No recommendation

Let’s assume Frank is a very good friend of you. Could you imagine that you still do not like to work with him? When I personally think back to my time at university I remember some friends I really liked and still do. Nevertheless with some of them I would never share a flat. I can’t even explain the reasons. Maybe I would be scared that our friendship would suffer somehow. Of course there is a difference between a flat mate and a colleague.

Though do you see some common aspects in this two situations? What do you think? Is it wrong not to recommend your friend Frank or is it even egoistic? Would it be easier to recommend Frank, if you would not work with him directly? Could you distinguish between private and business if you would work with Frank closely together? Some companies even provide monetary incentives for a successful recommendation. What do you think about that? Is this the right incentive?

This should be enough questions for focusing on recommendations….but let’s get right to the point: In which case would you recommend a friend and in which not?
I am looking forward to an open discussion with you!

Central data storage

At the same time you should run the whole recruiting process transparently and comprehensibly. This will be a difficult job if you have to do it manually. With a high end e-recruiting software you are able to handle your data in a structured way at a central folder. The recruiter knows immediately where the documents are located and which step within the recruiting process comes next. This enables the recruiter to manage different recruiting processes at the same time without losing the overview. The efficiency of an e-recruiting software is measured by its data management and its ease of use. It should have the following specifications:

• Central data storage: A high end e-recruiting software provides a central data storage at a server, so you are able to have access at any time and any place.

• Central correspondence: Your are able to sent mails from an interface in the software. Your mails are automatically assigned to your candidates. This makes your external and internal correspondence transparent.

• Different applications at the same time: Your recruiters are able to handle different applications at the same time without losing the overview about the data and the ongoing process.

• Optimised workflow: Your previously defined workflow allows you to easily have an overview about the different recruiting processes.

A high end e-recruiting software easily helps you to save time and avoid stress while managing your data and providing you with an overview about your working process. This is an advantage for all, what do you think?

transparent data management

The problem is not only that the documents are hard to find but it is also an additional task to attach the different documents to the right candidate. A professional recruiting software has the opportunity to attach the different documents from different mails to the right candidate automatically. So your whole correspondence is saved at one place.

An integrated mail solution allows you to optimise your time-to-hire and makes your data management transparent. Let’s take a look what this means in detail…

• You can optimise your time-to-hire as a professional e-recruiting software is able to organise your correspondence concerning a specific candidate automatically. You or your recruiter don’t need to search and get access from any work place. That will allow you to manage more applications and get the right candidates for your vacancies much faster.

• The transparent data management makes sure that no date gets lost. The recruiting process gets faster and more effective because of the optimised data management. You don’t lose time by searching and documenting your data by yourself. All in all an integrated mail solution reduces your time-to-hire. Your software can easily manage your data while you can concentrate on more important tasks like to chose your perfect candidate. Therefore you actually chose your job, right?

The situation was like this: A dear friend was looking for a job. She invested a lot of work in her applications and also got invited to different interviews…finally she got a job offer.

Recruiting Communication

But let’s start with a company who sent her an arrival notice of her application. To hear that the application did not got lost and that the company is pleased about receiving the application is a good start. What was wrong on this story is the fact that the checking of the application lasted two and a half months. I can not imagine what on earth might be the reason for such a long check. To be honest…a refusal with a nice mail would be MUCH better then no communication at all. Arrival notices as well as a refusal notices are crucial for a good recruiting experience. Without that an applicant does not know what’s going on.
Dear companies, please think about if such behavior is good for your reputation…because of this experience I will certainly not recommend this company to other friends…it is not worth to invest effort and time to an application for such a company.

Such an attitude is quite impersonal, but after a job interview it is getting worse. In some cases even after an interview the communication just broke down. A gapless communication with the applicant should be a precondition for a successful recruiting, don’t you think?

Here comes a little hint to all readers…please be just honest to your applicants. It does not cost you anything and you even earn reputation out of a fair recruiting process. Otherwise the applicant will not apply again or recommend your company to others.

End of the story was that she got a job offer from a company who actually sent her a refusal before. The candidate who got the acceptance first opted for another job offer so my friend got finally the job….would this be possible if the company would not communicate in a fair and transparent way? What do you think?

Many Companies are already using objective agreements for their employees. A good reason for us, to give you an easy guideline to better define these objectives. You always need to remember the acronym “SMART”. After reading this post you should be ready for the next objective agreement, whether you are the manager who defines the objective or the employee the objectives are set for. Only when both sides have the same understanding of the agreed objectives they can be reached.

S = Specific
Objective for employees should be clear, understandable and comprehensible. You need to eliminate any space for interpretation and record the objectives by writing them down. For an even better orientation you can use the following interrogatives: WHO is in charge, WHAT needs to be achieved, HOW the objective should be reached and with WHICH resources.

M = Measurable
Try to define tho objective on the basis of quantitative numbers such as revenue, profits or the number of new clients which need to be gained. Thus types of objective are easier to verify. Caution if you formulate qualitative objective. You easily cross the boarders and it is very questionable how you can measure customers satisfaction for example. One tip for that, is that small objectives can be transformed into quantitative objectives.

A = Attainable / Accepted
This is often a balancing act. Firstly the objectives should be challenging on the other side they should not overstrain. A good way out is that the objectives can be adjusted in an interim appraisal if you can see that they are too opportunistic or too low. Anyways both sides need to accept the objective, or the objective agreement is not necessary at all.

R = Realistic
This part is very closely connected to the previous one. If an objective is not reachable with the given resources it overwhelms and makes the whole effort of objective agreement senseless. It is not realistic to believe that such an objective will ever be achieved. An objective which is considered to be not achievable from the start does not motivate anyone to try to reach it.

T = Timely
Either the result should be scheduled on a specific date, at which the results need to be delivered. Or there are specific requirements formulated when the objective is reached which need to be measurable.  The target state must therefore be formulated precisely to see whether the target has been reached.

We hope we have achieved our objective to provide you with tips for a better objective agreement. By the way we at softgarden also use this strategy to define objectives

(1) being attractive – be yourself

Show your mission – it is important to let your applicants know where the journey is going to. Only if they know where you want to go, they can decide if they would like to be part of the journey. Show them why you are passionate for the company you are starting to build.

Founders and colleagues – it is all about your and your colleagues’ personality. Show who you are, show what you like and score by giving the candidates a number of reasons with whom they can identify themselves with your team.

Work environment – you need to show what you can offer. Maybe you have an awesome loft or you have crew members who loves to make cake which they bring along for the coffee break. Maybe you have the finest computer technology… what ever it is, use it to represent yourself.

Recruiting Tips for Startups

(2) Rainmaking – spread the word

Direct marketing – use Xing, LinkedIn of Facebook… contact interesting people directly and personnel and tell them why you would like to have them as a team member. We know it takes lot of time, but it is pretty successful. Bye the way: If you hire computer engineers let a nice looking girl contact them. Works better

Engage your employees – get your employees to promote your startup and your jobs. Who else are the best ambassadors for your company. Maybe they have friends who would love to work in an environment you can offer as well…

SEO – Write blog entries about details you are working on. For instance if you have just solved a technical problem write about it using some lines of code. Developers looking for this kind of code problem will find you and maybe apply to work with you.

Be part of the community – Don’t hide in your office. Go out to startup events, talk to people, give speeches, create a network which you can use for recruiting. Only if others know you and start talking about you, your startup gets recognised in public. If you have too much space in your office why not offer a desk for rent.

(3) Closing – get them onboard

Open the doors widely – Give the candidates lots of channels to apply for the job. Offer them the opportunity to apply via email or even telephone.

Quick response – There is no excuse, if you keep the candidates waiting before they get a response from you. This is dissatisfying and you might lose a big chance to hire a new candidate and always think about the bad reputation your company might receive through this disappointed candidate.

Be nice – Cards on the Table! Tell them if you found a different candidate for the job. Say thanks for their application you never know if you may need them in the future.

Pitch the interview – Be careful, it is not only the candidate who needs to apply for the job. You are in the position to “fight” for the candidate as well, therefore you need to perform well in the interview.

Now it is your turn to hire great people for your team. Questions? Feel free to contact us.

Download the full presentation >>> Recruiting Tips for Startups

Definition Recruiting Experience

The aim of such a shift in perspectives is to optimize the application process for all parties and thus increase the recruiting experience. The problem: In the recruiting process many different groups are involved and all of them have different expectations. Recruiters need to unite all these expectations under one roof. If only one party is dissatisfied, it often means that the recruitment process will be delayed. In the worst case the candidate gets lost during the recruiting process and can not be gained as a future employee. One example could be that the the recruiter expects way too complicated processes from the department and the next action can not be triggered at the right time.

Let me give another example: In the very first stage of the application process, the candidate may be deterred, right at the moment when he is asked to enter his data into the application form. Often it is still common practice, that a prospective apprentice and a professional need to fill out the same blanks. But it should be clear, that a prospective apprentice does not have any work experience at most times. So why is he asked for that? And vice versa. Why is the school education of importance for an 35 year old professional? A simple adaptation of the online application form improves the recruiting experience for both target groups.

In the upcoming weeks, we would like to invite you to a journey through the fascinating topic of the recruiting experience. We will take a look at the different perspectives of the involved personalities.  Of course, we will start our trip with the candidates’ perspective. Then we will put ourselves in the position of the recruiter and the involved department. We continue with the work council and after that we take a look at the challenges for the IT. We will discuss common problems and present possible solutions. Based on examples, we want to show how you can improve the recruiting experience for everyone involved – in order to find your qualified candidates faster. To sum up you need to remember that the recruiting experience is the optimization of the application process for the involved personalities.

You have any question about the recruiting experience. Write us, if you want to discuss with us about the recruiting experience or if you want to share your experiences.

The connection to recruiting is simple. From our perspective the most important aspect of recruitment is to gain qualified staff in order to maintain the competitiveness of the company. As the study discloses studies that 50% of recruiters take less than 5 minutes to check an application, I think this is pretty appealling. What is the reason for that? Lets make the assumption that it is due to the lack of time, then the question raises, where the recruiter loses so much of his time that he cannot sufficiently pay attention to his core responsibilities. How can a modern E-Recruiting Software can handle these annoying administrative tasks, so that the recruiter can do tasks a machine will hopefully never be able to do – conduct job interviews and get to know candidates. But: The machine can help the recruiter. Just pic a few topics, how a professional E-Recruiting software can assist you in your daily tasks.

• E-Recruiting solutions store all data generated during an application process in one central location. This includes all applicant correspondence, the candidate evaluations and the contract documents in case of onboarding. Thus, the tedious search for missing data gets eliminated.
• You can define workflows with E-Recruiting solutions that need to be run through in the application process. Automatically, the system monitors the process, you need not to worry about whether a step is missed or what is the next action in the application process.
• You can monitor the candidates journey, when you use an E-Recruiting solution. Thus you can analyze which recruiting actions have been very successful, about which channels your qualified candidates get hired and calculate the cost of a successful onboarding.
• Ratings before and after the interviews may also be comfortable managed in E-Recruiting systems. In an mail to the department you can include a template where the manager can evaluate the candidates. After the evaluation the manager just sends the mail back to the system which will automatically process the data and initiates the next action.

E-Recruiting solutions initiate a collaboration with the humans. The system triggers a new action, which the recruiter oversees and gains time through the fact, that he does not have to remember all the small details, because the systems does. In the end the recruiter can dedicate more time to his important tasks – hiring qualified stuff and check application between the lines.

The bad reputation of the online application forms is due to the fact, that they are not very user-friendly. Since I recently applied for a few job openings (before I joind softgarden) I could experience that from my personal point of view. What I noticed is that many companies do not care about the candidate experience. From the candidates’ perspective a lot of things should be changed and improved to get a great candidate experience. For us the solution is the design thinking approach. In this approach the user orientation is the key element and ultimately the candidate is the user. Our aim is to create an online application form that improves the candidate experience. Therefore we present the following hypotheses:

A great an user friendly online application form should…

• Firstly: Just request the information from the candidate which is needed for the vacancy and nothing else. From the perspective of the candidate this will increase the user friendliness, because the candidate can be sure that he did not forget to hand in any important information. On the other hand he does not hand in any information which is not relevant for the company he/she replies for.

• Secondly: The online application form needs to be adapted to the vacancy and therefore to the needs of the specific target group. Thus a prospective apprentice will not be asked for professional experience and a 35 year old professional experienced will not be asked for the diploma of the 10th grade. From the candidate perspective it is a strange feeling, when he will be asked for these unnecessary details.

• Thirdly: The registration efforts should be reduced. Candidates do not want to go through complicate procedures before they can apply for the job. The registration may be done automatically after he/she entered the application.

• Fourthly: A candidate wishes to present his/her personality. Therefore, only use predefined spaces where it makes sense to ask for it. For example there does not exist a general term for a master’s program in Business Administration. Each master’s program has its own unique specialization and hence an own description. That means you should ask for the future degree, but a blank space for the name of the master’s program.

Dear candidates and recruiters: What do you think about that? Do you see it the same way as we do? Lets talk about it. We are interested in your opinion.

Meet US!

We are pleased to sponsor the first HR BarCamp in Germany and we are very excited about what interesting discussions this innovative concept will trigger. You are cordially invited to be part of it. How this works can be found on the website > HR BarCamp. Or you can connect with others and the Initiators at the HR BarCamp group at XING. Again we are at the HRM Expo in Cologne from September 25. – 27. this year and we are looking forward talking to you at Europ’s biggest HRM Expo. These events are already booked, but beyond that we are working hard to place more events in our calendar. You are also invited to stop by at our office and drink a cup of  coffee with us.

We want you!

welcome at softgarden

Our innovative solutions do not arise by itself. Therefore we are also looking for new applicants in different areas. First of all we need a new developer for our recruiting software taloom. Next we need an Account manager for our international customers. When you are interested to join our young team and want to be part of softgarden’s future send us your application > Sibylle Jung (s.jung (at) softgarden.de)

Optimization of our recruiting software taloom!

We will continue to improve our strengths. We are constantly working to improve the recruitment experience for all parties involved in the recruiting process. We want to design the taloom analytics tool even more powerful so you can more rapidly analyse your most efficient recruiting channel. Another thing we will improve this year, is that we will make the application process even better, so your candidates feel more comfortable applying online. We want to enable the recruiter to handle the application process more easily and make it more transparent so that he can handle more applications and speed up the on-boarding of the favourite candidates. Our recruiting software taloom will constantly be updated with new capabilities which only serve on purpose, that you can manage the application process even better. When I read in the German press, that one in three employees want to change their job, you should be prepared for that rush (Deutschland auf Jobsuche). Don’t you think so?