The main reason why businesses fail is that entrepreneurs spend time and money developing products and services without thinking about whether there is demand and how they’ll differ from their competitors. The process of writing your business plan will force you to consider crucial topics like your target demographic, hiring plan, finances, and marketing efforts.

Why You Need a Business Plan Outline

A business plan can help you resist the most common reasons that entrepreneurs are unsuccessful, such as failing to create products and services based on customer feedback, understanding their competitive advantage, or knowing how to attract new customers or clients. When you have a great business idea or want to scale your business, it can be tempting to rush ahead.

However, you can ultimately save time, money, and aggravation by considering whether your business idea is feasible or if you’re expanding too quickly. Before jumping ahead, use this guide to create or update your business plan so you have a sound strategy in place if you decide to move forward.

1. Executive Summary

Think of this section as an elevator pitch for your company. Include a brief description of your business, products or services, and mission. Keep it straightforward and avoid buzzwords and jargon. If your business is already established, mention your team size, location, annual revenue, and growth plan.

2. Company Overview

Give readers more context into why you’re starting this business, the problem you’ll solve, your value proposition, and the target demographic. There may be some overlap between this section and your executive summary, although the overview typically goes into more detail than the executive summary (which is intended to capture their attention).

If your business is already off the ground, share the founding story and a brief company history that includes any major accomplishments like expanding your product offering or doubling your revenue or team size. Instead of saying you grew your revenue by 50 percent, share the actual amount.

3. Market Analysis

Use this section of your business plan outline to show that you understand your competition and how your business will stand out. First, share the industry size and growth rate. Next, share a list of your main competitors. Look at their respective websites and customer reviews and write down their strengths and weaknesses for a variety of topics.

Evaluate each competitor’s:

• Products or services
• Target customers
• Turnaround time
• Pricing structure
• Sales strategy
• Marketing initiatives

For each topic, write down what you can do differently and better. The reader might skim through the details, so it’s helpful to include a summary sentence or paragraph that describes your competitive advantage. Perhaps you can offer lower prices, a faster turnaround time, a unique product or service, greater convenience, or more variety.

4. Customer Analysis

In this section of your business plan outline, you’ll describe your target demographic. Consider relevant factors like their age, sex, location, education level, relationship status, profession, and income. If you’ve held focus groups or collected other feedback, mention what you have learned. More importantly, share how you’ll use the feedback to create products or services that potential customers want.

If your business is already up and running, share metrics such as the number of customers or clients you’ve had and month-over-month or year-over-year increases. You could also share a few customer reviews or client testimonials.

5. Products or Services

Use this section of your business plan outline to describe your main products or services. Share relevant details such as the price, profit margin, and any patents, copyrights, or trademarks you’ve received. Share why they stand out from what your competitors offer. Note your sales goals and key performance indicators (KPIs).

If you’re already making sales, showcase your best-sellers. Mention the sales figures and top reviews or testimonials.

6. Operational Plan

This is where you’ll explain applicable information like your production workflow and distribution plan. Note the suppliers you plan to use, why you chose them, and the prices. If you’re selling services, describe the service process.

7. Marketing Plan

Tell readers your social media, email marketing, website marketing, advertising, and public relations strategies. Mention your budget for each. If you’re hiring in-house, note the salary for each role. If you’re hiring a freelancer, share how much you intend to pay each person. If your business is established, share relevant metrics like your current following or subscribers and growth rate.

8. Organization and Management

Use this section to note your business structure. Is it a limited liability company, partnership, corporation, or another category? If you’ve already hired a management team and board members, share their bios.

This is also where you’ll share the current or intended team size. It’s helpful to summarize your hiring plan and headcount forecast for the year, as well as any additional staff you may need to reach future milestones.

9. Finances

When you’re looking for funding, share the amount you’d like to raise and what you plan to do with the funds. Share your financial projections for at least the next 12 months based on the market research you conducted.

If you’re already in business, share your balance sheet and cash flow and income statements. Also, mention any funding you’ve received so far.

Build the Team You Need to Move Your Business Forward

After using this business plan outline to devise a strategy, you’ll know exactly what you need to do to be successful. Your next step is to attract and retain employees who have the skills and experience you need. Optimize your recruitment and retention strategies by implementing expert-recommended HR advice from Monster.

The post Creating a Business Plan Outline appeared first on Monster.com.

You can also save money. Teenagers often work part-time during the school year or as seasonal employees, meaning you don’t need to pay an annual salary and benefits. If you’re hiring in the United States, the federal government and some state and local governments offer tax credits for companies that hire teenagers.

If you decide to hire teenagers, you can follow these steps to find and successfully hire dependable employees:

1. Determine your hiring needs
2. Write your job descriptions
3. Reach motivated teenagers
4. Evaluate candidates
5. Onboard teenage employees

What are the Legal Considerations for Hiring Teenagers?

There are various federal and state child labor laws. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has several child labor laws to be aware of before you start the hiring process. For example, people:

• 13 and younger: Can babysit, perform, deliver newspapers, and do other at-home work.
• 14 and 15: Can do non-hazardous, non-manufacturing jobs that are approved by the DOL and can only work specific hours and a maximum number of hours per day.
• 16 and 17: Can do any job that is deemed non-hazardous by the DOL and work any hours.
• Under 20 years old: Can be paid less than minimum wage during the first 90 consecutive days of employment, unless your state has different rules, and then must be paid minimum wage in nearly all circumstances.

It can be helpful to have a lawyer review your plans before you kick off the hiring process.

How to Hire Teenagers

These best practices will make your hiring process more effective and efficient.

1. Determine Your Hiring Needs

Start by considering your hiring needs and whether you’re legally permitted to hire teenagers for the role. (When you’re hiring 15-year-olds and 14-year-olds, keep in mind that they can only work DOL-approved jobs.)

After making your list, determine your budget for each role using salary tools to find the market rate in your state. Teenagers may be willing to work for less than adult employees. However, you’ll be poised to attract top talent if you pay the same amount for workers doing the same job.

2. Write Your Job Descriptions

The next step to hiring teenagers is to write job descriptions for each role. Include a compelling introduction to your company, job responsibilities, qualifications, and logistics like the hours and pay. If you’re hiring for non-summer jobs, be sure to specify that you have reserved shifts before and after school and on weekends for students.

Include relevant terms like “teenage jobs,” “teen jobs,” “weekend jobs,” “seasonal work,” “morning shifts,” and “evening shifts” in the title and throughout the job description. You’ll increase the likelihood that teenagers will see your job description when they use job boards and search engines to find work.

3. Reach Motivated Teenagers

Promote your job descriptions by posting them on popular and teenager-specific job boards, as well as on your website. See if local high schools and middle schools have career fairs that you can attend.

It’s helpful to ask for recommendations from your professional network when you’re hiring teenagers because it’s likely people can vouch for smart, reliable, and responsible teenagers who are itching to make money. If you have room in the budget, offer an employee referral bonus to team members who recommend someone who ends up being hired.

You could also share your job postings on the social media platforms teenagers frequently use, like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat.

4. Evaluate Candidates

When you’re hiring teenagers, they are unlikely to have the exact skills and professional experience you think you need. However, keep in mind that hard-working and reliable teenagers will be able to learn new skills quickly.

As you’re reviewing resumes, consider the transferrable skills candidates gained from their classes, extracurricular activities, and other jobs or internships. For example, they may have strong written communication skills from working for the school newspaper, verbal communication skills from being on the debate team, and interpersonal skills from playing sports.

After narrowing it down to top candidates, schedule a short phone or video interview before or after school. You will get a chance to see their soft skills in action. Since teenagers might not have relevant experience to talk about, it’s helpful to ask behavioral interview questions that require them to talk about times they needed to use similar skills in the past.

For example, you may want to ask:

• How do you prioritize and manage your time when you work on multiple projects or assignments at once?
• Tell me about a time you worked with a team. What characteristics make you a good teammate?
• What are the three most important skills you’ve learned from previous jobs, internships, or extracurriculars?

5. Onboard Teenage Employees

When you’re ready to make a hire, your lawyer may recommend that you send an offer letter for them to sign. Offer letters typically include relevant details like the job title, hours per week, manager, pay, pay schedule, and whether it is an at-will position.

After getting back the signed offer letter, you can plan your orientation program. Start by making introductions, showing them around the workplace, and giving them more context about your company. For example, you could discuss your company’s history, mission, values, team structure, and policies and procedures.

Managers should spend most of the orientation day giving new employees the tools, resources, and instructions they need to be successful. However, the training shouldn’t stop on day one.

Provide Continuous Training and Supervision

Hiring teenagers is not the same as hiring adults who are likely to have years of work experience. It’s beneficial to provide hard and soft skill trainings on everything from customer service best practices to workplace communication.

Encourage managers to have one-on-one meetings to give feedback, set goals, and answer questions. If your workplace has a shift schedule, you may want to make sure there is always a more-senior person on shift to oversee younger employees.

Hire Talented Teenagers Quickly

You can consider this “Hiring Teenagers 101.” We’ve covered legal considerations and best practices for the entire hiring process, from writing job descriptions to providing ample training. Ready to put it to the test? Create a free job posting on Monster to reach a large selection of motivated teenagers quickly.

The post Tips for Hiring Teenagers appeared first on Monster.com.

Waiting until an employee leaves before beginning your recruitment efforts—reactive hiring—is expensive, time-consuming, and haphazard. Building a reliable pipeline of talented individuals that you consistently nurture, even when you don’t have current openings, is the most efficient and effective way to ensure you are attracting the top performers in your sector, and can save you money on outside recruiters as well.

The five steps outlined in this article can help you build, nurture, and optimize a pre-vetted applicant pool:

1. Polish your employer brand
2. Reach out and look within
3. Keep tabs on key talent in your field
4. Create and organize a talent database
5. Build diversity into your pipeline strategy

What Is a Talent Pipeline?

Your pipeline consists of a talent pool,—a collection of job candidates that you consider worthy of considering for future openings—along with a process by which you vet and check in with those candidates, even when you do not have openings.

A successful talent pipeline includes applicants you’ve met in person, whose resumes you’ve vetted. Some may have been finalists for past openings, or applicants you’ve met with for informational interviews when you didn’t have a current opening.

Because you’ve already engaged with them, you don’t have to explain what your company does or what your values are. When the right opportunity emerges, you can bring them in for a targeted interview, and if all goes well, make them an offer.

Maintaining an updated database of vetted candidates allows you to fill openings faster, avoid lengthy candidate searches, and save money on outside recruiters. That’s why it is crucial to always be working on some aspect of the five steps listed below.

1. Polish Your Employer Brand

Think of your pipeline as a company asset that needs to be tended to in good times and bad. Building and maintaining a highly regarded employer brand within your industry or community is a key first step in that process.

Polish your employer branding by updating the career portal on your web site and working with your marketing team to create social posts focusing on your employees’ accomplishments and company benefits. You should also review your applicant experience by applying to your company through your application portal. How tedious is the process? Can it be made more responsive and meaningful for your applicants?

Develop a companywide standard for interviewing and hiring etiquette. If you are not reaching out to candidates who you didn’t select for a current opening, especially those who made it through several rounds of interviews, then you are likely gaining yourself a reputation as an unresponsive employer.

2. Reach Out and Look Within

One of the best ways to maintain a healthy talent pipeline is to focus on strengthening it during hiring freezes. You should also use less-active recruiting seasons to strengthen internal training and mentoring, making sure that you are ready to promote from within.

You can work to forge and maintain relationships with talented professionals within your field by:

• Conducting informational interviews when you don’t have active openings.
• Updating past applicant files by reaching out and seeing if job seekers’ situations have changed, whether they’re still looking for work and still interested in your company.
• Forging new relationships with professional organizations and local college recruitment offices.
• Creating returnships for past employees looking to re-enter the workplace after an extended absence.
• Checking in with current employees to see what their development goals are and what you can do to help them develop new skills.

3. Keep Tabs on Key Talent in Your Field

Hiring specialists should track the careers of top-performing professionals within your industry, including people you’ve worked with in the past, or highly impressive individuals within your field you’ve interacted with at industry conferences or within professional associations.

This is especially important for entry-level workers, including younger Millennials and Gen Z, who are likely to switch employers frequently. Some effective ways to maintain relationships with performers you think would thrive in your organization include:

• Being transparent about your company’s current situation while at the same time making clear that you believe they would be an asset, and that you are interested in bringing them on board when the time is right.
• Setting up informational interviews with organizational leadership designed to explore an array of roles a candidate might be capable of filling.
• Acknowledging that a potential hire cannot wait for you to be ready to hire them and that you may not be the next employer they work for and that’s OK. Maybe you will be the one after that. You are looking to forge a long-term relationship because you see them as someone with great promise.

4. Create and Organize a Talent Database

Your talent database, sometimes called a “talent container,” is a single location that contains all of your candidate information. To compile a comprehensive talent database, you’ll need to identify your main recruitment strategies. These might include:

• Sending recruiters to a handful of area job fairs.
• Maintaining relationships with a few area college career centers.
• Attending the major professional conferences in your sector.
• Hosting a portal for open jobs on the company web site.
• Using external job sites.

Once you’ve identified your key recruitment channels, you’ll want to gather resumes, cover letters, and online application data into a single talent container, and then begin categorizing and ranking the candidates within it. This can be made simpler by using recruitment tracking software.

5. Build Diversity Goals Into Your Talent Pipeline Strategy

Building a pool of candidates is all about fine-tuning your talent acquisition strategies, which makes it a perfect opportunity to build diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategies into your hiring practices at every level.

You can leverage your pipeline to build a diverse workforce by forging relationships with multicultural professional associations, organizations focused on women in the workplace, veterans’ groups, and other organizations that represent underrepresented groups.

As your diversity efforts grow, be sure to incorporate your DEI success stories back into your employer branding. Younger workers are especially focused on making sure their employers’ values in this arena reflect their own and have indicated a willingness to turn down offers from employers that do not appear to make DEI a priority. In other words, failure on this front could slow down—or even shut down—your ability to consistently engage with top talent.

You’ve Learned 5 Key Steps to Build a Talent Pipeline. Now Access More Valuable Hiring Strategies

Learn more about the most effective ways to recruit and hire top talent with up-to-date hiring news. Access expert advice, useful how-to articles, and information about the best hiring practices for employers large and small.

The post How to Build a Talent Pipeline in 5 Steps appeared first on Monster.com.

One of the main advantages of internal recruiting is that you have more resources for evaluating whether a candidate is a good fit for the role. While certain elements of the hiring process are similar, like writing a job posting and reviewing resumes, there are key differences that can make the process more effective and efficient.

You can take these steps to build your internal hiring process:

1. Write a job description
2. Promote your job posting
3. Evaluate internal candidates
4. Onboard internal hires

What is Internal Recruiting?

It’s when you fill job openings with current employees instead of hiring someone from outside your company. You may promote employees to higher positions or encourage employees to make lateral moves.

What are the Benefits?

There are many advantages for your company when you recruit internally, including:

Fill Roles Faster

When you hire internally, you have more resources for evaluating candidates. You can look at their past performance reviews, speak to their manager and peers, and review projects they’ve completed.

The external recruitment process typically takes more time because you need to reach candidates, screen resumes and cover letters, schedule interviews, and call references. You may want to have multiple interview rounds with each candidate before deciding, which could take weeks or months.

When you’re filling a high-priority role, there is pressure to hire quickly. You know more about an internal hire so there is less of a risk that it could be the wrong fit and that you’d have to restart the hiring and training process.

Reduce Hiring and Onboarding Costs

It can be expensive and time-consuming to recruit and onboard candidates. In addition to recruiting costs, you may have to offer a higher salary to attract external candidates.

You will probably need to provide more trainings and be patient as the new employee acclimates to the role and company. When you recruit internally, the employee will likely need to learn or improve some skills, but they will have more institutional knowledge and a better understanding of the company culture.

Increased Employee Engagement

Instead of looking for new opportunities outside the company, employees who want to advance or make a lateral move can apply internally. You show that you value your employees and are committed to helping them succeed.

As a result, your company is likely to have higher employee morale and engagement. Companies with high employee morale and engagement are often more profitable than the competition because of factors including higher quality work, greater productivity, and increased employee retention.

How Do You Recruit Internally?

Now that you know the benefits of this hiring method, you’re ready to set up your process. Here are the main steps:

1.Write a Job Description

Even though you plan to hire internally, you’ll still want to write a job description. A detailed job description will give internal candidates the information they need to determine whether they have the necessary skills and experience and are excited about the role.

You’ll also need a job description if you decide to post the job externally to expand your hiring pool. With a well-written job description in place, hiring managers will have a clear method for evaluating internal and external candidates.

2. Promote Your Job Posting

Make sure your employees know about your job openings by using an internal job board, posting them on the intranet, including them in internal newsletters, and mentioning them at all-team meetings. Ask managers to encourage employees who’d be a good fit to apply.

Have internal applicants apply through your applicant tracking system (ATS) and send their resume to the hiring manager directly so it doesn’t get lost in the shuffle.

3. Evaluate Internal Candidates

Have your hiring managers start by considering a candidate’s resume and performance reviews and, if it’s relevant, looking at work samples. If candidates are moving up or making a career shift, they may not have all the skills and experience listed in the job description – but that doesn’t mean they won’t be able to succeed in the role.

Remind hiring managers to consider the candidate’s soft skills like work ethic, adaptability, and leadership skills. Employees with a growth mindset should be able to learn new skills and excel at new responsibilities quickly.

Hiring managers might want to meet with any candidates they haven’t worked closely with to learn more about their skills and career goals. When you recruit internally, it’s helpful to ask revealing interview questions such as:

• What excited you about this opportunity?
• What skills and experiences did you gain from previous roles that would make you successful in this one?
• How would this role help you accomplish your main long- and short-term career goals?

4. Onboard Internal Hires

Your lawyer may recommend you send an offer letter with the details of the new position like the title, salary, start date, benefits, and manager. The internal hire has the advantage of having a professional support network and knowing how the company operates, but they may not be familiar with their new role or team.

Ask their new manager to meet with them to discuss their new responsibilities, provide relevant trainings, and discuss short- and long-term goals and objectives. They should also make introductions if the internal hire is joining a brand-new team.

Continue to Strengthen Your HR Practices

When you recruit internally, you’re likely to see increased employee retention, morale, and performance, making your business more successful. Keep strengthening your company culture and performance by implementing expert-recommended hiring and management advice from Monster.

The post Why You Should Recruit Internally appeared first on Monster.com.

This guide will help you determine if it’s a good strategy for your business. If you decide to move forward, you can take these steps to hire and onboard temporary workers:

1. Decide your hiring needs
2. Write job descriptions
3. Promote job openings
4. Assess candidates
5. Onboard temporary workers

What is Temp-to-Hire?

Also known as contract-to-hire, it’s when a business owner hires a temporary worker for a set timeframe with the possibility of hiring them as a permanent employee at the end of the contract. Temporary contracts typically last three to six months.

What are Legal Considerations?

There are various federal and state employment laws and guidelines regarding temporary work. At a national level, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) defines temporary workers as people who don’t have an actual or implied contract for ongoing employment. According to the DOL, temporary workers typically work at a job for a year or less and do not expect to work there for another year.

The DOL considers a job to be short-term or temporary work if the person is hired for a specific timeframe or project, to replace an employee who is on leave, or to work at a seasonal job. They also consider whether the contract stipulates that it is a short-term assignment with a set end date.

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) also has guidelines for determining whether someone is an employee or a temporary worker. If you misclassify an employee as a temporary worker, you could be held liable for employment taxes and additional sanctions.

It can be helpful to have a lawyer review your hiring plans before you get started.

What are the Benefits?

Here are some reasons you may want to bring on temp-to-hire workers:

• You can hire someone to complete a short-term project, fill in when an employee is on leave, or work during your “busy season” without hiring an employee.
• You can save money by paying an hourly rate or project fee instead of an annual salary and benefits. (It’s helpful to check with your lawyer because you may be legally obligated to pay some benefits based on the contract duration and hours worked.)
• You need help but don’t have enough work for a permanent employee and predict that you will soon.
• You and the worker can determine whether it is a good fit before committing to a permanent role.

How Do You Find a Temporary Worker?

The process of hiring a temporary worker is similar to hiring a permanent employee, but there are some key differences that can make your hiring process more efficient. Here are the main steps for finding and retaining temp-to-hire workers.

1. Decide Your Hiring Needs

Start by writing a list of all the projects you need help with and gaps you may have because employees quit or are on leave. When you bring on a contract-to-hire worker, there is an expectation that there will be the possibility of a job offer after the contract ends. If you have short-term projects or need coverage and do not think you will have enough work to hire someone full-time, consider hiring a gig worker instead.

Next, use a salary tool to determine the budget for each hire. This will help you decide if you can hire for all the roles now or if you need to prioritize. Keep in mind that if you use a staffing agency, you may need to pay a fee, markup hourly rate, and a percentage of the worker’s salary if you hire them as an employee.

2. Write Job Descriptions

Your next step is to write detailed job descriptions for each role. The job description will help candidates determine whether it’s the right fit for them and will give you or the staffing agency a clear way to evaluate candidates.

There is a high demand for temp-to-hire workers, so it’s beneficial to use the introduction paragraph to show why your company is a great place to work. You may want to highlight the mission, company culture, team values, and any awards the company has received.

Many temporary workers hope to have benefits and more job security. You’re likely to stand out from the competition if you specify that there is a potential to be hired. Over time, you can increase confidence by mentioning the

3. Promote Your Job Openings

After writing compelling job descriptions, you’re ready to reach qualified candidates. If you’re using a staffing agency, they will find and interview candidates and recommend top candidates to your team.

You can find candidates directly by posting your job opening on popular job boards and your company’s career page. Use the job title and “temp-to-hire” as the title so people interested in temporary work don’t scroll past it thinking it is a permanent position. Use terms like “temporary,” “contract-to-hire,” and “contract” throughout the job description so it shows up when people use search engines or job board search filters to look for work.

You can also promote your listing by asking for referrals and posting your job openings on social media. If there is room in the budget, you could offer an employee referral bonus to employees who recommend someone who ends up being hired as a permanent employee.

4. Assess Candidates

Because there’s a high demand for temporary workers, it’s critical to hire top candidates before they get another offer. You can speed up the process by evaluating their portfolios, asking for references, and inviting all the relevant decision-makers to the interview so you don’t need multiple rounds.

Remember that you can hire someone faster because you will have time to evaluate their skills and work ethic on the job. There is less of a commitment when you’re hiring a temporary worker and it’s an opportunity for both sides to determine if it’s the right fit.

5. Onboard Temporary Workers

Your lawyer may suggest that you send a temporary employment contract with details including the project duration, scope of work, deadline, hours, payment details, hourly rate or project fee, and payroll schedule. If you use a staffing agency, they typically handle the contract and payroll since the worker is employed by the firm.

The last step is to onboard temporary employees. If you won’t be managing the person directly, have their manager lead the meeting. It’s helpful to review policies and procedures and how to use necessary tools and equipment.

Hire Temporary Workers Quickly

Now you know the steps and best practices for implementing a temp-to-hire workforce strategy, and how it can be beneficial. If you decided it’s right for your company, get started today. Create a free job posting on Monster to find talented temporary workers for every job.

The post Is a Temp-to-Hire Workforce Strategy Right for Your Company? appeared first on Monster.com.

Automation has been an indisputably disruptive power in the modern workplace. Widespread use of the internet became the standard for engaging with customers, creating enormous time and cost-saving opportunities for businesses. More recently, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) have created a pathway for workplace automation to replace employees in more knowledge-based jobs.

Creating the best mix of automation and hiring for your business means first understanding automation, then knowing what factors to consider. Here’s what you need to know to feel confident as you make this important decision for your company.

Workplace Automation Defined

Modern automation in the workplace is the process of using systems and technology to complete a task with little or no direct human involvement. It has long been present in the workplace, handling mundane, routine tasks humans would rather not do.

While dialogue surrounding workplace AI and automation almost exclusively focuses on the number of jobs lost, automation technology typically takes on certain job functions where humans are inefficient, inconsistent, or exposed to risk. What’s more, a study conducted in the UK found that technology has created more jobs than it has destroyed in the past century.

Identify the workplace automation options for your business by considering the different types of AI and robotics capable of performing specific tasks or processes. Below are three broad categories to help you get started.

1. Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

This is a form of automation that uses robotic technology to perform routine, high-volume, low-complexity, administrative white-collar tasks. Invoice processing, inventory management, and delivery are a few examples of RPA.

2. Cognitive Automation

This category of workplace automation uses advanced technologies such as text analytics, natural language processing, data mining, pattern recognition, AI, and machine learning to complete more-complex tasks. Common applications include customer service chatbots and lead-scoring software that empowers sales teams to pursue only the most qualified leads.

3. Social Robotics

The most controversial of automations, social robots, interact with humans and each other in a socially acceptable fashion, conveying intention in a human-perceptible way. They are empowered to resolve problems autonomously and interact or collaborate with humans through the combination of sensors, AI, and mechanical robots. Social robots have shown up in professional healthcare settings as well as more experimental uses like driverless cars.

Now that you have a better understanding of automation technology and examples of how they’re used, lets walk through some of the factors you should consider as you’re deciding between a new hire and implementing a form of automation in your business.

What Problem Are You Trying to Solve?

Do you want to manufacture a product more efficiently? Are you working to decrease the amount of time your customer service reps spend on the phone resolving issues? Or, maybe you’re looking for ways to increase the number of carryout customers you can serve at your restaurant.

Whether you’re trying to speed up a process, cut costs, or increase top-line revenue, you need to understand the specific problem so you can better evaluate the relevant factors before deciding whether to employ workplace automation technology instead of hiring.

HR and automation experts Ravin Jesuthasan and John W. Boudreau suggest deconstructing the job that you’re thinking of automating before determining if automation is a viable option. That means listing all the tasks associated with a position. From there, you can decide which aspects of the role (if any) are suitable for automation.

For example, if you’re thinking about ways to improve your customer service complaint response time, you’d start by listing all the steps in the current process. It may look something like this:

• Retrieve customer complaint from the email queue
• Determine the proper category for the complaint and assign a case number
• Route the complaint to the appropriate department
• Assign the case to an employee in that department
• Have the employee contact the customer to facilitate a resolution
• Document the agreed-upon resolution
• Email the customer a copy of the resolution
• Close the customer complaint

From there, you can investigate the viable options for using workplace AI to automatically route complaints, or email and text message automations that trigger messages based on customer responses.

How Will Workplace Automation Impact Current Employees and Customers?

When deciding whether to automate instead of hiring additional staff, you must also consider how it will impact both your employees and customers. Younger employees who’ve grown up with technology woven into almost every aspect of their lives may be quite happy having a Siri- or Alexa-automated assistant as a co-worker.

Conversely, generations of workers who aren’t so tech-forward may feel anxious, confused, or threatened. As such, introducing automation into your business may require additional budget for re-training or upskilling.

Researchers are making advances in algorithms that simulate the most human of intellectual attributes, such as curiosity and humor. However, if your business is one where customers expect high-touch, personalized interactions or nuanced exchanges that require social intelligence, you may want to think twice before automating those functions. Salespeople in luxury sectors and real estate, healthcare, and businesses that provide social services all fall into this category.

How Do You Plan to Measure Success?

Today’s B2B and B2C customers require a blend of digital and human services that provide simple, transparent, customer-focused solutions. That means your decision to automate processes can’t simply focus on implementing the newest, “shiniest” tech tools in your industry. Rather, it only makes sense if it improves your customer experience, allows employees to remain engaged in their roles, and solves problems that allow your business to thrive.

To ensure that you’ve created clear metrics for determining if workplace AI or other automation technology is better than hiring, revisit the problems you’re solving and add a quantifiable goal. It may be a dollar-specific cost savings, a reduction in errors, or higher ratings and reviews. Whatever the metric, tracking metrics will help validate your decision or force you to consider an alternative to meeting that particular business goal.

Learn How to Navigate Tomorrow’s Workforce

Understanding workplace automation will remain an important requirement for today’s businesses. But, to remain competitive, business owners must also keep abreast of emerging trends and changes in the local, national, or global workforce. Download our Future of Work eBook for information and insights to help you think ahead—and stay ahead—when creating your workforce strategy.

The post Workplace Automation vs. Hiring: Factors to Consider appeared first on Monster.com.

Many states and cities have implemented “ban the box” laws that require covered employers to remove questions about arrest and conviction records from job applications and to refrain from inquiring until later in the hiring process. The federal government has also banned such questions with respect to employment by federal agencies and contractors.

There are additional federal, state, and city regulations that help to ensure that formerly incarcerated people are strongly considered for positions, and many companies have adopted their own policies. Here are best practices for implementing fair chance hiring policies at your company.

Follow Federal Employment Anti-Discrimination Guidelines

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits companies from discriminating against applicants and employees “on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex.”

Based on case law, the EEOC has found that a company is liable for violating Title VII if the employment decision based on an individual’s criminal record “has the effect of disproportionately screening out a Title VII-protected group and the employer fails to demonstrate that the policy or practice is job related for the position in question and consistent with business necessity.”

The EEOC has published a detailed enforcement guidance with best practices employers should follow when establishing their fair chance hiring practices, including:

• Eliminating policies that disqualify all candidates with certain criminal convictions.
• Training hiring managers and HR officials about Title VII.
• Avoiding questions about criminal records on the job application and, if they choose to ask later in the process, to only consider crimes that are relevant to the job and could impact job performance or pose a risk to the company.
• Developing individualized screening procedures for candidates with criminal convictions.
• Telling the candidate that they may be screened out because of their criminal conviction and give them the opportunity to respond.
• Keeping the person’s criminal conviction confidential.

Depending on the state and city, your company may need to follow additional fair chance hiring regulations. For example, companies in New York City can’t ask about criminal records or run a background check until after a conditional job offer has been made, must notify the candidate about the finding and give them time to respond, and must consider various factors such as the severity of the offense and whether it’s relevant to the job.

Reach a Wide Range of Candidates

As part of your fair chance hiring initiative, you may choose to expand your recruitment techniques. For example, you could reach out to the American Job Center and your state’s local reentry service providers to learn about the trainings, job fairs, job boards, and resources they provide for people with criminal convictions. Nonprofits in your area may also host reentry job fairs that you could attend.

Maximize reach by positing your job description on your company website, global job boards, and job boards for formerly incarcerated people. It’s helpful to add “fair chance hiring”or “second chance hiring” to the job title or within the job description since people are likely to use those terms when they use a search engine or a job board’s search feature to look for job opportunities.

Conduct Background Checks Appropriately

If you’re hiring for education, medicine, finance, and certain other industries, you may choose to run a background check to look into a person’s criminal record and credit report. The EEOC notes that state and local criminal records databases and reports from consumer reporting agencies can include information that is “inaccurate” or “incomplete,” which is why companies are legally required to follow up with the applicant before making an employment decision.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulates how companies collect and use background reports, including the following requirements:

• Get written permission from the candidate or employee.
• Share a copy of the report and information on how to contact the reporting agency if there is an error.
• Give the candidate or employee a chance to explain if anything in the criminal record or credit report is incorrect.

Complete an Individualized Assessment

Based on case law, the EEOC recommends conducting an individualized assessment for candidates who might be rejected because of their criminal background. The first step is to notify the candidate so they can make a case for why they shouldn’t be rejected. For example, they can provide additional context about the crime and steps they’ve taken like volunteering, working at relevant jobs, and taking classes.

The company must consider the context and whether the crime is related to the job and poses a risk to the business. To determine relevancy, the company should consider what is known as the “Green factors” based on court precedent. The “Green factors” are:

• The nature and gravity of the offense or conduct.
• The time that has passed since the offense or conduct and/or completion of the sentence.
• The nature of the job held or sought.

Focus on Career Advancement

A big component to making fair chance hiring work is to give your new employees the support and resources they need to be successful by offering a strong orientation program. However, it’s important to keep details about the employee’s criminal record confidential to protect their privacy and ensure they aren’t treated differently by your team.

Determine whether your state or local government and nearby nonprofits offer reentry programs that incorporate career training. If you have room in the budget, it can be helpful to offer all your employees professional development stipends that they can use for classes, certification programs, and tuition. (The U.S. Department of Labor’s Work Opportunity Tax Credit provides an incentive for companies that hire people with felony convictions within a year of completing their sentence. Your state or local government may offer additional credits.)

Make career advancement part of your company culture by offering mentorship programs, hard and soft skill trainings, and clear trajectories for each role. People with criminal convictions tend to stay at a job longer and will want to grow at the company and gain additional responsibilities. Without disclosing their record to their manager, train managers on best practices like having one-on-one meetings, creating career development plans, and conducting performance reviews.

Start Implementing These Fair Chance Hiring Best Practices

Now that you know more about how to structure your hiring process to provide a “fair chance” for people with criminal records, you’re ready to start your search. Post a job on Monster to reach a large pool of candidates, access our resume database, and use our filtering tools to sift through resumes to quickly find people with the skills and experience you need. Find out how you can kick off your search with a free job posting.

The post How to Make Fair Chance Hiring Work appeared first on Monster.com.

Starting from the wide top and ending with the narrow bottom, these steps are:

1. Strengthen your employer brand
2. Promote your job posting
3. Reach passive candidates
4. Review resumes and interview candidates
5. Make an offer and plan the onboarding process

Here’s how to set up each step of the funnel so you attract a talented team.

Step 1: Strengthen Your Employer Brand

The first step of the recruitment funnel is to amplify your employer branding. A strong employer brand shows why your business is a great company and a great place to work. Think of your employer brand as an elevator pitch that describes what your business does, its value proposition, and its mission. Show the benefits of working at your company by showcasing the company culture and team values.

You can highlight your employer branding on your company website, on your social media channels, in your job postings, and in press features. Unlike other stages of the funnel, you should boost awareness all the time and not just when you’re hiring. You’ll continue to increase interest in your company and stay top-of-mind, and some of the people you engage with are likely to apply when you have an opening.

Step 2: Promote Your Job Posting

The next step of the recruitment funnel is to reach potential candidates and prompt them to apply to your job posting. Start by writing a detailed job description that explains the role, responsibilities, and requirements. Encourage potential candidates to apply by kicking off your job description with an introductory paragraph that features your employer branding, including a section about your benefits package.

When you’re writing your job description, be sure to incorporate the keywords and terms people are most likely to use when they use a search engine and a job board’s search features to look for similar jobs. It’s helpful to use the most common job title and to include synonyms throughout the job description.

For example, if you’re hiring a groundskeeper, you might want to include the titles “gardener,” “landscaper,” and “landscape crew.” Maximize reach by posting your job description on your company website, popular job boards, academic job boards, and industry job boards.

Step 3: Reach Passive Candidates

Further increase your pool of potential candidates by reaching out to passive candidates, people who may not be actively job searching but might be interested in applying if they’re excited about the role and company. There are several strategies you can use to find and attract passive candidates.

It’s beneficial to use job boards that let you access all the public resumes in their database so you can find people who have the skills and experience you need. You can also find passive candidates by attending job fairs, posting your job description on social media, and reaching out to people in your professional network to see if they know of someone who would be a good fit.

Also, encourage your employees to share your job opening with their professional networks by offering an employee referral bonus. If you’ve hired for similar positions before, look through the resumes you collected previously and reach out to anyone who might be a better fit for this role.

Step 4: Review Resumes and Interview Candidates

While the earlier stages of the recruitment funnel are about maximizing reach, this is where you start to narrow down your candidate pool to select top contenders. The first step is to review resumes and the second is to interview candidates.

Make the resume screening process more efficient by using applicant tracking software (ATS) to collect, sort, and review resumes. Depending on the ATS you choose, you can rank all the resumes based on keywords from the job description or use the search tools to find resumes that meet your hiring needs.

Once you’ve selected your top candidates, conduct screening interviews to learn more about their background, assess their soft skills, answer any questions, and share more about the role and your company. It’s beneficial to discuss logistics like the hours and salary range so candidates can better decide whether they want to move forward with the process.

The next step is to have in-depth interviews with the remaining candidates. If you work at a company with recruiters, they will typically handle all the recruitment steps up to this point. Some candidates drop out of the hiring process at the interview stage because there are too many rounds and lengthy pre-employment assessments. Ask insightful interview questions and have all the decision-makers meet with the candidate on the same day to make a thoughtful hire faster.

Step 5: Make an Offer and Plan the Onboarding Process

By this stage of the recruitment funnel, you’ve narrowed down your candidate pool and are ready to make an offer. Depending on the candidate’s experience, you may have to offer a salary at the top of the salary range and go higher or add in other perks like a sign-on bonus or relocation fee during salary negotiations.

Don’t reject the other candidates who have made it to the last stage of the interview process until you have a signed offer letter from your top candidate. If they don’t accept, you can offer the job to the next highest-ranked candidate. As soon as you’ve hired your new team member and sent HR paperwork, the final step is to plan your onboarding process so they have the resources and support they need to be successful.

Learn More Best Practices for Each Stage of the Recruitment Funnel

Now you know how to structure your hiring process, from attracting a large pool of candidates to narrowing it down until you find the right fit. Receive hiring advice for each stage of the funnel so you can build a talented team with the skills to move your business forward.

The post What is the Recruitment Funnel? appeared first on Monster.com.

The average American works about 12 different jobs in a lifetime, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. What’s less clear is how often U.S. workers change careers altogether, mostly due to the difficulty in defining what a “career change” actually means.

It’s normal for people to reevaluate their professional lives, especially if they’ve experienced job loss or are simply unhappy with their current trajectory. Here are five ways you can shift your strategy to attract top candidates who may be switching careers:

1. Attract a wider range of candidates
2. Remove obstacles that discourage career changers
3. Improve your compensation package
4. Allow for more flexibility
5. Implement a robust professional development program

1. Target a Larger Pool of Candidates

Start by evaluating your current hiring process and considering ways you can reach more candidates in general. One easy and effective strategy is to post your job descriptions on more high-traffic job boards, industry-specific job boards, and college and university job boards. Keep in mind that you may need to cast a wider net than you have in the past.

Double down on your efforts by attending a wider range of recruiting events, posting your job descriptions on your social media channels, and asking your connections if they know of qualified candidates you should consider. Incentivize your employees to share the job postings with their networks by offering an employee referral bonus.

As you’re overhauling your hiring process, there are actionable steps you can take to attract a diverse workforce. For example, it is valuable to write inclusive job descriptions, use blind applications, standardize your interview process, and have diverse interview panels. In addition to financially outperforming the competition, diverse workplaces are more likely to attract candidates entering a new field.

2. Attract Career Changers by Removing Obstacles

If you have expanded your reach and haven’t seen an increase in applications, you may need to revise your job requirements so that more people apply. Reconsider the requirements that may be preventing people who intend to make a career shift from applying.

For example, someone who wants to switch from education to marketing might not have a marketing degree or five years of marketing experience, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be successful in the role. They might have transferrable skills from other work experiences and other college majors or certification courses. A candidate with a growth mindset, a strong work ethic, and the necessary soft skills could quickly outperform someone with years of experience.

3. Improve Your Compensation Package

You may be having trouble recruiting career changers because you’re paying below the market rate. People starting new careers should expect a dip in pay, but below-par wages could discourage professionals used to making much more in their prior careers. You may have to dig a little deeper when good candidates are difficult to find. A salary tool can help to determine the market rate for your specific location.

If you can’t afford to pay at the top of the range, which is often the case for small businesses and startups, think of ways you can improve your benefits package. For example, some companies pay the entire health insurance premium for employees and their dependents and offer 401(k) matching.

You may want to offer additional financial perks like student loan assistance, paid parental leave, family stipends, performance bonuses, equity compensation, sabbaticals, and a liberal paid time off policy.

4. Establish Flexible Work Arrangements

As people evaluate their personal and professional lives, perhaps juggling work and family life with night classes, they may require a better work-life balance. You can make your company more attractive to busy candidates by implementing flexible work policies, which will also help you increase employee morale and recruit and retain working parents.

There are policies you can enact to offer a more flexible work schedule, which can make it easier to attract top candidates without additional expenditures. These include:

• Flextime. Employees set work schedules that are best for themselves and their families instead of working the typical nine-to-five schedule.
• Compressed workweek. Employees work more than eight hours a day a few days a week to hit 40 hours in fewer than five days.
• Job-sharing. Two or more employees work part time on different days or shifts to complete the responsibilities of one position.
• Shift work. Any job shifts that fall outside of the more-common 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. time frame.
• Telecommuting or remote work. Employees work from home or some other suitable, non-office location.

Another option that may be attractive to career changers is to create a hybrid workplace incorporating elements of telecommuting, flextime or other flexible arrangements. Depending on your hybrid workplace policy, you could require employees to come to the office a certain number of days a week or give them the option to come in when they want or when their manager requests it.

5. Create a Strong Professional Development Program

A strong professional development program not only will help you attract top talent, but it will also improve employee engagement, performance, and retention so you have a happier and more successful team. These types of programs focus on continuous training and education, which can help you hire career changers because they are mostly likely to need these kinds of resources as they adjust to a whole new role.

As you’re building out your professional development program you may want to consider creating orientation, upskilling, leadership development, and mentorship programs. You could also offer professional development stipends that can be used for classes, certification programs, and conferences.

It’s beneficial to create professional development plans for all employees so they know the goals and objectives they need to meet and the skills they need to gain to get a promotion. (Make sure there is a clear career advancement trajectory for each role.) Promote a feedback-rich culture by asking managers to have weekly or biweekly one-on-one meetings with direct reports and quarterly performance reviews.

Attract Qualified Career Changers and Other Top Candidates

These best practices will help you adjust your hiring process, benefits, and company culture to appeal to talented candidates embarking on a new career. While your competitors may be hesitant to consider someone new to the field, keeping an open mind will help you gain a competitive edge. Continue to make your hiring process more efficient and effective by signing up to receive hiring advice, news, and trends from Monster.

The post How to Recruit Career Changers appeared first on Monster.com.

On the one hand, the past year has shown that many employees can work just as productively at home as they can in-office — something work-life balance advocates have been saying for years now. But there’s also a case to be made for the benefits of returning to the office, at least on a gradual, phased basis.

For one thing, employees in Monster’s Global Future of Work Report say that the forced work-from-home situation wasn’t exactly great for their mental health. In fact, 46 percent of global respondents reported that they had job-related anxiety and/or depression in the last year. Plus, some aspects of work – like collaboration, innovation, and elements of company culture – may be better achieved in person.

“I predict that despite virtual and flexible work options continuing, we will also see a gradual return to an in-person work environment,” says Scott Gutz, CEO, Monster.

For companies that are trying to figure out the right balance, or when to go back (if at all), here are some of the considerations to make either approach successful in a post-COVID world.

Remote Work is Here to Stay…for Some

In June 2020, a study by Stanford University found that 42 percent of the U.S. labor force was working from home full time. In white-collar sectors, most organizations are still predominately remote today. In fact, gross commercial leasing square footage dropped over 50 percent in 2020, and the need for office space is expected to drop by another 15 percent this year, as per one study from Clever, an online real estate service.

Besides the lingering fear and state-mandated reductions in workplace capacity, it could also be that many companies have gotten into the work-from-home groove and have decided to stay that way for the foreseeable future. And for some employees, there’s no desire to go back making the remote vs. in-person work debate easier for employers.

The fact is, it’s going to be hard for employers to walk back the big policy changes they made during the pandemic. As per the Monster Global Future of Work report, the most popular changes were:

• Remote flexibility 43 percent
• Flexible work schedules 40 percent
• Health policies 36 percent

Monster’s report also found that 46 percent of companies said these changes will likely be permanent in order to continue supporting their employees and recruit new candidates.

Along those lines, some companies are also contemplating what work will look like for new hires.  SHRM’s Navigating COVID-19: Returning to the Workplace report found that 27 percent of companies said they are reviewing open positions to determine if they can be completed remotely, while 22 percent said they are modifying some positions to be completely remote.

The Work-From-Anywhere and Phased Approach

Though many blue-collar sectors have already been in full on-site operation throughout the pandemic, some white-collar companies are starting to make a return to the office as well.

Recently, Spotify, Facebook and Salesforce all announced various forms of “work from anywhere” programs, letting their employees make a personal decision about remote vs. in-person work. The SHRM report also revealed that 53 percent of companies plan to return to work by the end of July. As to how they will make it happen, 39 percent are using a phased approach; 11 percent will return everyone; 11 percent will return some; and 10 percent will let employees choose or make case-by-case decisions.

How Vaccines Factor In

“We’re seeing organizations finally entertaining the idea of returning to the office now that advanced testing, with improved sensitivity and specificity, and vaccines are becoming more readily available,” says Dr. Robert Quigley, Senior Vice President, Global Medical Director of International SOS, a risk mitigation company. “If an organization is able to take advantage of these preventative measures while implementing scientifically and medically proven procedures to protect its workforce, the interest of getting people back into the office will continue to rise.”

SEI, a global wealth management solutions firm, already began welcoming back part of its workforce in three phases, says Colleen Stratton, global leader workforce development, SEI. “Phase one were personnel that absolutely had to be on campus to do their job: people that were cashing checks, for example, opening mail,” she says.  For phase two, the company looked for volunteers to supplement those on campus, taking the number to just under 200 people. The company is currently planning phase three to bring back a much larger group by summer.

Employee Comfort-Level is a Concern

SEI has already developed and shared a comprehensive return to office guide, and it continues to do regular pulse surveys with employees. “In addition to communicating how we’re making sure that the environment is safe and how we’re making sure that employees are taking care of themselves, we’re making sure that everything is voluntary and that people that are here are coming in on a voluntary basis only,” says Stratton.

As one of the people who’s already back, Stratton says she feel very comfortable. “Here’s an example. It’s just me on my floor that normally would have 50 people in it. And my printer gets cleaned six times a day,” she says.

Staying Flexible can Help This Transition

Along with thorough safety considerations, taking a flexible approach is the most important thing companies can do, says Maggie Laureano, vice president of HR for Bureau Veritas North America, a testing, inspection, and certification services firm. “The pandemic has taught us that we can often be equally productive in our jobs even if we are doing them a little differently these days. Yet we acknowledge that the collective sense of belonging at work is harder to achieve remotely. This is why it is critical to keep an open mind as we navigate the post-pandemic work environment,” she says.

How the Vaccine Will Impact the Return to In-Person Work

SHRM research found that nearly two-thirds of U.S. workers said they were likely to get the vaccine when it becomes available. And for those who need an extra push, employers may have to pay up.

More than two-thirds of employees surveyed by Blackhawk Network said they would accept a monetary incentive to get vaccinated. And some companies are already doing it, including  Instacart, Trader Joes, and Dollar General.

As far as requiring the vaccine, employers should probably hold off, says Kelly DuFord Williams, CEO and managing partner of Slate Law Group. “The EEOC recommends that employers merely encourage their employees to take vaccines rather than institute a mandate,” she says. However, she notes, employer incentives are a legally sound method of encouragement for vaccination.

How to Figure Out What’s Right for Your Company

Here are some considerations to keep in mind as you weigh the benefits of remote vs. in-person work or create a hybrid model.

• Rethink the workplace: Going back to a typical 9-to-5 workday might not be in the cards. But flexible scheduling, staggered shifts, and shared desks could help keep workers spaced out and lower the overall density. In addition, many companies are reconfiguring workspaces to make it easier to social distance.
• Keep employees in the loop: International SOS’ crisis management team, with representatives from HR, security, medical, and operations, has kept an open line of two-way communication where employees could ask questions. “We shared and reviewed the plan with all employees, which outlined detailed mitigation measures from the moment they entered the parking lot to the moment they left the office,” says Dr. Quigley. “Any time our safety protocols were adjusted due to a new government mandate, or a positive case on site, all employees were notified immediately.”
• Be transparent when hiring: For those hiring – and in 2021, that’s 8 in 10 companies, according to Monster’s Future of Work Report – it’s important to have open discussions about short- and long-term expectations. “If you hire someone for remote work, they must understand from the start if in-person work will eventually be required,” says Laureano.
• Encourage health compliance and vaccines: In-house safety initiatives will be crucial for making employees feel safe and protected. For example, Bureau Veritas’ BeVital program works with the Cleveland Clinic and its own medical directors to develop health and wellbeing programs for its employees. The company is also hoping to offer employees onsite vaccinations when they become available.
• Stay focused on what’s right for your company’s needs: Though remote vs. in-person work can seem like an agonizing decision, the process of deciding if and when to go back to the office will look different for every company. “There is no one size fits all approach to returning to work,” says Quigley. “Every organization has unique needs to sustain business continuity without compromising the health/safety of the workforce.”

Remote vs. In-Person: Best Practices for Either Approach

As you consider remote vs. in-person work, rest assured that there’s no wrong solution. It all depends on what’s best for your employees and company culture. If your company decides to maintain some kind of remote workforce, our Remote Workforce e-Book can help you navigate long-term management of a remote workforce, as well finding success with recruitment and retention). Download our free guide for tips and strategies.

The post Remote vs. In-Person: What’s Right for Your Company? appeared first on Monster.com.