Holly Schubert - The Balance

Holly Schubert - The BalanceHolly Schubert - The Balance

How to Inspire Great Referrals From Employees

How to Inspire Great Referrals From EmployeesHow to Inspire Great Referrals From EmployeesA Towers Watson survey found that 54 percent of the companies that participated had problems attracting employees with critical skills, regardless of the current unemployment rate. Of the surveyed companies, 37 percent report having trouble hiring top-performing employees. Are you looking for employee referral program ideas so you can start a program of your own? You can overcome the shortage of top performing employees, which is expected to become even more intense over time when you create a work culture that inspires great employee referrals. Here is what works to garner employee referrals. The actions that will submarine your employee referrals are also covered. Why Employee Referrals Are a Critical Component of Recruiting Employee referrals are a critical component in your efforts to obtain and keep the best potential employees. Employee referrals provide better than average candidates because employees know your company culture and have an idea about what employees will work successfully in your organization. Employee referrals also reflect on the referring employee who wants to be positively regarded in your organization. No employee wants notlageoriety for referring an employee who failed to deliver or contribute or fit within your organization. Yet, despite their hype and potential usefulness, many employee referral programs fail to attain their program goal superior employee referrals. Dr. John Sullivan, aninternationally known HR thought-leader from California who specializes in providing bold and high business impact strategic talent management solutions said the following. Many recruiting managers with woefully under-performing programs think they have great programs and are somewhat shocked when they learn that, on average across all industries, 13 hires come from employee referral and that it is no longer uncommon for more than half of all external hires to come from employee referral in organizations with leading talent management functions... So, if your organization doesnt have an Employee Referral Program (ERP) or has one that produces less than 30 percent of your external hires, you need to examine your referral program to determine why you are experiencing poor results. Elements of Successful Employee Referral Programs In his studies, Dr. Sullivan finds consistent factors in successful employee referral programs. Among them, are these The employee referral program is responsive. The referral program provides feedback to the preferred candidate within one - three days of the referral and the referring employee just as quickly.The employee referral is given preferential treatment in the timeliness of the organizations initial contact, phone screen, interview, and the decision about hiring the employee.The employee referral program targets hard-to-fill positions that are essential to the organization.All employees are encour aged to make employee referrals, regardless of the position they hold. Employee referrals are not just about incentives or a cash bonus. Successful employee referral programs are part of a companys culture of building a highly effective team and encourage employees to select coworkers who fit the culture and the companys work ethic. Employee referrals should enhance the referring employees experience of work.The organization pays attention to the employee referral program. Examples include interviewing referring employees to determine how they met the employee they referred, asking for referrals at employee onboarding meetings, and giving current employees referral cards to pass out when they meet a well-qualified potential employee. Provide current employees with training about how to build their online and offline social networks and use them to recruit superior candidates for your company.Dr. Sullivan also found that having dedicated staff enhances the value of an employee referr al program. He fruchtweinly deals with large companies where this may be possible. However, even the smallest company can build value from and for employee referrers as just a part of an employees job. How to Encourage Referrals Without Financial Incentives An employee referral program that does not offer financial incentives can successfully attract participants. For enthusiasm and an ongoing stream of referrals, companies need to emphasize the importance of employee referrals for their recruiting efforts. Provide non-monetary incentives such as public recognition of an employee referral,easy ways for employees to track the status of their referrals,periodic banquets or lunch with the president to honor employees who make positive, qualified referrals,positive feedback in performance development planning and daily performance feedback for qualified employee referrals, and, in general,a culture that honors, respects, and recognizes employees who refer qualified candidates. Dr. S ullivans research found several novel approaches to paying incentives for employee referrals. Several companies contribute to an employees favorite charity. Others, rather than paying an employee a hefty incentive for a referral who is hired, offer small incentives for each employee referral, whether the referred candidate is hired or not. Tips for Avoiding Problems With Employee Referrals These ideas take care of the ongoing problems experienced by many poorly executed employee referral programs in which employees are rewarded for low-quality referrals. Or worse, employees are only rewarded for referrals that result in a hire. Even worse are referral programs that only pay the referring employee all or part of their bonus after the new employee works out successfully for six months or a year. Does it make any sense in an employee referral program to pay for low-quality referrals? Or, as is the case with many employee referrals, to pay an employee the promised bonus only after a referred employee is hired and successfully employed for six months to a year? It certainly submarines any motivation that an employee might have had to make referrals when the incentive is paid only after two situations occur that he or she cannot control. When you make a bonus contingent on hiring the referred employee and the new employee succeeding on the job for six months to a year, you have potentially demotivated your referring employee. Finally, organizations are woefully incompetent at providing feedback to the referring employee for referrals. Was the referred candidate interviewed? Rejected? Coming in for a second interview? You need to let a referring employee know what is happening each step of the way. Undermining the organizations efforts at obtaining employee referrals, too, is the speed at which employee referrals are acknowledged and reviewed. Many organizations are miserably slow at reaching out to the referred candidate. The Most Important Factor in Employee Referrals The most important factor in employee referrals is swift candidate evaluation and feedback to the referring employee. Encouraging employee referrals and successful employee referral programs are a win for organizations that gain qualified employees, a win for employees who get to work with qualified co-workers, and a win for referring employees who benefit from the recognition, or in some cases, the financial incentives of their employee referral program. Employee involvement is key to an effective employee selection process.

11 Sites to Find Work at Home Jobs

11 Sites to Find Work at Home Jobs 11 Sites to Find Work at Home Jobs Timing is an important aspect of any job search. Getting your resume or application in front of the right person (or even at the right company) at the right time can make all the difference. Of course, unless you have an inside contact at a company, it’s hard to know when it’s hiring. Locating multiple sources of fresh job leads can help you find out when companies have open positions. Now, you could troll the Internet and/or Craigslist to find job leads yourself, but that is very time consuming and probably unnecessary, given what’s available on the Internet. Since my focus is work-at-home jobs, I’ve put together some links to (mostly) free daily job leads blogs and websites that specialize in telecommuting and freelance jobs. Work-at-Home Job Leads Bookmark this page and come back to it regularly. But remember these job leads aren’t pre-screened, so know the signs of a work-at-home scam. Rat Race Rebellion - Daily job leads here run the gamut, but a lot are home call center companies. Telecommute Job List - This site segments itself into lists for legal, accounting, writing, Internet/web design, medical jobs from home. Work at Home Space - These are all pretty much Craigslist posting, but this makes it a lot easier than searching multiple cities’ listings. FlexJobs - This service posts decent telecommuting gigs, but it is not free so read the FlexJobs review first to decide if it’s right for you. FreelanceJobOpenings.com - These are mostly entry-level writing jobs, but you’ll find translation and search engine evaluation job leads here as well. Indeed.com Telecommuting - This popular careers website is sorted by telecommuting jobs; to narrow it to your field, choose additional search terms for your industry. Jobs.jobs - Major companies use the .jobs domain to advertise open positions. FWJ Freelance Writing Jobs - As the name implies, this one specialized in jobs for writers, editors and bloggers. It is updated daily. WAHJobLeads - The opportunities on this board are culled from a variety of sources. It isn’t updated daily, though. Non Phone Jobs - Crowdsourcing, online teaching, data entry and search evaluation are among the types of positions on this site. Entries aren’t dated so it’s tough to know how fresh they are unless you’re a regular visitor. The Work at Home Journal - Though this site is updated frequently, not everything it lists are job leads, but sometimes they are companies that hire telecommuters regularly.   Work-at-Home Companies However, one problem with published lists of daily job leads can be that many other people see them too, making the competition tougher. So while browsing job leads in your field may be important, pinpointing a company that may hire you to work from home and checking its job listings periodically is important as well. So also check out this list of more than 200 companies with work-at-home jobs, and scroll down for links to list of these WAH companies divided by industry or see this index of work-at-home job lists. Unlike the above links, the companies listed in the links below may not necessarily be hiring at this time. However, they are known to directly hire telecommuters on a regular basis, so check back often if you a company you’re interested in. Virtual Call Center JobsBilingual Call Center JobsSales Jobs From HomeAccounting and Bookkeeping Jobs From HomeFreelance Translation JobsInsurance JobsAt-Home Bilingual JobsWriting and Editing from HomeMedical Jobs from HomeMedical Transcription Jobs from HomeNursing Jobs from HomePhysician Jobs From HomeOnline Tutoring JobsData Entry or Transcription JobsArtistic JobsJob Search EnginesWork-From-Home in CanadaWork-at-Home Worldwide

Amazon HQ2 means 50,000+ new jobs, but not everyones happy about it

Amazon HQ2 means 50,000+ new jobs, but not everyone's happy about it Amazon HQ2 means 50,000+ new jobs, but not everyone's happy about it After more than a year of deliberation, Amazon has decided to divide its second headquarters between New York City and Arlington, Virginia. The  campuses will play host to more than 50,000 jobs with an average salary of $150 thousand, and hiring begins next year.Amazon’s announcement comes after months of state and local governments vying for the business giant’s new offices, and much speculation about where it might land.Though the new sites mean billions in incremental tax revenue and investment, locals in Long Island City, Queens, have taken issue with Amazon’s choice to move into their already teeming neighborhood. Other critics have focused on the company’s dramatic, year-long search that ultimately ended with headquarters near the country’s two major political, financial and media hubs: Manhattan and Washington, D.C.Politicians celebrate ‘big win’Before Amazon announced the locations of its second headquarters, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo joked, “I’ll chang e my name to Amazon Cuomo, if that’s what it takes.” The company has been promised more than $1.5 billion in incentives from New York state and plans to apply for more incentives through the city.“Today, with Amazon committing to expand its headquarters in Long Island City, New York can proudly say that we have attracted one of the largest, most competitive economic development investments in U.S. history,”  Cuomo said in a statement. “Economic opportunity and investment will flourish for the entire region.”New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio echoed Cuomo, tweeting “New York City is about to get tens of thousands of new, good paying jobs and Amazon is about to meet the most talented workforce in the world in one of the most diverse places on the planet.”In Virginia, Governor Ralph Northam touted “a big win for Virginia” in a video with a “Virginia is for Amazon lovers” screen as its background.“All of Virginia will see the benefits,” Northam said.Locals wo rry about housing, transportationAs concerns mounted that the Amazon headquarters might land in Queens, journalist Elizabeth Sile took to Twitter.“The thought of even 10 more people riding the 7 train makes me want to pass out,” she wrote. “RIP to my neighborhood(,) which has already been dying with all the rich people moving here anyway. I guess its death will be swifter.”Sile is not the only one who is worried about overcrowded subway cars or rising housing costs. One Twitter user wrote, “There goes my rent.”Community groups aware of how the influx of high-paid employees will affect the area have recommended Amazon pay a gentrification tax, according to The New York Times. Zillow estimates that rent has gone up by almost a third over the past five years in Amazon’s original host city, Seattle, and Manhattan is already infamous for its oversaturated real estate market that constantly crowds into other boroughs and suburbs.Local politicians have denounced Amazon’s pl ans to move into Queens. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a U.S. congressmember-elect, wrote on Twitter that her community found the decision “extremely concerning,” especially in light of the tax incentives the government has offered Amazon.“Displacement is not community development. Investing in luxury condos is not the same thing as investing in people and families,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote. “Shuffling working class people out of a community does not improve their quality of life.”State Senator Michael Gianaris and City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer released a joint statement saying they “were not elected to serve as Amazon drones.”“Offering massive corporate welfare from scarce public resources to one of the wealthiest corporations in the world at a time of great need in our state is just wrong,” they wrote.In September, Amazon briefly joined Apple as the only companies with a $1 trillion market cap.“Amazon is one of the richest companies in the world,” New York C ity Council Speaker Corey Johnson wrote in a statement. “But you can’t put a price on community input, which has been missing throughout this entire process.”Critics take issue with location choicesWhen Amazon announced its plans for a second headquarters, it invited applications through a public process and had few qualifications for its new site. Cities across the United States and Canada, including Dallas and Nashville, made the short list.But when it came down to the decision, Amazon chose two of North America’s most booming areas that critics say did not need the company’s business.“Bringing economic opportunity to the prosperity-starved environs of (checks notes) … New York and … (looks again) … Washington … D.C. …,” tweeted Alex Burns, a New York Times national political correspondent.“Think of what they could have done in Detroit or Newark,” another Twitter user wrote.Still, others suspected Amazon’s hyped public process for selecting the locati on of its new headquarters was a strategic move.“Dozens of cities have shared reams of data with Amazon that their own citizens do not have access to,” tweeted Stacy Mitchell,  co-director of the  Institute for Local Self-Reliance. “Amazon will use this data to build out its empire: To site stores, warehouses, etc. To get in early on the right real estate. To beat out competitors because it knows things they don’t.  In other words, America’s city leaders are accomplices to a monopolist.”

Religion in the Workplace

Religion in the Workplace Religion in the Workplace How do you handle the gray areas of accommodating religious diversity at work? Accommodating, incorporating, and embracing diversity in the workplace has been a common thread among many of our articles recently. Each piece asks and answers different questions about diversity, including “How do you uphold the rights and preferences of individual employees?” and “How do you tap into the benefits of diversity while avoiding the possible challenges?” In a timely example of accommodating a religion-based need in a communal situation, I had to address this struggle in a club I help lead, outside of the workplace, but within a similar situation to what many experience on the job. Since many of the factors in this situation parallel things one might see at work, we used many of the basic employment laws to help shape our thinking around this issue. Here’s our story. The Background Our club is one that requires physical contact between members. Similar to activities such as partner yoga, wrestling, flying trapeze, or ballroom dancing, you simply can’t participate in the club if you are unwilling to be in contact with the other participants. Our club is coed, but unlike ballroom dancing, there is no historic, traditional, or expected gender distinction for who someone might be paired up with during the course of the activity. Our club, although open to the public, is also offered as a course for credit at a local university. So at any given time, some of the students in this club may be receiving school credit for attending, while others aren’t. The Situation Recently one of our new students requested that he not be partnered with female students due to religious restrictions. And he asked that the leader working with his group at the time share this request with the other club leaders. This poses a challenge for the rest of the club members for a few reasons. Attendance varies from meeting to meeting and it is impossible to guarantee that there will always be a male in attendance to work with this participant. As members progress in skill level, the numbers of available participants decrease, thus by continuing to participate in the club, accommodating this request will become harder. As members progress in skill level, they are expected to teach newer students. Teaching generally includes a certain level of physical contact for demonstration purposes. It would be difficult to meet the needs of our students when an instructor cannot adequately teach a portion of them. The Factors Considered Although our organization is run as a club and not a business, this situation could arise in many workplaces, especially those requiring a physical element to participate. As a leadership team, we discussed this situation holistically as well as the specific request. The factors considered can be broken down into three general categories: rules, laws and precedent; impact to the club; and impact to the student. Rules, laws, and precedent To help us think through this situation, we looked at several employment rules and principles that often guide decisions in the workplace. Would accommodating this student pose an unreasonable hardship to the club? Would this student be able to execute tasks needed to complete the course for full credit with reasonable accommodation? Does the affiliated university have any specific rules or precedent that would apply in this situation? Impact to the club While it may be a little bit inconvenient to accommodate this student, it is really not any more inconvenient than accommodating a student with an injury, which we already do frequently. If the student owns the responsibility to remind others of the situation as needed and sit out during activities where his needs can’t be accommodated (auditing portions of the class instead of participating when a male partner isn’t available for example), then class disruption should be minimal. On the other hand, inviting this student to stay with the club beyond the first quarter would pose a hardship since he wouldn’t be able to contribute fully as a more senior club member. Impact to the student The student in question is enrolled in our club for school credit, and it is too late for him to drop the class this quarter. Thus by leaving now he would receive a failing or incomplete grade for this particular class. The Decision After analyzing several options, our team decided to allow the student to finish the quarter as a club participant. We communicated that he would own the responsibility to communicate his situation and sit out of activities as needed. We agreed that observing the class instead of participating during these times would not impact his attendance or his grade. And we let him know that in order to progress in the club beyond the first quarter, he would need to interact with female students. As you seek talent to fill your jobs, you may come across similar situations where, due to religion, a candidate can’t fully participate in all aspects of the job the way it has been previously done. Although employment laws offer some flexibility to companies to hire candidates who are able and willing to complete the work, by thinking through all of the possible options, you can often find a solution that is fair and respectful to the employee, the workplace, and the company.

Law Librarian Job Responsibilities

Law Librarian Job Responsibilities Law Librarian Job Responsibilities From research support, online legal research and instruction, to operations management and strategic planning, law librarians strive to meet the information challenges facing law firms, corporations, universities and government libraries in varying roles and settings. General Duties While the traditional library seems to be disappearing from all but the largest law firms and corporate law departments across the nation, the law librarian has not vanished with it. On the contrary, the librarian’s role has transformed and expanded. A few tasks that law librarians commonly undertake are: Managing law library operations, including monitoring budgets and allocating, organizing and disseminating legal resources.Conducting in-depth research across a wide range of focuses including practice-specific areas of law, business intelligence, public records, legislative history, medical and news/media.Training lawyers, students, staff and others on the use of Internet-based legal research programs such as Westlaw, LexisNexis, and emerging electronic resources such as Google Scholar, electronic journals, online court dockets, and legislative materials. Conducting periodic reviews of new and existing electronic resources with an eye toward improved service and research efficiencies.Promoting library services and resources to other departments, students, vendors, and the public.Coordinating technical services and troubleshooting technical issues.Performing various cataloging procedures for all types of library resources.Supervising and evaluating the work of clerks, librarian assistants, and other staff. Law Firm In these times of economic restructuring, the responsibilities of law librarians are shifting within the law firm, assuming additional responsibilities such as records management, conflicts checking, and business development. Law librarians may also: Perform topical research for attorney blogs, newsletters, firm websites, and other mediaConduct due diligence on the creditworthiness of potential clients and outside vendorsProduce competitive intelligence reports for the firm’s business development effortsCompile RSS feeds monitoring clients, competitors, market trends and regulatory issuesAssist with background research for media opportunitiesAssist with verifying books of business for lateral candidates Law School Law librarians employed within a law school are typically members of the law school faculty. They often provide research support to students, faculty and library patrons, and participate in student research education. Law school librarians may also: Represent the law library on committees and in meetings with the law library staff, faculty, and external organizationsProvide legal reference services and instruction to the law schools faculty, staff, students and the general publicAssist students and staff with legal reference sources, legal publications, and online sourcesTrain lawyers, students, staff and others on the use of Internet-based legal research programs and emerging electronic resourcesTeach legal research skills and courses to law students, particularly the first year legal research and writing curriculum Participate in scholarly research support Corporation/Government Law librarians employed by a corporation manage law library or research department operations. Typical responsibilities include: Providing legal reference services and government document reference services to employees, clients, and othersDeveloping and maintaining a portfolio of cost-effective, client-valued information services that are aligned with the strategic directions of the organization and client groupsBuilding a dynamic collection of information resources based on the organization’s information needsGathering evidence to support decisions about the development of new services and productsAssessing and communicating the value of the information organization, including information services, products, and policies to senior management, key stakeholders, and client groups Researching and monitoring legislative and regulatory issues that may affect the organizationContributing to senior management strategies and decisions regarding information applications, tools and technologies, and policies for the organization

How to Feel Successful Early on in Your Career- The Muse

How to Feel Successful Early on in Your Career- The Muse How to Feel Successful Early on in Your Career When I started my first job as a digital media coordinator at a small Catholic university, the only thought I’d given to my “five-year plan” was how I’d explain it in an interview. Flash forward five years and two titles later and I had settled into a day-to-day routine. I found myself increasingly bored with work I was once excited about. As I began planning the next phase in my career, I realized that for all of the experience, connections, and skills I had developed up to that point, I hadn’t paid close enough attention to the big picture of what would make me feel successful. Turns out, it isn’t just about your salary. I wasn’t alone in feeling restless early in my career. According to a 2016 study conducted by LinkedIn, Millennials will change jobs four (or more!) times before the age of 32 (as compared to Gen-Xers who made two moves in that timespan). But what I learned is that if you just leap into your next role, you may feel the same restlessness. However, if you work at feeling successful in the job you have, you might just find happiness there. And if you don’t? Not only will you avoid regrets, but everything you’ve done to bolster your current experience will make you a really attractive job applicant. So, whatever path you end up taking, you’re setting yourself up for success. Try this: 1. Document Your Wins Successful people get things done. Look at your organization’s goals and objectives. How have you contributed individually or as a member of a team to bring positive (and measurable) results to achieve them? Consider where you solved a problem, created something new, or saved resources for your company. Be as detailed as possible when documenting experiences. (Bonus: It only takes 15 minutes a week, and this guide will walk you through how to do it.) Writing down your proudest work achievements pays off in a lot of ways. In times of self-doubt, they serve as a confirmation of your abilities and an immediate injection of confidence. During a job search, they make impactful resume bullet points, attention-grabbing cover letter statements, and a great answer to some of those pesky behavioral questions that everyone hates to answer, like, “Tell me about a project you’re most proud of.” So, use your wins as a guide to keep excelling in your current role- or go out and get your next one. 2. Contribute to Team Achievements It’s so easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day and become so focused on our own responsibilities that we forget to engage with our peers in a meaningful way. Take the time to put yourself in their shoes. If they’re struggling, how can you help? Become the person your colleagues seek out for something you’ve developed expertise in. Is there something you’re really good at that can you offer to help them with? All the better if it’s something you actually enjoy! Don’t discount soft skills like active listening. You could be the go-to person when they need someone to bounce an idea off of: It’ll keep your days fresh, and you’ll know you played a part in their achievements. Another way to pitch in is by accepting a task no one else wants. Sure, you don’t want that to take up the bulk of your time, but if it won’t disrupt your current workflow (for more than a few hours), demonstrating your commitment to the team won’t go unnoticed. It could be that engaging with your team helps you feel more connected to- and inspired by- your work. And if not, you’ll be padding your resume with examples of your stellar work performance in the meantime. YOU DON'T HAVE TO STAY STUCK IN A RUT We know experts who specialize in getting un-stuck. Talk to a Career Coach Today 3. Pursue a Personal Project Are there opportunities for you to align your personal interests with professional growth? For instance, if you’re really interested in graphic design and your company has a graphic design team, you could ask to work with them on a creative project to learn more about design and the company’s graphic standards. If there’s no opportunity to apply what most interests you to a project at your current company, design your own. Channel your passion for writing into a personal blog or freelance writing gig. Explore your interest in web design by building your own website or digital portfolio. A personal project’s a low-risk way to challenge yourself, develop new skills, and explore other careers. At the very least, your personal project will provide you with something to be proud of when your regular job isn’t satisfying those needs. Plus, it can also lead you to a new opportunity that you’d never even imagined. (Here’s a true story of that happening!) Whether you’re just feeling stuck in a bit of a rut or pretty certain it’s time to change roles, focusing on your success makes sense. It’s so much more than patting yourself on the back: It can help you grow where you are- or lead you to something entirely new. Either way, this reflection will help guide your career so you can feel good about the start of your career, as well as what’s to come.