Bringing the Lessons of 2020 into 2021
We faced a global economic crisis, and a public reckoning with racism in the United States. We all need to focus on getting the momentum back in 2021 and focus on learning the lessons of 2020 in 2021.
Beginning your journey back into the workforce? Five Tips to Get Started
There is no doubt that it can be intimidating to re-enter the workforce, for those who have taken a break in their career whether to start a family, travel around the world, care for an ailing parent, or anything in between like simply enjoy a break to rediscover yourself.You may you feel a little anxious about starting a new job or you may worry that your skills are a little tarnished because a lot has changed since you’ve been away from the workplace. But now is not the time to panic, this is the time to prepare yourself for the job search some time away.It matters less about having a career gap, and more about showcasing your potential employer how the experience you gained before and during your break can make you an asset to their team.If you feel you’re in this situation, here are five effective tips to help increase your chances of getting hired following a career break. Take one step at a time, and you’ll be chit chatting at the water-cooler in no time.#1 Analyze your current situation to gain clear understanding of your intentions:
Many people tend to make the mistake of jumping straight back into the first job they can find. But before applying for a position or even updating your resume, it’s important that you sit aside and spend some time thinking about what’s important to you in your new career. Consider the 4 P’s to make your analysis little easier: Position, Pay, Place and Path.- Position: What kind of role you want to pursue in your next endeavor? Something similar to your previous skills and experience, or you wish to make the move you always dreamt of and try something completely different and new? Remember if you secure a job that isn’t suitable, you will find yourself job hopping frequently until you find the right one. What was right for you before your career break may not be the best for you now.
- Pay Scale: What’s your desired salary range? Will you be flexible on that number if there are great benefits or perks, like great health insurance? Having an idea of what matters the most will help you evaluate total compensation more holistically.
- Place: Find out time to really think about where you want to work. Would you want your potential employer to offer flexible working conditions or you would prefer lot of opportunity to socialize with colleagues? Consider what work environment will motivate you to do your best work.
- Path: What career path are you hoping to follow once you return to work? Are you looking for something temporary or do you wish to rise through the ranks in your new role?
#2 Explore your strengths:
It’s quite common for you to believe that a career gap on your CV has lessened your chances of getting a job. However, instead of seeing it as a stumbling block, see it as something beneficial that can differentiate you from other candidates.You should have a good idea of your strengths and weaknesses, and according to these you can match your skill set to a career opportunity that you’re interested to pursue. Remember all the new skills you have practiced and developed the entire time away from the workforce like transferable skills such as communication, organization or project management.#3 Revamp your resume:
Once you’ve figured out the type of roles you’d like to apply for, and the kind of company you’d prefer to work for, it’s time to clean up your résumé. If you’re finding it hard to describe your time away from the workforce, don’t overthink it.List all the new skills you may have developed during your break, and explain how these can correspond to the job you’re applying for. For example, did you take a diploma or certification course specializing in new technology? Did you do some volunteer work in your free time or develop your leadership skills, which will help you to lead a team more effectively? Or perhaps travelling the world helped to boost your confidence?#4 Reconnect with your network:
LinkedIn is known to be recruiter’s playground, so being active and visible there will get you noticed by the right people and opportunities. If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile, now is the time to set one up. Spend some time to reach out to your previous colleagues, clients, friends and family.Let them know that you’re seeking a new role. They might have the perfect job opportunity for you or be able to show you the right direction. This is also a good time to prepare any potential references that could support your job search.#5 Practice your pitch:
After you’ve done all the preparation, and now it’s time for you to nail your pitch until you’re comfortable and confident. Read up on few tips for nailing an interview which will help you confidently answer questions about your past experiences, your desires for the future, and your career gap. Remember honesty is the key. Make it clear what you did during your break and why you considered it as the right thing for you to do. Also, don’t forget to identify and practice your unique value proposition.Conclusion: Everyone has their own career path
Taking a career break is more common than you may think, despite the stigma that the potential candidates will fill that void. Don’t forget everyone has different career ladders and they climb at their own pace depending on their personal and professional goals in life. You can also look for companies that have set-up return-ship programs that will offer you extra support while you find your feet in the workplace.Returning to work should be an exciting time, not a nerve-rackingone. So if you’re feeling apprehensive about beginning your journey back into workforce after a career break, keep these tips handy to put you on the right path with renewed confidence.Do visit Pragna Technologies website for more blogs.
5 Red Flags that you’re stuck in a dead-end job
While we are working day in and day out at our job, we all feel stuck with our jobs at some point of time. However, it can be difficult to decide whether it is just a phase or you are stuck in a dead-end job. Maybe you felt that you had landed your dream job when you joined there, but soon your career advancement path seemed to be a blur, and your skills are rusting under routine work. Finally, you realize this job has nothing to offer you except a paycheck at the end of the month.Let’s be frank; we all expect much more than a paycheck from our jobs.If you have been waiting for a change in the situation at your job, you must re-evaluate with these possible red flags to determine whether you are stuck in a dead-end job and plan to chalk your way out of it.1. Your boss continually ignores your opinions
As a competent employee, you have to participate in multiple decision-making discussions. But if you have noticed that your superior has been ignoring your ideas and did not give a second to reject them without even hearing the idea completely, you are in a dead-end job. However, you must not evaluate this with just a single instance.2. You cannot view your career advancement path
When you start working at a company and have a career goal to grow, you must analyze if the job is serving the purpose. If you have been denied a promotion twice or more, you can be sure you are not going to get the promotion in the near future as well. No doubt, such situations build up frustration. The wisest thing to do in such circumstances is to look for better opportunities and quit the job as soon as you find it.Your career advancement is only possible if your company is growing. If your company’s growth has come to a halt or sliding down in terms of revenue, you will hardly find any scope for growing your career in that company. Therefore, it is definitely the time to expand your horizon in search of better opportunities.3. You are not handed with challenging or meaningful work
As we age in a job, we expect challenging tasks or tasks that hold more responsibility. But if you feel that you are not being trusted with meaningful work or being handed assignments that your superior does not want to do, there is a serious issue. Such circumstances hamper your growth and may make you feel that your potential is being wasted. This clearly raises the red flag that you are stuck in a dead-end job.4. Frequent rebukes and discouragements are on your daily routine
Obviously, you need a positive environment at your working place to grow. Suppose your superior is constantly rebuking you at every step or openly criticizing you more than once. In that case, you may not have the chance to grow professionally amidst such a hostile environment.5. Overwork and no value for your contribution
Usually, bosses do overburden you with work initially. But if your life is being dominated by work and your superior does not value your efforts, you are surely at the wrong place. However, even if you are being praised, it does not mean you overwork and become unhappy to miss out on your personal life. If you are valued at your company, you have the ability to draw boundaries about work and personal life. Otherwise, it is better to leave respectfully.Final Thoughts
It is indeed a hard decision to quit your job even if you realize it is a dead-end one. Therefore, make sure you re-evaluate your decision by chalking out every possibility that can actually improve the scenario. Communicating to your superior about your career goals can be the starting point. You must also consider challenging questions like will you still quit if you are offered a promotion at the same place.Changing jobs can be a difficult choice, but you must remember most people did not land their dream job at the first attempt. Therefore, if you still feel that this job has nothing to offer you, go ahead and search for better opportunities that help you grow personally and professionally.For more blogs, Do visit Pragna Technologies website.
Know How to reduce Cost Per Hire in 5 simple steps?
When recruiting employees, every company analyzes the cost per hire. It not only involves the salary of the candidate but also the expenses associated with the use of internal resources used during the hiring process. As a hiring manager, you are responsible for the cost of hiring, and it can be a challenging job to reduce the cost of hiring while recruiting high volume talents.
Here are a few tips and tricks every hiring manager can utilize to increase their efficiency to reduce cost per hire and also save some time and effort.
Offer a clear Job Description
When you are advertising for a vacancy, most candidates read the Job Description to get a clear understanding of the responsibilities or tasks he/she needs to handle for a job. Suppose you are providing a clear job description with full disclosure of eligibility criteria, expected experience level, hours of employment, type of job (remote or in-office). In that case, you screen away candidates right away who do not have the required criteria. On the other hand, a job description containing details of training, additional benefits to the job and portrays the employer brand image has the higher chances of attracting the top tier talents.
Use of Atomization and AI
Instead of running through thousands of applicants, every candidate, use suitable recruiting software to screen qualified candidates with suitable parameters. 78% of employers have said that recruitment technology makes finding great talent easier than ever.
Moreover, it helps to speed up the hiring process, thereby reducing the cost per hire. Using artificial intelligence also ensures that the criteria of the candidate align with your business goals. Consequently, it is a great way to avoid bad hires and undergo the rehiring process.
Make use of Telephonic and Virtual interview
The cost per hire also depends on travel costs. You can cut off the travel cost by conducting the telephonic and virtual interview. After the onset of the pandemic, most hiring processes have been undertaken through virtual interview.
The telephonic and virtual interview helps you to analyze the candidate, and the two-way communication ensures a better understanding of each other’s expectations and requirement, facilitating the screening of candidates. Moreover, you can save time, energy and hassle of travel and yet select the most suitable candidate.
Reduce the Hiring time
One of the best ways to reduce cost per hire is to move the entire hiring process quickly. If you are undertaking or dragging long hiring process, you are increasing the cost of hiring by increasing the expense of recruitment technology, administrative cost, perhaps travel cost, and other internal resources. The longer the hiring process drags, the higher the cost per hire rises.
Moreover, in this cut-throat competition of talent acquisition, you may lose a high performing candidate if you delay the final announcement. The best way to reduce the hiring time is by setting deadlines or closing date for every step of the hiring process.
Appoint a Staffing agency
If you are looking for a way to hire talents without exhausting your company’s internal resources, the wisest decision is to outsource it to some reliable staffing agency. There are several staffing agencies that are expertise in recruiting talent for their client’s firm within a given period.
By hiring a staffing agency, you can reduce cost per hire by not hampering the productivity of internal resources as well as minimize the productivity loss due to the open position. Pragna Solutions is one of the leading companies that can offer you excellent outsource recruitment solution so that you can acquire talents and also save time and effort.
The Bottom Line
Hiring the right candidate within a short time frame can be challenging but not impossible. These tips and tricks of reducing cost per hire can save you from rendering the cost of bad hires and rehiring. Reports and analytics of cost per hire help you realize the strengths and weaknesses of your hiring strategy. Therefore, you must monitor your cost per hire to develop the most effective hiring strategy.
Pragna Solutions lends you a helping hand to acquire top-tier talents without undertaking the headache of the hiring process. Our expert consultants are experienced HRs who can pick out the best candidates for your business from the target pool to fulfil your business requirements and move you one more step towards your success.
Do visit Pragna Technologies website for more blogs on Recruitment, Hiring and other related topics.
Know How: Create Job Descriptions to Hire Top-Tier Talents
In the cut-throat competition of talent acquisition, the job descriptions play a significant role in attracting and landing top-tier talents. As a hiring manager, attracting talents with catchy job descriptions is essential if you want to hire high-performing candidates for your firm. If you are struggling to attract better talents, here’s a quick guide for you to write job descriptions.
Points You Must Not Miss Out
Most job descriptions usually contain details about the job role, location of the company, and compensation. But if you want to focus on attracting top-tier talents, never miss out on including the following points while writing a job description.
Job Title
Instead of being creative with the title, just be specific and clear about the job title. You do not need to be fancy with this part. Just mention the job position as the job title. For instance, mention the words ‘Marketing Executive’ instead of writing ‘Looking for people to handle marketing operations’.
Opening Hook
Since you have already attracted the attention of potential candidates through your job title, it’s time to be creative. Add a line or two that can hook your potential candidates to read the whole job description. Make use of some excitement to provide possibilities that can intrigue the readers.
Brief about Company and Company Culture
80% of HR leaders vouch that employer branding plays a vital role in attracting talents. Therefore, you must make the readers aware of the company culture and scope of growth in your company through your job description. You do not want to attract candidates who cannot fit into your company culture, and you end up trapped in endless hiring cycles. In fact, making the candidates aware of the employer can help you in improving the retention rate.
Duty & Responsibilities
Of course, every job description contains this part. While writing the duty and responsibilities for the open position, you must keep two things in mind. First, always use plain language, avoid jargon if possible. Second, use the right keywords. If you are posting your job ads on an online platform, the right keywords provide you better results and visibility online.
Eligibility and Preference Criteria
Nothing is a better preliminary screening process that being clear about the eligibility and preferences. You must mention the degrees, skills, and expected experience of the candidates who are supposed to apply for the position. Moreover, do not forget to mention about soft skills required for the position.
Compensation & Benefits
Most candidates jump into this section after finding a suitable job post. Do not forget to mention the approximate compensation in your job description. Highlight any benefits that come with the job, such as health insurance, travel allowance, etc. If you are looking for a remote employee, do not forget to mention that. In most cases, this is the section that helps the candidates decide whether to apply for the position or just pass.
Clear Call to Action
Once a candidate has completed reading your job description, you have to provide him the information about applying for the job. Ensure that your call-to-action is visible and clear. Be specific about the mode of further communication. You may mention dropping CV at this email address or something like walk-in for an interview at (time, date, and place).
The Bottom Line
Attracting the right type of employees can become your game if you know how to write compelling job descriptions. Even though there are several templates of job descriptions in the market, you must stand out from the crowd. Ensure that the job descriptions are in lucid language, uses the right keywords, and are not just cold and detached messages.
If you want to attract the top-tier talents with the job description, you must add some sparks to it by including benefits that a candidate can avail from this job. The last and most important thing to do before posting the job description is to read it yourself and honestly answer the question ‘would I apply for this job after reading it?’. If your answer is yes, go ahead and post it. If the answer is NO, find the reason why and then add that point to enhance the quality of the job description. Hiring the top-tier talents can be a piece of cake if you can attract the best candidates with your job description.