What Employers Look for when Employing New Staff

For an employer, new staff can bring a wealth of experience and skills to a company. Recruiting the right employee can be a great asset. From the moment a potential employee walks into an interview, the employer will assess their integrity, their likeability and their competence. Employers now have access to social networking sites. These sites can show your political views, your personal life and good and bad moments. Social networking can be used to your advantage, but just remember to keep them digitally dirt-free. 

Able to work in a team

All employers hope that their company will work as a team. Teamwork leads to greatness; not just one person. Praise for a team will lead to great success and recognition for all staff, as well as the company. Employees who can leave what they are doing to work as a team to meet a deadline are invaluable. 

Ability to organise and prioritise

A self-motivated employee will be able to prioritise what needs to be done, even if this means organising schedule shifts and solving problems. Managers can guide you but if you need constant guidance when performing daily tasks, you will become a burden to the company. Employees must possess inner drive and self-motivation to be able to tackle unexpected hurdles when they arise. 

Ability to make decisions

Businesses are fast paced and employees must be able to multitask and be able to manage different projects at the one time. Being able to handle a variety of different tasks, being able to make split second decisions and showing a passion for your assignments are all qualities that employers look for. These are all qualities that can lead to advancement. An employee must also have the ability to be able to adjust and not be too set in their ways. 

Knowledge relating to the job

It is important to have technical knowledge or experience relating to a particular job. Employers may want the applicant to walk straight into a position without undertaking much training. Solid references and a detailed resume can attest to an employee’s attributes. 

Dependable

Getting to work on time is only a small part of showing you are dependable. Working and dressing in a professional manner and having a positive attitude will enhance the company’s reputation and brand. A positive attitude will carry a good employee through difficult situations. This attitude will make fellow employees feel secure and will help create good morale amongst staff.

All employers want to hire people who are intelligent, trustworthy and dependable. These traits will make them good at their jobs. A great employee will have balance in the workplace, as well as outside the workplace. Balancing the two will make for an employee with a better attitude. Joining a company is like gaining another family. 

Companies like www.mabeyhire.com.au stand behind their employees and make sure employees are a good fit with their company. An employee who fits in well with the company will bring enthusiasm, confidence and initiative to that company, which will help that company succeed.

8 Ways to Improve Employee Satisfaction

One of the most important things you can do for the overall health of your business involves improving employee satisfaction. These are the people on the front line of your service, and they need to be happy. Satisfied employees increase work output and stay on board longer. Here are a few ways you can improve employee satisfaction.

Ensure Your Orientation Engenders the Right Expectations

Starting a new job is scary enough, but without guidance, you'll be completely lost. Offer a thorough orientation to ensure that their expectations are realistic and allow them to ask any questions that they may have about the company. 

By welcoming the employee and making them feel comfortable, you're encouraging a positive attitude that can reduce turnover rates.

Implement a BYOD Policy

Nothing kills productivity like making employees learn to use new devices -- it inspires frustration and costs your organization extra money for training. 

Allowing them to use their devices in the workplace is a cost-effective and simple alternative. By implementing a Blackberry byod solution that includes mobile device management, you'll be able to control what the employee has access to while keeping all of their apps updated. 

By allowing employees to use their own devices, they'll feel infinitely less restricted at work.

Recognize Those Who Work Hard

Employees often feel like they're just another cog in the machine, and for a good reason. Many of the tasks they complete daily only receive feedback if they're late or incomplete. Employees often “check out” when they are unhappy in their job. If you have an employee who has had any common de-motivators happen to them, they may be quiet quitters. 

What is Quiet Quiting? Quiet Quitting is a problem many employees have. Employees do the bare minimum and then go home. They are not motivated anymore and are simply collecting a paycheck. They do not want to quit, but just don't exceed anymore.

Recognize employees who sit at their desks and work diligently over those who complain and find excuses for missed deadlines. A simple acknowledgment, whether it's through an e-mail or face-to-face, can go a long way.

Offer them a survey to see how they feel about the benefits that they have, their wages, time is given to work on projects, and other items, and use that feedback to improve satisfaction levels.

Set Daily Goals

Sometimes, it's a bit overwhelming to look at the big picture regarding assignments. Therefore, you should break assignments up daily and set daily goals. Reorganize assignments to be more effective. 

Alternate the boring tasks with more enjoyable ones. Plan each day by what you aim to accomplish, and acknowledge when the employee meets or beats their goal.

Allow Relaxation Periods

Working at a desk all day can be tiring. Give your employees a bit of time each day to take small breaks. Allow them to exercise, grab a bite to eat, or just walk around the office. Taking a much-needed break several times each day will break up the monotony of work.

Encourage Interaction With Co-Workers

A great way to boost employee satisfaction is by encouraging them to interact with their coworkers. By starting group e-mails or chats, you allow them to meet each other and find common ground. 

If you can, start group discussions based on sports teams or even where they're from. This will also give them the chance to exchange ideas and experience, which will help others increase their knowledge and skills.

Prioritize Life Over Work

This will be difficult to implement, but it's important to stress that life comes first. Understand that there will be many situations that are out of your control when it comes to an employee's life. Be flexible and embrace them as they come.

By placing value on life outside of work and their family, they'll be much more relaxed at work, knowing that if something were to happen outside of work, they would be able to take care of things. They should realize that while their job is definitely part of the equation, it's not the most important part.

Get Rid of Vending Machines

This may earn you a bit of hatred up front, but it's for your employees' collective good. Junk food makes your employees perform like junk. They do nothing for your brain power and productivity. Instead, offer healthy food that supports brain function and mental clarity, such as fresh fruits and vegetables.

Limit their access to company coffee, only allowing one cup a day if possible. Offer decaf for those who simply can't live without it. Your energy level directly relates to what goes in your body, so make sure you put healthy things in your body. At the end of the day, you want them to look back on the work they've done and be happy.

There's no foolproof method to increase employee satisfaction around the office. You'll have to try some of these tips, gauge response then implements another if necessary. Have your employees reported that they're happy with their job? If so, share your secret: What are you doing to keep them happy?

Expanding Your Business: 5 Necessary Positions to Fill to Ensure Future Growth

A business owner must look to the future and make plans accordingly. This will allow an entrepreneur to succeed without as many growing pains. To do so, a company must fill positions when anticipating growth. With that being said, here are five necessary positions to fill to ensure future growth.

Electrical engineers

When making plans for the future, many companies will need plenty of electrical engineers as they can help the organization save money and implement new strategies. Without a doubt, when a potential employee has an OU Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering, the company will have a good employee on its hands. Engineering career possibilities are huge, and a company must fill this void ahead of time.

Online marketing

It is no secret that Internet marketing has exploded in popularity in the past few years. This will continue as companies use SEO, Facebook and PPC to get more website visitors. Ideally, a business should support its marketing campaigns by hiring qualified and educated online marketing experts.

Accountant

At first, some entrepreneurs do their own taxes and bookkeeping. While this is a great way to save money, a company should hire a qualified professional. With an accountant, the organization can avoid problems with tax authorities. At the same time, when using an accountant and CPA together, the business will rarely have problems with the books and should save money on taxes.

Human resources

Most small business owners cannot justify the hiring of a full-time human resources worker. As time goes on, one will need to rethink this as an HR rep can help a business avoid breaking laws and can also foster employee relations. Remember, any serious company will have a qualified HR representative that work with the business and employees to make it better for everyone.

IT specialists

When running a small office, some opt to outsource the IT tasks such as server and computer maintenance. This will work to a point. However, when a company grows, it will need a comprehensive solution and will require multiple employees to manage the tasks. Luckily, when hiring qualified IT staff members, a company can have a smooth transition and will not suffer from any serious and irrecoverable errors.

When building a business, one must realize that it is crucial to look to the future. When anticipating problems and needs, an entrepreneur can make more money, and the business will grow faster and with fewer growing pains.

How Businesses Can Stay On Top of the Hiring Process

One of the largest investments a business makes is in its employees and payroll. From health benefits to worker's compensation, employees cost a lot to hire and keep on, but they bolster the company and fly it into higher realms of success. Staying on top of the hiring process is one of the best ways to vet prospective employees, and find top-notch candidates for your niche workplace. 

Paperwork Pile

Although it is a tedious job, screening for drugs and criminal activity is a must before offering the candidate a position. Liabilities abound if a known drug-user operates workplace machinery, and an employee ends up injured. Check that human resources is completing paperwork and research prior to any job offers.

Call Around

Everyone has some professional contacts, but they are often bound by legal protocol. True insight into an individual starts with their friends. Ask for a personal reference and follow up on it. A candidate with only moderate skills may shine brightly after talking to their best friend from elementary school. A workplace is not just a cluster of random people, but forms a unique culture that is either productive or lackluster.

Interview, and Then Interview

You may have several candidates, such as those applying through job listings for media sales, that were actually found through headhunters. Although they have the skills necessary for the position, they may not be completely on board with a new employer. Instead of one interview and an automatic hire, interview the candidate two more times, but under different circumstances. Invite them to a lunch hour to see employee chemistry in action, for example. Candidates looking for an outgoing type of position, like advertising sales jobs, must possess good social skills to create clients and support other loyal customers.

Be Clear

The first three months of employment tells a lot about a candidate. Once acclimated, you see the person's true character on a day-to-day basis. If the employee is unhappy, it shows through immediately after the initial honeymoon period. These three month probationary periods provide a cushion for the employer to remove the candidate, and search for a new person, without the threat of legal retribution.

Employees provide support customers need for continued sales and service. By treating employees respectfully during the hiring process, you reflect potential treatment as a long-term employee. The key to staying on top of the hiring process is clear communication between the candidate and employer, along with thorough research and interviewing.

Opportunities in Human Resource Specialist Careers

Human resources team works to improve customer service (Photo credit: USACEpublicaffairs)

If you are looking for a career in becoming human resource specialists will enjoy interesting work and exceptional opportunities. According to the governments statistics on human resources jobs, the number of jobs will grow faster than the national average for all types of jobs. It's predicted that between 2012 and 2020 the number of jobs in H.R. are expected to grow by a healthy 21 percent. The growth will be the most in the employment services sector, where jobs are expected to grow at a rate of 55 percent.

You will find that human resource directors have a college degrees and usually have a major in business, human resources or associate fields. The applicants with high school diplomas may be eligible for some entry-level hr jobs in interviewing or job recruiting. In some cases, experience in human resources can substitute for education.

There are skills associated with human resource work. The most important skill you need to succeed in human resources is the ability to get along with all kinds of people. You should have outstanding interpersonal, speaking and listening skills. Decision-making skills are also critical, as is the ability to pay attention to detail.

The modern workplace is an increasingly varied and challenging environment. Jobs often feature flexible hours, telecommuting, collaborative employees who may be based anywhere in the world, and project teams that form and fade away seamlessly as needs dictate. Human resource (HR) specialists oversee all of these moving pieces and try to make sure workplaces run smoothly, that the best new talent is recruited and hired, and that existing employees are properly compensated, fairly managed and evaluated, and, if need be, trained, disciplined, or even fired. HR specialists often deal with all employee levels in an organization, including the very top management. 

These positions are increasingly specialized with the size and scope of an employer. Large employers may require specially trained HR specialists for recruiting and hiring, training, compensation and benefits oversight, performance evaluations, employee assistance and relations, and other specialized needs. At smaller companies, an HR manager may wear many, if not all, of these hats. 

A college degree usually is required, including strong business and management course work. There is a good career advancement chain at larger companies. Top performers can reach high management positions, or may move to an HR consulting firm.