What to Do When Good Employees Begin to Leave

What to Do When Good Employees Begin to Leave According to a recent survey released by LinkedIn, organizations all over the world are struggling with serious talent crunch. An increasing number of employees are striving to seize the brightest opportunities possible, a prospect too tempting for professionals to wait. The aspirations of landing a better job and earning more is making employees reconsider their options. The survey by LinkedIn shows that 85 per cent of the total workforce is either consciously searching for a job or is open to discussion to recruiters about significant employment opportunities. This figure, which stood at 80 per cent in 2012, also includes employees who are happy and content with their jobs. In such scenarios, employees tend to leave their existing employer to join another company. Also, there are cases where companies searching for great hires may fail to retain their existing high performers. This is a cost too huge to be borne as employees are the biggest asset of a company. The study was an exit survey that took into account the responses of 7,530 LinkedIn members from the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and India. These individuals had recently switched jobs. The results showed that in India, 12.6 per cent employees resigned voluntarily and their exit could have been prevented. This figure stood at 10.3 per cent in the US, 8.3 per cent in Canada, 7.7 per cent in Australia and 7.3 per cent in the UK. Reasons for change: The old saying about employees leaving their managers, and not companies, may hold true in some cases. However, employees do leave their companies, especially if given opportunities that can boost their careers. There are a number of factors that can influence an employee to switch from one job to another.   The final decision of an employee is always based on one of these factors, some of which can be may be preventable. Here are a few factors that can convince workers to move on: Factors influencing change:  Higher compensation and benefits, better work-life balance and more opportunities for growth and progress. Factors compelling change:  More opportunities for growth and progress, better leadership from senior management and higher compensation and benefits. How to retain employees: Building a strong and successful team of professionals may seem like a task, but retaining them is even more difficult. High employee turnover may lead to loss of productivity and precious time.   Here are a few useful tips that will help employers retain their employees â€" Offer a competitive pay package according to the need of the employee â€" It is high time you saw the real worth of a good employee. To retain a person, you must provide health insurance, a retirement savings plan and life insurance. Even though many organizations offer these, employees may still remain unsatisfied. If possible, try to offer beneficial work options like telecommuting and flexible timings. These practices go a long way to demonstrate that you care and are not rigid. Offer extra perks â€" Think of what pleases your staff? Is it free hot dogs on Fridays or pick and drop dry-cleaning services. All this may seem small and insignificant at your position, but it may help someone better manage his/her life. If it helps them sort their lives and gives them relief, it will eventually raise their productivity at work. They will only appreciate it and are more likely to stay. Reward them to keep them motivated â€" You can use incentives like contest prizes to encourage the employees. When implemented in the right way, this tactic will help inspire employees, encourage team spirit and boost their enthusiasm towards their jobs. Increase interaction and conduct a stay interview â€" Other than conducting exit interviews to find out reasons as to why employees are exiting, consider asking existing employees what makes them stay. Answers to questions related to the work culture and their relations with their bosses and colleagues can bring out useful information which may help improve employee-retention strategies. Promote them whenever possible â€" It is a wise decision to promote employees internally and provide advancement. Employees tend to get frustrated and will stop trying if they don’t see a bright future for themselves in your company. Foster development â€" Train your staff to acquire a new job skill. You may also start tuition reimbursement to help promote the education of your employees. Build transparency between management and employees through communication â€" Conduct regular meetings where employees ask questions and offer suggestions. Keep open-door policies encouraging employees to interact frankly with their seniors without being scared of the repercussions. Make the managers coach their teams. This will help the good performers move on to better positions and this will help minimize bad performance. Communicate the organizational goals â€" Talk to the employees about the company and keep them connected with its mission and vision. Making people feel connected is a good way of keeping them emotionally and mentally tied to the company. Offer financial rewards â€" Reward employees with stock options when they meet their goals. This will make them stay on for a predetermined period, like three to five years. You also need to give meaningful raises annually. Nothing increases an employee’s zest more than an annual increment. Pay more to the top performers. You may build a bonus structure according to which their annual bonus amount can be decided. On meeting their set performance goals, employees will get this bonus. Appoint a capable HR professional â€" If the organization is big enough (with nearly 100 employees,) then start considering delegation of responsibility by hiring managers. Try to recruit a human resource manager who will supervise and streamline the overall processes and employee structure. This will take a huge burden off you and the new hire can ensure the employees are treated well. HR professionals are also more in tune to the latest employment trends and laws. They will help you set up programs and perks most suitable to both the company and the workforce. Author:  Devika is from  Naukrigulf.com

Success Story One Brand One Tweet One Job - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Success Story One Brand One Tweet One Job - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career I love following Jeremiah Owyangs blog. He is very creative for starting a People on the move in the social media industry series of posts. In Jeremiahs last post, I saw a really good note about someone getting a job by using Twitter and jumped on it. I havent heard too many stories of people getting a job through Twitter. I emailed Chris immediately and he sent me his story, which is well written. He also asked if I wanted commentary from his new boss and the woman who recruited him on Twitter. So below is a compilation of everything. Just about anyone can learn something from this. From my perspective, I would enjoy a world where you didnt have to submit to job boards, where you could bypass hierarchies and speak directly to the applicant/recruiter. Chris Kieff, Director of Marketing, Ripple6, Inc. Ive changed jobs from being an independent consultant to becoming the new Director of Marketing with Ripple6, www.Ripple6.com. One of the interesting things about this is that I found my job on Twitter. Im doing an interview with John Lawlor today on his Blog Talk Radio show about how that happened. Its at noon eastern today but you can download and listen anytime http://snipr.com/btr-smc-12. I spent several months looking for work after losing my job in January 2008. I went the usual route of job sites and resumes, etc. And I started writing my blog, www.1GoodReason.com, which gained me some exposure. The blog is the thing that gained me the best attention and consideration. At the same time I worked hard on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Doing everything everyone advises you do to, I was twittering, friending and linking; answering questions etc. I went on numerous interviews and found 4 different companies that all wanted to hire me for a new position as a Social Media person. And each of the 4 companies, when the rubber met the road ran into a hiring freeze. Now maybe this is the new age lie in the current economy but since they were hiring very visible people in the Social Media space it is pretty easy to tell that they are or are not hiring, and they havent yet. So as the last job fell through, and that prospect decided to freeze their hiring and asked me to possibly consult with them, I sent a Tweet on twitter, something like this New Job just fell through, but got a new client. One of the 1000+ followers I had collected over the past 6 months responded to me with something like, Hey were looking for a social media marketing guy, you interested? We started a conversation that lead to a job as the Director of Marketing. Heres the kicker, I had applied to the job, by sending an email to a job posting they had made a few weeks before. So my resume didnt make it through the screening process, but my Twitter had gotten through the noise and into the short list. ?? Katie Bessiere, Director Client Services Strategy, Ripple6, Inc. Note: Katie found Chris on Twitter after he tweeted. She was already one of his followers! Ive used twitter for advertising open job positions multiple times now, and have found some excellent candidates that way. The message reaches the right people through twitter primarily because it uses my own social network ties to spread the word. I may be broadcasting to a smaller set of people, but they are a more valuable and more relevant set. I was actively monitoring twitter for job candidates when Chris sent his tweet out since I myself had sent several out about open positions in that same time period. Twitter is certainly not the only effective social media outlet for finding people by any means; Ive had success with others as well (Facebook and Linkedin, for example). The central tenet of all of these is the same though: using your own network to spread a message. Research has shown that weak ties are the most valuable source of informational and instrumental social support, so it should surprise no one that the phenomenon would repeat itself online or that the candidates found in this manner would be equally if not more qualified for the job. Rich Ullman, SVP, Marketing, Ripple6, Inc. Note: Rich is Chriss new boss! At first I thought it was ironic to find Chris this way, but it was quite appropriate. For weeks, if not months, I had ruled out candidates with impressive backgrounds and experience because they had less than a dozen connections on LinkedIn. That wasnt a measure of their talent, but of their ability to adapt, adopt, and understand the medium and what Ripple6 does. By coming to us from the ground up, it was one clear sign (but not the only one) that he knew how social technologies work, empower and change people. For our niche of the industry, thats imperative today. And for others, its not that far off.

Handwriting analysis can help careers

Handwriting analysis can help careers Handwriting analysis is no longer for freaks and psychics. Multinational companies hire handwriting analysts to understand personality traits of prospective job candidates. Character traits that matter during the hiring process creativity, self-esteem, leadership, and optimism, for example are revealed in ones handwriting. You should learn how to analyze your co-workers handwriting and your own to give yourself an edge at work. I have found that the basics of analysis are quick and easy to learn. Getting along with other people and knowing yourself are essential pieces to career success, and analyzing peoples handwriting can help you speed up the process. Here are some examples: Get along with people better Knowing someones personality traits is invaluable for collaborating with and motivating that person. Depending on that person to tell you his or her own traits is risky. Most people dont know themselves well enough; even focus group leaders dont bother to ask people directly what they like anymore. Fortunately, with very little expertise, you can use handwriting to evaluate someones dominant traits. For example, someone with a signature that leaves a lot of space between first and last names is not going to be an intimate, emotional person, so you can stop trying to forge that kind of relationship. If the first and last names overlap, that person is relationship-oriented and probably wants more than long-distance management from you. Make better career choices You can also use handwriting analysis to gauge your own dominant traits. Then you can figure out which career is best for the type of person you are. For example, you can learn what sort of handwriting is appropriate for the job you aim for, and compare your own handwriting to that standard. Angular is appropriate for a programmer and inappropriate for a sales person. Perfect, schoolteacher writing reveals the need to establish order and would be a bad sign if you aspired to the freethinking required of an inventor. Handwriting really does reflect your true self. So if you discover your penmanship does not reflect traits necessary for the career you have in mind, ask yourself if you are even in the right field. Improve your image Handwriting is like clothing. Your audience cannot help but evaluate your message by what it looks like. You wouldnt wear sweatpants to an important meeting, and you wouldnt wear a ball gown, either. Take the same care with your handwriting. For example, in a note to your boss, if your letters are rigid and perfect you will project the image of someone who is anal, inflexible, and non-visionary. Fine if you are an accountant, not fine if you want to be CFO. If you scrawl a quick, barely legible note to your boss you seem to be more involved in your own ideas than in the people around you, you might project the image of an eccentric artistic genius, but if you aspire to management, write more legibly. You also project self-esteem in your signature. I am shocked at how many people have a very tiny signature. You need no training in handwriting analysis to know that this is an expression of low self-esteem. Even if you feel like you want to disappear, force yourself to sign your name like you want people to see it. To all you doubters, test the theory. Get a handwriting analysis book from the library. You only need to skim a few pages to get an idea of what to look for. Then take handwriting samples from people you know well and evaluate them. I bet youll find the rules of analysis depict an accurate view of that person. When you add handwriting analysis to your career arsenal, start out small look at different loops and slopes and figure out what they mean. After a while, youll find that handwriting analysis actually feels intuitive; like all good insights, once you have it itll seem obvious, and acting on results of handwriting analysis will make as much sense to you as it does to those multinational companies.

Why You Should Be Concerned About Time Famine - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Why You Should Be Concerned About Time Famine - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career The struggle is real. And, it’s getting worse every day. The struggle I’m talking about is … The battle with time. Time Famine noun. Across a society, a lack of free or leisure time. c2004 via  Double-Tongued Dictionary Like Land … They’re Not Making Any More Time While this is not 100% true about land â€" volcanos in Hawaii are indeed creating more land all the time. It is true about time. Everyone starts out with the same amount of time every day. It’s how we use it that matters. The challenge and the struggle today is that we are being pulled in so many different directions. Is that our fault? Yes and No. Is there something we can do about it? Yes Time Famine is …  a feeling of having too much to do and not enough time to do it. As I wrote in Plan Your Days … or Else  there is a need to understand and be realistic about how we use our 86,400 seconds every day. Being Intentional In a culture obsessed with time the fact is … Time Famine has very real consequences. Always being pressed for time impacts our creativity. Which is a direct result from our limited time (pun not intended) to really think objectively and creatively. Which, as a result,  has caused time to become a luxury. “Being able to switch between focus and daydreaming is an important skill that’s reduced by insufferable busyness.” via Big Think Indulge yourself by “buying time” there is way to do this. All those tasks that are not critical, but still need to be done … pay someone to do them for you. Yes, pay someone to run your errands, to do your grocery shopping, perhaps even to get your kids to soccer or dinner on the table. Because Time is What People Desire Even More Than Wealth Why are some people rushing through their days and lives,  while others seem to have all the time in the world? The answer is time famine, which is a relatively new phenomenon that first popped up around 1999. Seek Time Affluence The opposite of time famine is time affluence. And, while it may be hard to comprehend or get the gumption up to fund and commit to an effort to increase your time affluence it may be the only thing that can end the death spiral of a time famine. Don’t let FOMO or “Hurry Sickness” get the best of you. When you can control the pace of your time famine you will stand out in your career and in your personal life. You’ll find you have more time (again, pun NOT intended) to do the things you want to do. To spend the time on things you want to commit to. And, you’ll complete more of those things on your bucket list. Ultimately, you owe it to yourself to control the inevitable time famine that creeps into all of our lives. The benefits you get can only be defined by you, but the time you get back can be felt, shown and shared across a wide swath of friends, family, and colleagues.

9 Habits Of Every Successful Recruiter That You Should Follow CareerMetis.com

9 Habits Of Every Successful Recruiter That You Should Follow â€" CareerMetis.com It is not that easy to wear a recruiter’s hat and choose the perfect candidate for any business.A company’s growth solely depends on its employees. And it’s the responsibility of the HR team to recruit the finest employees for the company.evalYou will receive not just hundreds, but thousands of applications of aspiring candidates. And choosing the one best name among so many options is rather a difficult task to follow.It takes a lot of dedication and care to become the perfect successful recruiter. And there are nine amazing habits, which every recruiter must follow to reach the pinnacle of success.1) Always be ResponsiveIt is the duty of a recruiter to be always responsive and open to candidates easily. Remember that some candidates are freshers or new graduates, and they are quite afraid of facing a recruitment team. So, unless you have a friendly approach towards the candidates, you won’t be able to know about them.And if you fail to judge the candidate well, then that ca n cost you some serious trouble later. So, it is mandatory for a good recruiter to be open and share some thoughts in the most promising manner.2) Paying Attention to the Aspirant’s NeedsYou might be working for a company, but a good recruiter will always pay heed to the job seeker’s needs, as well. For any of your recruiting and marketing efforts, you can always choose to work with the candidates and learn more about their requirements.You have to identify the psychology of aspirants, even if that calls for a focus on their needs. So, it forms an important part of a recruitment procedure.3) Going for The Personal TouchTo make your recruitment process a bit different from others, you have to try adding some personal touches to the entire process. Most of the time, recruiters judge the candidate through clothes, appearance and even a communicative manner. But, you have to think beyond that.evalA candidate might be scared of your presence, and that won’t help him to show his rea l self, which is necessary for a recruiter. So, you can try to be friendly and add some personal touches to your whole process, to break the ice.4) Work ProfessionallyThere are many times when you might come across a candidate who is your old friend. But, that does not give you the right to provide him or her with extra privilege. It is mandatory for you to work professionally towards any font, and you can show your friendship outside your work.There might be some other candidates, better than your friend. So, providing illegal help won’t do you good, and you might lose respect from other probable candidates.5) Available on CallThere are many times, when a candidate might have to go for direct communication with a recruiter over the phone, to know more about the job profile.evalSo, a reliable expert should always be available on call. You can easily mark an official time, and within that period, you are always asked to take up calls and provide promising answers to queries.6) Be R espectfulThe candidates might be fresher for the job, but they are educated and talented. They have the required qualification, otherwise; they might not have come for the interview. So, you have to show your side of respectful behavior, while interacting with them.No matter how young or old they are compared to your age, you will have to interact from a neutral point of view.7) Go for New ExperiencesYou have some qualifications, which you are looking for in a candidate, but welcoming new talents and experimentations are always welcome. Apart from the given qualification, the candidate might have some extra talent. Well, you can try her out and see if she is suitable for the job role.You never know that she might click! So, a good recruiter will always love to take up challenges and welcome new experiences, for a better employee prospect.8) Time ManagementUnless you know how to manage your time, you won’t be able to fulfill your job role.And the same rule is applicable while worki ng with the recruitment procedure. You are not just going to choose a reliable candidate, but have to follow up with him for the whole joining procedure.So, unless you have proper time management, you have nowhere to go.9) Modern Vision is ImportantWhile selecting a candidate, you must not check out the presence of your company, but its future, as well. Everything about your company’s growth relies on the chosen candidates. So, you have to be very careful while working on the recruitment procedure. You must have a modern vision and a futuristic approach while selecting the candidate.evalThese 9 promising features will help you to differentiate a successful recruiter from the rest. So, without further ado, it’s time to work on these points and try to incorporate those into the recruitment procedures.

Success, the hardest part is getting started

Success, the hardest part is getting started We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Every day we have a ton of ideas. Ways to improve how we store our pots and pans, maybe how to shave a few minutes off our daily commute or even how we could improve the terrible food they serve on airplanes. Were all little idea machines, constantly innovating, improving our lives and the lives of our loved ones. You might walk down the street passing the local pizza shop and think I can do a better job running this business or I could make tastier pizza. Maybe the local hardware store has horrible customer service and you have ideas on how to vastly improve their business. The question is, why dont you take yourself up on the challenge? No Pain, No Gain: There are two reasons why we dont start that small business we always dreamed of, or create that killer product that improves thousands or even millions of lives. Im not saying its easy to bring that great idea or product to market. If it was so easy, everyone would do it. Successful people tend to have two things in common theyve worked their butts off and theyve failed multiple times before getting that big win. Were All a Little Lazy: Its easy to say youll start your project tomorrow and its even easier to turn the TV on and say Ill do it after this show. Plus, we have the internet! We could spend hours just reading Wikipedia or browsing Facebook. Why work now? We seem to forget how hard we worked to get to where we are. We went to school every day cramming tons of different things into our heads and then we would come home and do homework. In between school and homework we might spend time with friends learning to socialize, argue and exchange ideas. We all started as drooling babies and now look at us , were reading ideas shared on the internet with a computer or mobile device we bought with money we earned working. Just getting to where you are today was a huge achievement and it was way harder than creating something out of your own ideas. Doing something youre interested in is easy, following that idea through to completion takes commitment and sacrifice. Were Afraid to Fail: Of course, what about all that risk, right? We could fail, and what would everyone think of us? We could waste months and achieve nothing, or even worse, lose some of our savings! Instead, we sit at home watching TV, doing nothing but always wishing that we did. What you forget is that to get to where you are now, youve failed thousands of times! How long did it take you to learn to ride a bicycle, swim, even walk? Skinned knees, failed classes, its the only way we learn. You have to fail, pick yourself back up, figure out what you did wrong and try again. If nobody every took that risk, wed all still be drooling babies living in caves and wishing we had fire. Is investing in yourself such a big risk? We think nothing of putting our hard earned savings at risk by buying stock or some other investment. Why not invest in yourself! The Shot You Didnt Take: Ive been writing posts on CareerAlley for over 7 years and while Im sure I dont know all there is to know about how to look for a job, how to structure your resume and how to interview, I have seen more than most when it comes to career success stories. There is a great quote by Wayne Gretzky that Im sure most of you have heard: You miss 100% of the shots you dont take. Risk versus Reward / Comfort versus Success: Humans are basically risk adverse. Im sure you know all of the safety idioms such as Better safe than sorry, There is safety in numbers or Plan for the worst, hope for the best. These were not written by people who think (or act) outside of the box. There is nothing wrong with being happy with what you have and not wanting to risk that. Generally speaking, the greater the risk, the bigger the reward. As with most things, we learn to accept our current reality and deal with the tools at hand. It takes someone who thinks outside the box to push the needle forward and build the next tool to simplify our lives, or in this case our job search. The thing is, the only way to achieve absolute failure is by giving up or not trying at all. You would be surprised how far some of the most popular products and services we use have deviated from their original path. Its not a products flaws in which we base our decisions, its vision and progress. All great things have to start somewhere. You may not create the next Facebook or win the next Nobel Peace Prize but its worth trying. My father used to say There is no such word as cant. Take a look at YOURE A FAILURE AND ITS A GOOD THING. Do you have an amazing idea that will create a new product and possibly a new career for you? If so, what are you waiting for? Start innovating! Book Corner: [easyazon_link asin=0060594896 locale=US new_window=default nofollow=default tag=caree07-20 add_to_cart=default cloaking=default localization=default popups=default]The Success Principles(TM): How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be[/easyazon_link] A version of this article was previously posted on JobMob 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+ what where job title, keywords or company city, state or zip jobs by

Unbreakable Rules of Resume Writing

Unbreakable Rules of Resume WritingSome people believe that you cannot write any kind of resume without any rules. There are no strict rules for writing a resume and you can simply go ahead and write one without any concern on doing things the right way.It is not an easy job to break down these rules as there are no set rules to follow. In order to write an effective resume, it is better to follow the advice given below.Always keep the purpose of your resume in mind. The purpose of your resume will guide you as you are supposed to make sure that your resume is able to help you land your dream job.Always remember that the objective of your resume should reflect the objective of the job you are looking for. Therefore, your resume must be able to offer you your desired job and employment.Never consider using hyperlinks because this is one of the worst errors you can make while writing a resume. The reason why you should avoid hyperlinks is that these links can only add some poor quality links and no amount of links can bring good quality links. Thus, it will be a very difficult job for you to get the required links.It is not wise to paste all the information in your resume. You should use only the information that you think is important and this will make it easier for you to find out the job you want.Never leave anything out when you fill out your resume because you can leave some things out if the necessary date is not yet reach. This will help you to save your time and effort in writing a resume that will show your professional capabilities.Do not put all the information on your resume because it will take away from the space and information that you have. Make sure that you always include your complete contact information and this will help you contact the employer in case there is any problem.