Talent and HR News Weekly Roundup: Hiring

From Gen Z to IT, we’re sharing the latest hiring news and insight. Enjoy!

1) Forget Millennials. Are You Ready to Hire Generation Z? from Fortune

“As head of recruiting for the Americas at audit-and-consulting powerhouse EY (formerly Ernst & Young), Black has taken a close look at what Millennials’ younger brothers and sisters are hoping to find in their first jobs. For one thing, he’s met and chatted with many of the almost 4,000 interns working at EY this summer; and the firm recently surveyed 3,200 Gen Zers worldwide about what kind of company they’d feel most comfortable working for. Black also hosted a series of informal “town hall” gatherings on college campuses, inviting college students and local high school kids to talk about how they see their futures. “This is not a shy bunch,” he says. “They’re much more confident and assertive about their goals, and a lot more knowledgeable about employers, than Millennials were at the same age."

Here’s a complete guide for employers on the youngest generation entering the workforce...”

2) IT hiring is broken. Here are three ways to fix it. from TechRepublic

“The best job candidates aren't always the ones who put the right keywords on their resumes. These techniques will help you better sift through the applicant pool.

I have yet to meet anyone involved with IT hiring who is happy with the process in its current form. Candidates are frustrated with "shopping list" job postings that don't reflect the actual work, hiring managers struggle filling positions they don't quite understand, and IT leaders end up struggling to find the talent they need.

Even the tools of the hiring process are horribly broken. I've seen job listings that demand "over ten years' experience" in a dozen complex technologies, several of which didn't even exist ten years ago. Hiring managers receive so many applications that automated tools are employed that rely on keyword searches, dumping qualified candidates and selecting the applicants who pick the right keywords rather than having the right skills. So, how do we fix this?...”

3) Listen to Your Employees, Not Just Your Customers from Harvard Business Review

“Many companies love customer feedback, but only a handful have devoted as much energy to employee feedback systems. “For every dollar spent on employee feedback, companies spend hundreds of dollars on customer feedback,” said Troy Stevenson, former vice president of customer loyalty at eBay, in a recent interview.

Companies rarely connect the two systems. But, connecting them can create powerful feedback loops that engage employees and help companies adapt to fast-changing customer expectations, according to new research I conducted with my colleagues Carolyn Egelman, Julia Markish, Emma Sopadjieva, and Dorian Stone at the Medallia Institute. The research included interviews with more than 25 customer experience and HR executives and a survey of 1,000 frontline employees working at large companies in the U.S. automotive, financial services, retail, telecomm, and hospitality sectors...”

4) Would employees be healthier, more productive with a shorter workweek? from Employee Benefit News

“Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer made a comment last week about her time at Google, where she worked 130 hours and pulled at least one all-nighter each week— to her, a sign of hard work. But, for most Americans, the average 40-hour workweek leads to decreased cognitive functioning.

A new study conducted by the University of Melbourne examined 6,500 adults in Australia ages 40 to 69 and found that 25- to 30-hour workweeks had a beneficial cognitive impact on older men, while 22- to 27-hour workweeks benefitted older women...”

5) More companies funding credentials for employees  from CGMA Magazine

"Rising demand for accounting and finance professionals with new skills is making it more likely that companies pay their employees to gain and maintain professional certifications.

Corporate support for employees’ efforts to maintain professional certifications has increased significantly in the past four years, research by Robert Half suggests. Of the more than 2,200 CFOs the staffing firm polled in the largest US metro areas this year, 38% said their companies fully covered costs employees incurred to maintain professional certifications, and another 38% said they paid part of the costs. Also, 76% of respondents said they paid all or part of the costs their employees incurred to receive professional certifications....”

6) If You Want the Best Candidates, Don't Drag Out the Hiring Process from Business News Daily

“Although you should be thorough when searching for and hiring new employees, if the process is too long, you could cost yourself a shot at hiring the best candidates. A study from Robert Half revealed that when forced to endure a lengthy hiring process, nearly 40 percent of job seekers lose interest in the position and pursue other opportunities, and 18 percent decide to stay put in their current job. In addition, more than 30 percent said a drawn-out hiring process makes them question whether the employer is good at making decisions in other areas.

Overall, job seekers find a lengthy hiring process infuriating. Nearly 60 percent of those surveyed said the most frustrating part of the job search is the long wait after an interview to hear if they got the job. The research shows that 23 percent lose interest in the employer if they don't hear back within one week after the initial interview, and another 46 percent lose interest after two weeks...”

Kathleen O'Brien (@kathleen_eliz) is a Lead Consultant & Project Manager for exaqueo, a workforce consultancy that helps organizations build their cultures, employer brands and talent strategies. Contact exaqueo to learn more about our employer brand innovation, workforce research, and recruiting strategy offerings.

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