“Successful remote workers can share the systems, tech, and protocol already in place to communicate, engage, and perform.” – the late, Judy Martin

Seasons change. Just like any other steady cyclic transformation, the workforce changes also. The advances in technology have renovated the way we work. It’s time to use these tools to the best of their abilities. Why use video calls if colleagues are down the hall? You wouldn’t. Even though the company has the technology for it’s employees to work from home, they don’t allow this type of work flexibility. Unlike the seasons and the leaves, they have trouble adapting to the change. In that corporate revolution, there’s a need for a change in recruitment as well and how recruitment itself is viewed. The “experience only” job posting does more harm than good for the company. So, it’s time to catch up to the workforce revolution.

Wasn’t Paid? Wasn’t Worth it.

“The best talent has a track record of getting the job done, no matter where they get it done from.” – RecruitingBlogs (@RecruitingBlogs)

Experience is more than a candidate’s previous professional position. For the Millennials who are just entering the workforce, they may have nothing more than an unpaid internship under their belt. It’s an assumption for many employers that if the internship is unpaid it leaves the candidate “unqualified” in the job race. There is no reason these recent graduates with unpaid internships should have a 26% lower chance of securing employment. Experience is experience, it shouldn’t matter if the candidate was paid or not. Volunteer experience and unpaid internships are just as valuable as compensated work. So in order to change this (rather surprising) recruitment belief, look at the value of the experience not the value of the paycheck.

Cultural + Functional = Perfectional

“Hiring for the sake of snagging a candidate or getting a worker because you’re desperate is a BAD idea. Fill for fit.” – Crystal Miller (@TheOneCrystal)

The overwhelming tendency of companies to post job openings with a mere list of qualifications, certifications, requirements, etc., is doing more damage than good for the organization. On the same note, hiring purely for cultural fit isn’t ideal either. Companies tend to fit for one or the other, cultural OR functional. Bridge the difference with a list of skills included in such a way to suggest the type of company culture the organization has. Candidates are more likely to respond to a job opening that has some company personality in it. The new trend is to hire for culture, because you can teach skills – or the functionality – you can’t teach personality.

With that said, hiring managers shouldn’t hire blind. While the candidate might be a cultural match, is it worth it to spend the average 20 weeks onboarding new hires to full productivity? Nearly half of all new hires fail within the first 18 months, and it costs about 150% of their salary to replace them. This is why retention is important; 90% of employees make the decision to stay with or leave the company within the first 6 months… So fill for both functional and cultural fit.

Re-engineer Recruitment

“Good interviewers know what they are looking for in a question. Ask if you want to know.” – Tom Bolt (@TomBolt)

According to Aberdeen Group, there are three tools that will revolutionize recruitment. They include video interviewing tools. In fact, 61% of organizations are leveraging live video options for every type of position from the entry to the executive. The recruitment renovation can increase candidate interest, candidate and employee interaction, and reduce turnover all while narrowing the talent pool 10 times quicker than the standard phone screen. This saves the company money and improves the candidate experience with the option to incorporate the organization’s employer brand.

It doesn’t take a whole lot of effort to change the way the recruiting department operates. It does, however, take change in the thought process behind hiring new employees. Millennials won’t necessarily have the experience traditionally required, and Baby Boomers could be changing career fields. But their fit for the position is more than that. A combination of culture and function determine a candidate’s cultural fit. With a little re-engineering of the hiring process, organizations can hire quickly and more effectively.

Bio: Julie Salerno, VP Sales

Julie Salerno provides guidance and leadership to GreenJobInterview’s sales team and is responsible for the ongoing growth of the company’s revenues and profitability. She is involved in strategic planning, helping to managing the company’s resources, and improving its business processes.

Previously, she served as a partner and senior executive recruiter at Personnel Strategies, Inc.

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