognized for their efforts. This motivates each and every individual to continue doing good work. Offer small rewards and sales incentives for your achieving employees. Remember to Say “Thank You” It’s a really simple thing to say, but all-too-often it’s overlooked, particularly in larger businesses. Acknowledgement by management and even amongst peers is one of the quickest ways to build up trust, help restore strained relationships and even energize your workplace. Be Real Companies comprise people, not machines, property, or products. Creating genuine relationships between employees and management will inspire trust and help build camaraderie. Flexibility Why not give your staff the freedom of adjusting their work schedules or where they work from to suit their needs better? A lot of employers tend to not trust employees to get work done if they’re working from home or a coffee shop, in their own hours, but workers with flexible conditions tend to be happier, more engaged, and more productive. Hire Behaviours and Traits Education and experience won’t guarantee performance. Even the most skilled of candidates will fail if they have a poor attitude. Some people also struggle to be engaged. Place emphasis on hiring and promoting the right personality traits and behaviours for your company’s culture. You may also like to offer skills training. Engage From The Very Beginning Filling our mounds of paperwork and sitting through boring presentations on your first work day is a sure-fire way to kill workplace engagement. New employees tend to start with curiosity and enthusiasm, so be sure to capitalise on that by putting them straight to work and helping them get to know their colleagues. Volunteer Together Companies that support causes close to their hearts and involve employees and management tend to see a direct increased in staff engagement as well as productivity. Working together to help others shows the business isn’t all about making business, but about making a true difference. Play Together Having fun together will break up routine and encourage collaboration and creativity. Try sponsoring a company baseball game or host a “dress up” day where employees can wear a crazy hair colour or funky sweater. Make sure management gets in on the action, too. The key to building effective employee engagement is, well, there is no secret. If you want to know what kinds of things help employees feel more engaged, simply ask them. You may be surprised at how simple the solution really is. The golden rule is to treat people the way you want to be treated. Mutual respect, compassion, flexibility, and kindness don’t have to cost a thing. Image Source

Writing a Resume With References

Writing a Resume With ReferencesWriting a resume with references is an important step in applying for a job. It is a form of advertisement that can help to land you the job you want. Your resume is an effective tool that can provide you with information about your skills and experience.In order to write a resume, it is important to prepare the materials as well as the resume properly. The purpose of preparing the resume is to be able to present the information on the first page and to make it look professional. You can consider taking classes or workshops in resume writing to ensure that you write a resume that is worth reading.When it comes to writing a resume, the reference information should be accurate and to the point. It is important to mention all the work experience and education the candidate has had. You can also list the achievements of the candidate, but you should be careful not to exaggerate the information.References should be given in chronological order. That is, you should list all the relevant positions first, followed by an indication of the dates that were filled. Also, you should list the dates when the position was filled.Dates and names of those who have been involved in the same job at the same time are not allowed. In writing a resume with references, you must highlight achievements and knowledge of the skills that the candidate has gained. You should not mention previous jobs or employer information. Only a brief description of the qualifications the candidate has will do.Your references will be able to tell you about the candidate if they had any contact with the candidate. This is very important because it is easy to overlook the references. In fact, it is possible to overlook them in the beginning when it comes to resume writing. After all, the candidate has only just started working.In order to write a resume with references, you should avoid using acronyms and abbreviations. People are likely to use these in their daily lives and writing resumes that are made using them is impractical. Instead, choose your terms carefully and use words that are understandable to the reader.References should also be included in your resume. This is especially important if you are applying for jobs that require you to visit the company for an interview. You should list the references in alphabetical order. Always include the contact details of the references so that they know how to contact you.

5 Reasons Why You Need More Than a Good Resume to Stand Out from the Crowd - CareerAlley

5 Reasons Why You Need More Than a Good Resume to Stand Out from the Crowd - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Youve probably heard hundreds of times that your resume is the most important document in your job search, and, that is so. But if you want to stand out from the competition, I say you need more than a great resume. In the end, only technically qualified candidates will get to interview for any open job. And, while your resume may (or may not) help you get in the door, you will need more than your resume to get the job. So, you may ask, what else do you need? Lots of research, interview preparation and (unfortunately), additional documentation. Your Resume Does Not Highlight Skills Specific to the Job While your resume will (should) provide an explanation of job responsibilities and achievements, it is not the best document to highlight skills specific to any particular job. You should create an additional document that highlights your specific strengths. Your strengths document should be tailored for each job application and should be submitted with your resume and cover letter. Most online sites (whether they be company career sites or job search sites) provide the option of uploading additional documents. Your strengths document should be one of the additional documents. Examples of strengths and weaknesses Use this link to help you write your strengths document If You Are Not Familiar with the Company, You Will Not Get the Job It might be the perfect job for you. Your skills match, there is a good fit in terms of corporate culture and you think that you hit it off with your potential future manager. But when you are asked and what attracts you to XYZ Corp? you cannot answer the question. This lack of a basic understanding of the company will probably cost your the job. Employers not only want the right person for the job, they want someone who selected the company for specific reasons. You must do your research on the company before you interview. This will allow you to be proactive in the interview process. Company Research Know Your Employer: How to Research the Company Before Your Job Interview The Best Companies to Work for How Does Yours Rate? Can you tell me why you are the perfect person for this job (in 30 seconds)? While you might not get asked this specific question, you do need to have your quick pitch (better know as your elevator speech) ready to go before the job interview. In fact, your elevator speech could be crucial in helping you get an interview. Whatever the need, it is well worth the time preparing and memorizing your 30 second elevator speech. Job Search Marketing Toolkit Your Elevator Speech Your Elevator Speech Are You Prepared for the Interview? Although it may not seem so, getting to the interview is the easy part. We all know how few and far between we get a real live interview (so it may not seem like the easy part to you), but this part of the process (getting there) is the passive part of the process. The real work is now convincing the interviewers that, not only are you the right person for the job, but you are so much better than anyone else they may have in mind. Interview preparation is not just about being able to answer a set of strange or standard questions. It is about ensuring the hiring manager knows you are the right person for the job. Some of this can be leveraged from your work on your elevator speech, but the rest must come from being prepared in several different ways. Know who you will be talking to Once you get a list of who will be interviewing you, look them up on sites like LinkedIn to learn something about them before you meet (but dont attempt to connect with them before you get the job!). Ace that Job Interview: 4 Tips for Standing Out and Landing the Job Research Back to the point mentioned earlier, expand your research on the company to include the area of the company where you are interviewing. Whos your daddy? Metaphorically speaking of course. Who do you know that works at this company or who maybe you know someone who knows someone. It can only help. Ace that Job Interview: 4 Tips for Standing Out and Landing the Job Have You Lined Up Your References Having good references is more than just having a list of names. Your references must know (and agree) that you are using their names and that they may be contacted. Most importantly (and hopefully Im pointing out the obvious), these must be references that you know will present you in the best light. Just because you think they thought highly of you will not cut it, you must speak with them and ensure they agree to act as references. Chances are that if they are not comfortable speaking about you then they will decline to participate. So, how do you get the right references? References: The Keys to Choosing and Using the Best Job References in Your Job Search We are always eager to hear from our readers. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions regarding CareerAlley content. Good luck in your search,Joey Google+ Visit Joeys profile on Pinterest. jobs by job title, keywords, company, location Job Search

The Comms Manifesto Working In Communications (And Why Its More Than Customer Service) - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

The Comms Manifesto Working In Communications (And Why Its More Than Customer Service) Do you think your dream job is out there? For many, its not just about being in a field that you want to be, but its about feeling youve made a positive change at the end of the working day. If youre looking for something that flexes your creative muscle but has varying degrees of pressure, as well as the profile, communications provide so many options. In the corporate industry, communications can fall into many categories, from marketing, public relations and public affairs, as well as the various components of social media. So what does it take to get into this industry, and how does it keep you on your toes? The Expanding Nature Of Communications Whether its PR for a large organisation or managing the social media account for a tiny business, communications cover so many components. Communications is becoming more vital in the social media age, but also, as the most average companies look to maintain a certain amount of control over their image, they need the right people who are PR savvy. As a result, experience in PR is always welcome. Have a look at gentwenty.com to get an idea of what its like to work in PR. But as communications require, in many ways, a creative flair, but also business acumen, it can force you to develop a unique working pattern. Because if youre working for a business, structure and rigidity are essential, but at the same time, you need to find ways to be creative so that the product or the company stand out. The Creative Nature Of The Role Marketing is one of those areas that requires an abundance of creativity. Just have a look on metmarketing.co.uk to give you an idea of how many sorts of roles out there requires an adeptness at creativity. If you are working for a big name corporation, and a PR disaster occurs, youve got to act fast to put out the metaphorical fires. As a result, press releases, liaising with the newspapers, and attending to the general public are all common aspects of a challenging day in communications. So How Can You Break Into It? There is no one direct avenue. Communications require a lot of creativity, and so, as part of the interview process, you may be required to take a writing test. As most large-scale businesses have a communications department, you could very easily start at the bottom and work your way into that area. Through the usual routes, degrees in journalism, media, and communications will naturally give you a leg-up. But for others, communications can be a side step from an extra-curricular creative approach. For, example blogging can provide that entryway because it arms you with creative skills, as well as social media abilities, and the basic skills in which to build a website. “Comms” can be unfairly maligned as the backup when it comes to customer service complaints, but theres far more to it than that. Communications puts you on the front line of any organisation, and as such youve got to act accordingly. Whether this is in relation to the publics perception, dealing with clients, but also putting out those regular press releases, it shows you have to have a finite knowledge of the company and the image it wants to present.