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Sep 24
Love3

Finding the Fit: 3 tips on attracting the right person for the job

By Recruitment

From the July, 2010 Issue of CareerBulletin

In a competitive job market where candidates tout more credentials and technical skills than ever, fit is increasingly becoming the differentiator.

What is organizational fit? It means that above and beyond being “qualified” for the job, the employee’s goals, values and preferences are aligned with those of the organization. It means there is working chemistry between the employee and his or her team, and that coming to work every day is a pleasure and not a drag.

Here are a few things employers can do to ensure they are attracting, hiring and retaining the right people for their organizational culture.

Read More

Aug 27
Love4

5 Tips to Set Your Intern Up for Success (From an Intern’s Perspective)

By Employer

Career Edge Organization has connected thousands of prospective interns with host employers for over a decade. I am delighted to be one of these fortunate job seekers to land a role that has allowed me to make leaps and bounds in my professional development after only a few months.

What constitutes a successful internship?

In contrast to my fellow 500-odd interns currently filling positions at host organizations across Canada, I believe I have a unique perspective by working with an intern’s success story from my role at Career Edge Organization itself. In my role as Project Coordinator and Sales Support Assistant, I interact with interns enrolled within the three different internship programs  and at all levels of participation. I assist initial job seekers with the registration process and the completion of their internship documents prior to their start date. I provide them with resources throughout their internship and continue communication once they have achieved alumni status.

Considering the extensive amount of Career Edge internships I witness on a habitual basis, I have been able to make a fair assessment of what an intern requires from their employer to succeed in their role, all while growing professionally toward the objective of a rewarding and progressive career.

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Aug 03
Love4
references

The Trouble With Giving Bad References

By Employer

Checking references is a critical part of the hiring process. At the very least, it is a basic form of risk management that allows employers the peace of mind of knowing they did their due diligence.

Reference checks can also act as a tie-breaker for an indecisive hiring manager, when two or more candidates are a qualified fit for the role and organization.

As employers, we know the importance and value of checking a candidate’s references and so when we’re called upon to give a reference, we know the stakes.

Today’s Globe and Mail features an article by Wency Leung warning employers about some of the potential consequences of giving a bad reference.

These risks can include lawsuits for defamation and privacy or human rights complaints.

In extreme cases dealing with issues like theft, fraud or workplace harassment, it’s understandable that an individual may want to warn an organization against a potential liability.

In fact, I would ask employment lawyers this: is their legal risk involved in not disclosing full details about a former employee? In other words, if you did not warn a company about hiring someone who committed fraud or is a potential danger to the workplace, can you be held legally responsible? This would make for a great discussion some other time but, I digress…

Outliers aside, it’s important to consider that employees who did not excel in one organization may still go on to shine in others.

The Globe and Mail article touches on this:

“…more often than not, friction between employees and their bosses are a result of a bad fit.”

You might recall that our recent quarterly e-Newsletter featured several articles on the topic of person-organization fit. This is because fit is our specialty.

We know from research that one’s fit with an organization impacts their productivity, engagement, satisfaction and retention.

This is important to keep in mind when either giving or receiving a not-so-glowing reference. Before bad-mouthing the former worker, consider whether you think the issues are inherent within the individual or if the negative experience might have just been a result of the situation.

When checking references, employers will often ask, “would you hire this individual again?” This is a safe opportunity to get your point across without splurging on details or venturing into the murky grey area between facts and opinions.

But then keep in mind the impact that answering no, or saying do not hire, may have on the individual. Even if you don’t provide any reasons or details, the employer will then likely be less-than-enthusiastic to hire the individual.

So take “fit” into consideration – the individual may be a real asset to another organization. Think of your own credibility as well. If a former employee succeeds and climbs the ranks in another organization while you were slighting them, you risk appearing unreliable.

Play it safe when giving references – make sure you are well informed of your organization’s policies and practices around it and of course, it doesn’t hurt to know the legal ramifications as well.

Jun 30
Love3

The “Happiness at Work” newsletter

By Workplace Culture

Aside from the CEO blog, there are some pretty awesome HR Blogs out there.

One of my favourites is Alexander Kjerulf’s blog, www.positivesharing.com

Author, speaker and consultant, Alexander calls himself the “Chief Happiness Officer” and is “the world’s leading expert on happiness at work.”

The premise of his site is simply that work doesn’t have to be hard and unpleasant. In his own words, “work can be energizing, meaningful, inspiring and plain old fun.” These are values that Career Edge Organization and our host employers share.

Regular features includes Monday tips and “Ask the CHO” where Alexander answers real questions from real people about all things HR and work-related.

Today, the Chief Happiness Officer introduced a newsletter which promises to deliver inspiration, information and fun on a monthly basis. You can visit his sight and sign up for the newsletter here.

One Career Edge Organization host employer who truly embraces happiness at work is a company called “Happy Worker,” whom we featured in our quarterly newsletter last year.

In the article, Heidi Bedore describes her experience as an intern at Happy Worker, where “being happy is a job requirement.” Following her internship, Heidi, a naturally happy person who exudes positive energy (as you can see here in our photo shoot with Heidi) landed a permanent role at Happy Worker as Director of Business Development. Not bad for a recent grad!

According to Heidi, a key part of her work happiness and subsequent success in her internship was her “cultural fit with Happy Worker.”

Speaking of “fit” and newsletters…

Fit – an individuals alignment with the organization’s value and culture – will be the focus of our upcoming issue of CareerBulletin, Career Edge Organization’s quarterly e-Newsletter.

The issue will explore the importance of fit in a recovering economy, key elements of fit, challenges employers may face and most importantly tips on how to attract and hire the right people for your organization.

Don’t miss out! Click here to sign up and receive our e-Newsletter.

Jun 16
Love4
safety

Bill 168 and workplace violence

By Health and Safety in the work place

We care. And it’s not just about “compliance.”

At Career Edge Organization, the health and safety of our employees is first and foremost. Our concern extends beyond the bodies in our National head office and includes the hundreds of interns that are working in our working for host employers across Canada at any given time.

So, when Bill 168 came into effect yesterday, we were ready.

Working in an office environment, it’s not an uncommon reaction for employees to brush the topic of workplace violence aside. You look around the room at your surrounding team and you cannot even fathom a risky situation taking place. I wondered – is violence in the workplace even an issue in Canada?

Read More

Jun 01
Love4

Creativity As the Single Most Important Trait

By Employer

I just stumbled upon a great article written for Bloomberg Businessweek by Frank Kern, senior vice-president of IBM Global Business Services.

IBM’s Institute for Business Value conducted a survey of 1,500 C-level execs to answer the question, “What do chief executive officers really want?”

Apparently, executives want creativity.

IBM put creativity at the top of the list of leadership qualities desired by organization leaders. The surprising results represent a significant paradigm shift. Creativity is seldom cited as one of the key traits of leaders. More common leadership traits, as Kern says, include “operational effectiveness, influence, or even dedication.”

According to the article (click here to read it), the study’s other key finding was that “global complexity” is emerging front and centre among issues faced by today’s enterprise leaders, so it’s easy to see why creativity is a trait held in high regard.

Kern goes on to say that creative leaders disrupt the status quo, challenge existing business models and make decisions quickly, avoiding “organizational paralysis.”

Creativity – once viewed as a nice-to-have-but-not-necessary trait, often over looked in intelligence testing – is becoming the most sought-after trait in corner offices everywhere.

This begs the question – how do employers test for creativity?

Many organizations require job applicants to write tests throughout the recruitment process but often these tests are designed to assess competency in the “3 R’s” (reading, writing and arithmetic) or software.

Behaviour-based interviewing can reveal a lot about one’s creativity if candidates provide examples that demonstrate their outside-the-box thinking to solve problems and address workplace challenges. But often, the opportunity to truly demonstrate one’s creativity is neither presented nor encouraged in the interview process.

A classic test of creativity often cited in university Psych courses is “Guilford’s Alternative Uses Task” dating back to 1967. Examinees are asked to list as many possible uses for a common item such as a brick, paperclip, string, etc.

Maybe one day, in the near future, this will be a standard test in interviews and leadership exercises – who knows?

May 19
Love4

The digital media value proposition: three insights on social media for business

By Employer

By Guest Blogger: Janice Rudkowski, Director, Marketing & Communications, Career Edge Organization

 

I was fortunate enough to attend the Getting Down to Business with Social Media session yesterday, held by Queen’s Executive Development Centre. There are lots of Social Media themed sessions, conferences and crash courses out there for business professionals to partake in. Some try to convert, others try to simply inform or educate and then others try to take Social Media Strategy to the next level.

This one was of the later – it definitely took social and digital media strategy to the next level. Neil Bearse, Manager of Web-Based Marketing at Queen’s University, presented the second hour of the session. He really hit the mark in terms of how organizations should be thinking about digital media. I took away three really important insights from his engaging, entertaining and thoughtful presentation.

1. It’s time to stop questioning why and start looking at the facts.

Millions and millions of people are already actively engaged online whether it’s for social or professional purposes. So, why are organizations still wondering if they should develop a digital media strategy? Social and digital media has already demonstrated itself as an integral part of our society. From preschoolers to grandmothers – everyone is engaging online in one way or another. So too should all organizations.

2. In essence, we’re all marketers within our organizations.

Digital media strategies don’t simply belong just in the Marketing Department. Since social media is an integral part of our everyday lives, it also has to be woven through every part of our businesses. It’s true that Marketing has traditionally been the brand keepers, but today everyone in the organization contributes to keeping the brand healthy and well. It’s not just what’s written on the company website or company brochure that dictates brand health, it’s how we talk to a customer or even how we talk to our friends and family about our jobs. Virtually every online and offline interaction feeds into the health of a brand. So, it’s crucial that everyone within an organization recognize their role, importance and contribution to the organization’s overall strategy in order for its digital media strategy to achieve success.

3. Digital media is exactly what email was 15 years ago and what the fax machine was 30 years ago to businesses.

These techno inventions changed the way people communicated. So, now we have another technological revolution which once again changes the way that we do business. The difference is, now businesses have the opportunity to reach out and engage in direct dialogue with their customers and consumers in an instant. We’re entering into a new era where a customer/consumer relationship is not just defined by face time or simply the quality of a product or service, but it’s defined by every single online and offline interaction. And now more than ever, it’s the online interaction that contributes so much value to the equation.

Apr 29
Love2
gen y

Why Generation Y is often called Generation Why

By Employer

You probably have had a taste of how Millennials (which is another term for Generation Y, born between 1981 and 1996s) often feel at the workplace, especially recent graduates who are in their first real professional role.

This group is often referred to as Gen Y because of their tendency to ask why at every given opportunity. It is definitely a characteristic that – while not true for every single Gen Y individual – is a common thread among working youth that sets them apart from Gen X and Boomers.

At NATCON this past week we were privileged to be able to attend Dr. Karyn Gordon’s entertaining, energetic and informative presentation on Gen Y. We were thrilled to follow up with our own presentation the following morning at NATCON where attendees were able to ask pointed questions about some of the revelations about Millennials.

Many wanted to better understand why feedback and direct communication is such a critical factor for success in working with this generation.

Having recently conducted a comprehensive, nation-wide study on Canadian Gen Y, and having launched thousands of careers through our paid internship program for recent graduates, we like to consider ourselves experts on Gen Y as well, so I will attempt to answer this.

First of all, Dr. Karyn provides a great foundation for understanding this. In a recent blog post on www.rypple.com she wrote:

They grew up with constant feedback from parents, teachers, tutors, coaches etc., often telling them they can do anything. As a result, Gen Y’s need regular, specific and concrete feedback and I’m not talking about the traditional bi-annual performance review. One Gen Y told me that he started his job in September but didn’t get any feedback till almost January. In his frustration he told me “Karyn at university I’m getting constant feedback and grades about how I’m doing – right now I have no clue if I’m even close to what is required of me.” Getting regular, respectful and timely feedback is critical to engage and motivate this generation.

Considering that many Gen Y are such a team-oriented bunch, it makes sense that they crave feedback, because they want to know that they are doing a good job. Not just because they want to do well for themselves or because they want the recognition, but because they do not want to let down the team.

Some members of the X and Boomer generations will groan at the thought of a Gen Y in the office asking millions of questions while you try to get your work done. That would be a shame, because asking “why” is the first step towards process improvement, eliminating waste and inefficiencies, creativity, innovation and ultimately, growth.

Gen Y, especially recent graduates, bring a much-needed fresh perspective to the workplace that experience can sometimes be lost with experience.

It’s quite likely that every generation, upon entering the workplace, was filled with confusion, curiosity and even criticisms of their environment and perhaps the only difference is that Gen Y has the tools, the confidence and encouragement to come out and as why. After all, why not?

Apr 07
Love3

What are the worst mistakes hiring managers make?

By Employer

Somebody in one of my LinkedIn HR groups posted this as discussion today and I thought I would take the opportunity to share my thoughts, not only in that forum, but on here as well.

As always, we are very interested in hearing your opinion –  share your comments (see below, at bottom of post) and we’ll post them on our blog.

Here’s my two cents:

Unfortunately, even in this day and age, some employers overlook talent because of disability or some other barrier, such as a lack of Canadian work experience.

Educated and skilled professionals are sometimes passed over simply because they lack experience in this country. Often they possess adequate business communication and interpersonal skills but never get the opportunity to demonstrate this because their resumes are dismissed immediately because they lack local experience and in some regrettable cases, because of prejudices within the individual or the organization as a whole.

I have spoken to employers (in previous roles) who have confided that they are apprehensive about hiring persons with disabilities due to concerns over potential legal issues, sick days, costs or turnover. They are surprised then when I am able to produce facts that debunk these myths and show that accommodations usually have little or no financial cost and that sick days and turnover typically go down significantly for employees with disabilities. Of course, persons with disabilities also bring a valuable and unique set of abilities to the workplace, often skills acquired as a result of adapting to and overcoming their disability.

Employers may also make the mistake of underestimating the value inexperienced youth – particularly recent graduates – can bring to the workplace, not taking into consideration the transferable skills acquired in university. The work ethic required to excel in school is a major asset to an organization, as is the experience gained in group projects (team work) and extra-curricular activities.

Persons with disabilities are largely underrepresented in Canadian workplaces, and immigrants are often underemployed – their skills underutilized. Youth in Canada currently have a higher rate of unemployment than the general population, and many turn to unpaid work to gain experience.

The good news is that these mistakes are easily corrected – a paid internship is a low-cost, risk-free and effective way to try hiring outside of the usual talent pool, and it increases the opportunity to find top-quality talent.

Feb 10
Love3

5 steps to becoming an employer-of-choice

By Employer

For our latest quarterly e-Newsletter, CareerBulletin, employment branding experts, Tamm, contributed an article on becoming an employer-of-choice.

Ciabh McEvenue, Managing Director at Tamm, provides some great tips including:

1. Know who you are – storytelling is key, according to Ciabh, who encourages employers to come out of hiding from “behind a veneer of business language,” and show personality.

2. Engage your talent – who better to tell your story than your own people? Ciabh (pronounced “Keeve,” by the way) points out that when your own people are recruiting or referring from within their personal and professional networks, engagement and retention go up.

3. Invest in tools – Ciabh lists an authentic employee value proposition, targeted marketing materials and memorable communications among recruiting tools that are a must in effective employer branding.

4. Speak up – Here, Ciabh encourages a good deployment strategy including:

  • investing in advertising in relevant media
  • motivating employee ambassadors
  • optimizing your organizational website
  • engaging in a meaningful, accessible way with your audience through events, social networking/media, and relevant professional forums

5. Keep at it – Commitment is key and Ciabh suggests identifying efficient, low-cost alternatives to traditional advertising to “keep your story circulating.”

Click here to read the full article. Thank you Tamm for this practical and well-written piece!

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What do you think makes an organization an “employer-of-choice”?

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