In a recent article about Facebook’s “diversity”, a major news publication reported their employment as 69% male, 57% white, 34% Asian, 4% Hispanic  2% black and 3% other ethnics.  There was no mention of age or religion, or other important “protected” demographic categories. Their global head of diversity at Facebook said “we have a long way to go.”  Toward what?  Maybe Facebook hires a lot of Asians because, as a group, they stand out as performers in math and technology.  Maybe they hire a lot of Asians because their office is in a geographic location with high concentrations of Asians in the workforce, thus reflecting local demographics.

Should Facebook’s labor force reflect the percentages of these protected categories in the entire population (or the global population or in their local geographic location)?  Facebook said it is trying to generate more hires for “underrepresented groups” so I take it that achieving population distributions is their goal, though the value of this is not made clear.  If we apply the same standard to all other businesses, including 6 million small employers with an average of 10 employees, the cost of achieving the “desired” distribution and the implications for the quality and productivity of the resulting workforce become serious concerns with questionable benefits.

Consider an NBA team. Its small number of players (about 15 on a team) hardly represents the population distribution. I see no seniors, no short people, relatively few whites, Asians and Hispanics, and I would guess not many of Jewish persuasion or many other religions. Shouldn’t they be held to the same standard as Facebook or any other business?  The NBA hires based on skill and performance, it probably doesn’t care much what you look like (even if owners have personal views that are disagreeable, they hire based on skill).  Any firm that purposefully does not hire the “best” workers it can find for the jobs it has regardless of what they look like or believe will underperform (as would an NBA team that hired people my age to play).

A “Stanford fellow” observed “Clearly Facebook has to step up now and so something about these numbers.”  Really?  Well, I can barely use my cell phone, but I am available for one of the “senior” slots in their new demographically correct labor force.  Pressuring firms (or requiring it as some wish to do) to structure their labor force to match some politically determined distribution will diminish the productivity of the work force and the performance of our economy.  Firms must be able to hire the best workers available if we are to get the most out of our resources.

This article was written by William Dunkelberg from Forbes and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Learn more about SmartRecruiters, your workspace to find and hire great people.

I was intrigued last week when I received the results of a survey from the giant Menlo Park-based staffing agency Robert Half, saying that more than three quarters of hiring managers think it’s appropriate for job candidates to ask about compensation and benefits in the initial phone screening or first two job interviews. I’ve written at least three stories saying it’s best for job seekers to put off salary negotiations until an offer is on the table. Was I wrong?

Paul McDonald, a senior executive director at Robert Half, says, “In this market, with 1% or 2% unemployment for some jobs, employers want to get to this business quickly. They want to see if there’s a good fit and they’re OK with the candidate bringing up the salary in order to be efficient with time.” Conversely, he says, applicants should be ready to answer questions about salary early in the process. “We believe honesty is the best policy,” he says.” If someone asks what has been your salary in the past three positions, we coach the applicant to be prepared for that.” The firm surveyed 300 hiring managers by phone in December 2013.

Has something changed in salary negotiation strategy since I first wrote about the topic two years ago? To answer that question I turned to three of my best career coach sources and to Heidi Ellingson, senior director of employment services at Middleton, WI-based Spectrum Brands, a diversified consumer products company with 13,500 employees worldwide, which makes everything from Rayovac batteries to George Foreman grills. She doesn’t recommend that candidates bring up the subject but instead she has her own staff raise salary in the very first phone screening. “We want to make sure we’re in the right ballpark,” she says. Frequently candidates don’t want to reveal either their salary or what they hope to earn, in which case Ellison’s team tries at least to get a range. “We don’t want to waste people’s time if we’re $20,000 apart,” she says.

Have I been giving my readers bad advice? In a word, no. The job of staffing firms like Robert Half is to screen candidates for employers so they can present the most viable candidates, and hiring managers have an incentive to get candidates to name a number early in the process. But from the candidate’s perspective, especially if you are negotiating for a managerial or executive position, it’s best to avoid saying anything specific about salary until a job offer is on the table.

“It’s like saying on a first date, ‘how many kids do you want,’” says Roy Cohen, a longtime coach and author of The Wall Street Professional’s Survival Guide. Sarah Stamboulie, a coach who previously worked in human resources at Cantor Fitzgerald, Morgan Stanley and Nortel Networks, agrees. “You don’t want to be negotiating salary until they’re at their maximum love—their maximum enthusiasm for you,” she says. Once a prospective employer has convinced themself and their colleagues that you are their first choice, they are much more likely to bump up your package in order to get you.

Longtime coach Ellis Chase, author of The Fun Forever Job: Career Strategies that Work, agrees with Cohen and Stamboulie and lays out four reasons naming a salary is a bad idea: 1) If you come in very low, the potential employer won’t take you seriously, 2) If you come in low the employer will think they can pay you less than they had planned to offer, 3) You price yourself out of the running, and 4) Even if you fall in the right range, you may not realize that the job comes with more responsibilities than you had thought and now you’ve ruined your negotiating stance.

There are a couple of exceptions however. Stamboulie has worked with young up-and-comers at top consulting firms who have gotten multiple offers from employers who might not know the candidates want to make at least, say, $150,000. The fact that they don’t need to accept any of the offers puts them in a strong position, especially if they know they want to shoot high.

The other reason would be if you’re a superstar, you’re happy where you are and you’d only leave for a certain number. A third reason could be if you’re talking to a small startup where it’s tough to glean ahead of time what the salary range would be. Then you might want to name what Stamboulie calls an “anchor number” that will help the firm know what you think you’re worth.

What if the hiring manager or decision maker asks you what you make? That’s a tougher question. Chase says you should rarely volunteer a number and instead counter with a line like, “I’m very interested in this position but I would hate for a dollar figure to eliminate me from consideration because if there’s a fit, I’m sure we’ll be able to work it out.” If that doesn’t work, you could try, “Could you give me an idea of your range?” The goal, as I’ve written before, is to wait for the offer and then to get the decision-maker to be the first to name a number. If the hiring manager becomes visibly annoyed, says Chase, then you have to relent, but it’s always better to give a range, rather than a precise figure.

Cohen agrees. “A lot of hedge funds will bring it up. They’ll say what are you earning and what are you looking for. If you don’t give them some sort of benchmark you’ll look like you’re trying to tap dance around it.”

One of Cohen’s Wall Street trader clients can’t hold himself back. “He won’t do his homework,” says Cohen. “He’ll go into an interview and say, ‘I want to know what this job pays, I want to know the base, I want to know the formula, I want to know what cash I’ll get at the end of the year.’” According to Cohen, this candidate has blown three or four opportunities in the first interview. “When the market was stronger, they would tolerate this sort of thing,” he says. “But now he’s shooting himself in the foot.”

The folks at Robert Half may be right about the preferences of recruiters and HR managers, but it’s always best to try to bypass those gate keepers and go straight to the person who will make the ultimate decision about whether you get the job.

This article was written by Susan Adams from Forbes and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Learn more about SmartRecruiters, your workspace to find and hire great people.

Small businesses added 75,000 jobs in January, according to payroll company Automated Data Processing. If things have been looking up at your organization, you may be eyeing a few new potential staff members as well. If you’ve been on the sidelines in the hiring game these past few years though, you might want to take a few moments to review some best practices for your expanding team. Here are seven tips for effective hiring at your small business.

1. ‘Measure’ passion. Skills and talent are important, but you must also take into account whether candidates are passionate about going to work for you. Did they do pre-interview research to inform themselves about your organization? Are they enthusiastic during the interview? Do they illustrate their talents and passion with stories of previous experience? It’s answers to these types of questions than can help evaluate whether or not potential employees really want to work for your company, or are simply looking for any old job.
2. Utilize established relationships. Often, you can find employees just by contacting folks you already have relationships with. Dial up some of your business colleagues or post an update on LinkedIn informing your contacts of your hiring needs.
3. Offer incentives to team members. Your current staff represents a goldmine for finding new employees. Institute a referral program in which team members can earn cash rewards for referring a new hire. Just make sure you advertise the dollar amount as “after-tax” — there’s nothing worse than employees thinking they just made $1,000 only to find out that a good chunk of it is going to Uncle Sam.
4. Institute a “day in the life” program. Consider creating a program where potential hires come in and shadow one of your employees for a day. This familiarizes candidates with your day-to-day operations, plus it gives you an idea of how they function with your existing staff. If you’re hiring freelancers or virtual employees, schedule a Skype meeting with a current staff member to discuss duties and responsibilities.
5. Search social media. When using social media to find candidates, LinkedIn should be your first stop. After that, check any potential hires for inappropriate Facebook postings, as well as negative or offensive tweets. Be sure that you do not factor any protected class information into your hiring decisions (gender, race, religion, age, disability, origin or pregnancy).
6. Interview like a pro. Whether in person or over the Internet, make sure you get the interview right. Show up on time, be positive, and diligently address any red flags you may have found on a resume. There are good and bad answers to any issues — interruptions in work history, for example — so make sure you ask all the right questions and let candidates respond accordingly.
7. Consider hiring older employees. Older workers can bring a certain level of experience to your organization that younger bucks just don’t have. Plus, if they work out, they can help mentor younger team members. They also tend to give better attention to detail and are typically more organized.

Now that we’ve talked a bit about best practices for hiring, let’s discuss pay. If you’re not willing to loosen up the purse strings a bit when a stellar candidate comes along, you may not improve your team’s quality by much. If you’re not familiar with average pay rates for the position you’re hiring, check out websites like Salary and PayScale to ensure you offer fair compensation. Hiring the right folks for your small business is important, but paying them appropriately can keep them around for a long time.

Are you doing any hiring this year?

This article was written by Andrew Schrage, co-owner of the MoneyCrashers.com, from Forbes and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Learn more about SmartRecruiters, your workspace to find and hire great people.

Additional Reading on Forbes: “How Small Business Can Hire Better – And Faster”

Who’s the hottest hire in Silicon Valley today? No, it’s not the data scientist, mobile app engineer, or digital marketer; it’s a user experience designer. Today, if your enterprise app isn’t beautiful, simple, elegant, and easy-to-use from day one, your company has little hope of becoming a billion-dollar business. Design is everything.

Data from jobs website Glassdoor showed that, in early May, 2,260 companies nationally were hoping to hire user experience (UX) designers.That compares to 975 companies trying to hire big data engineers, another “hot” hire. Jobs for user-experience designers are expected to grow 22% over the next 10 years; in the San Francisco Bay Area, epicenter of the current tech boom, Glassdoor reports the average salary for a senior UX designer at about $114,000, as of last month. The head of one New York-based startup recently told me he’s now paying UX designers two times what he pays other types of equally experienced designers, compared with just 30% more a few years ago. This CEO is actively recruiting UX gurus in Europe — despite the visa costs — because of what he sees as a pronounced shortage in the U.S.

Having been an entrepreneur and investor in enterprise software companies for 20 years, I’ve seen a huge shift in the last few years toward creating a stellar user experience. Remember when software companies like Oracle, Microsoft, and SAP sold massive, costly, complex applications that took months to learn? IT administrators spent several months installing and learning how to use the new software. Then, employees sat through training courses and muddled through complicated screens to figure out their new “productivity tools.” Ironically, the applications were so poorly designed that they hampered productivity; many end-users were so confused, they avoided using the apps all together.

Next-gen SaaS companies like Salesforce.com made rolling out software faster and cheaper, but the user experience is still pretty dreadful. Well, no one will put up with that now. IT administrators—and employees accustomed to using beautifully designed products like Apple’s iPhone–want to instantly “turn on” Web and mobile apps so employees can grasp new enterprise tools within minutes, with no formal training. In fact, some of the best designed applications are consumed by the employees directly with no training or involvement from IT whatsoever.

A few years ago, SaaS companies such as Box, Dropbox, Atlassian,and Zendesk led the charge to create elegant and easy-to-use enterprise apps. Today many enterprise startups like Captora, Any.do and SumAll (Battery Ventures is an investor in SumAll) are also baking design into their DNA. In each case, a UX designer was one of the first five hires, and product design was core to the company’s product strategy. This is in stark contrast to traditional enterprise software companies like Oracle, SAP and Salesforce, where design was an afterthought.

Let’s look at some examples to see how far we have come.

Box vs. Sharepoint 

Zendesk vs. Remedy

So, as an enterprise software entrepreneur, what does a design-driven world mean to your company at a practical level?

• First, make sure an experienced designer is one of your first five hires. This will ensure design is prioritized early in your company’s culture.
• Second, aim to hire one designer for every three to five engineers. This ratio may sound high, but remember that design is a competitive advantage over time. Better product design typically yields higher product engagement, quicker sales cycles and higher customer lifetime value.
• Third, consider making UX a VP-level role. It would not surprise me to see more enterprise companies elevate the design function to a senior status. One recent example of this is Trifacta, where two of the company’s senior executives have “Experience” in their title – Jeff Heer, cofounder and chief experience officer, and Tutti Taygerly, VP of user experience. Once designers see your company has a VP-level design role reporting directly to the CEO, they’ll be more likely to accept job offers, as they know their contributions will be valued.

Of course, large enterprise software companies aren’t about to give up on the design race without a fight, and companies such as IBM have publicly announced initiatives to hire thousands of UX designers. But startups have an edge in the “race to simplicity” because it’s far easier to create an elegant product from scratch than it is to fix a clunky and complex one.You can put lipstick on a pig (digitally), but it’s still a pig.

This article was written by Roger Lee in the My Say Column by Forbes and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.  Photo Credit ChrisLaBrooy. Learn more about SmartRecruiters, your workspace to find and hire great people.

47% of job seekers have dropped off a job application because it was “too lengthy or complicated.”  So why are companies still using behemoth applications loaded with automated assessments and repetitive fill-in forms?  I went through the application process for the following companies, and at one point or another in each application, I felt the urge to drop out altogether.  The main reason: length and time to completion.

Fortune 500 Company #1

The first application begins with the new user registration.  You know those applications you’ve been seeing for the last 10 years, where they make you create a new account every time? I need more than two hands to count how many accounts I’ve created.  The application is similar to other big company processes, upload your resume, re-enter all the information from your resume, and after spending your time doing that, it’s on to the pre-screen questions.  The pre-screen questions ask exactly what’s on my resume, and what I re-entered. Third time’s the charm. Total completion time: 40 minutes.

Fortune 500 Company #2

My friend warned me about this company’s application. I said, “Hogwash, I am The Job Chaser!” Navigating through the “Job Search and Apply” tab was a nightmare, and I had spent a substantial amount of time just trying to find the job I wanted to apply for.  Finally after tracking the position down through a series of drop down menus, I could begin filling out the application.  In a very familiar move, the application prompted me to create a new account, upload a resume, re-enter all the information from my resume, and answer questions about desired salary, hours, and questions about travel and relocation.  These questions are rather hard to answer, especially when you haven’t had an interview yet, and have no details of the position, other than the job ad description.  And once again, just when you think you’re done, it’s time for a web based screening. Total completion time: 50 minutes.

Fortune 500 Company #3

Company #3 was very similar to the #1 and #2, but wins the award for longest online assessment.  After completing the lengthy online application, you are sent a “brief” online assessment that “should take roughly 45 minutes.”  I answered different wordings of the same statement repeatedly, including, “I would rather lead than be led,” three times throughout the test.  200 questions later, I had finished the assessment, only to never hear back from the company. Total completion time: 1 hour, 25 minutes.

Fortune 500 Company #4

Company #4 wins the triple crown of the frustrating job application, requiring 3 items to be completed, an application, personality assessment, and aptitude test.  The first roadblock appeared when I tried to access the application on Safari, then Firefox, then Chrome, realizing that it would only run on Internet Explorer.  After tracking down a PC with IE, I was finally able to put my remarkable job chasing skills in action!  The application and personality test were standard, tedious and repetitive.  But little did I know what they had in store for me with the aptitude test.  It was a beefed up version of the SAT, asking difficult math questions, sequential patterns, and spatial relationships.  An hour later, I had run out of time, left numerous questions blank, and was left with fried brain. I tired again. And all this for a sales person job.  Total completetion time: Gave up after 2 hours.

Long, complex job applications are not only frustrating to the job seeker, but can also negatively impact the employer.  The company can lose out on a qualified candidate, whether they are dropping out because of the tedious application, or the entire process simply takes too long.

None of the companies are changing their processes with current recruiting trends. 47% of job seekers said they would apply if they could simply link a social profile, yet none give this option.  And none of the applications were available through mobile phones or tablets.  It might be time to shorten the initial application process. It might be time for an easy job application. Long applications make me want to drop off, does that make me a bad candidate?  Are you sure you don’t want to talk to me?

Joe Hanson, the @TheJobChaser, is a blogging intern with SmartRecruiters.

Editor’s Note: Joe’s talented. Fact. These companies missed out. Pre-Employment Testing

It’s no secret that the labor market is broken, but instead of complaining about it, we need to take action and find a solution!  Last night I had the opportunity take action and give back in a very special way. I want to share my keys to job seeking with you.


For the last 60 years, The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce has supported local job seekers through The Job Forum. Every Wednesday evening a Panel of experts from Bay Area businesses volunteer their time to provide ideas, advice, counsel and encouragement to the job seekers (and career changers).  Each attendee’s goals are discussed, one at a time, in a group forum.

I shared my 3 keys to job seeking. Think Creative, Persistent, and Direct.

1. Creative: It’s vital for a candidate to think outside the box to get noticed.  Just simply submitting a resume and a cover letter (which is rarely read FYI) is not a enough to stand out in a stack of 300+ resumes. You got to be different, unique, creative!

A candidate last night mentioned that they were frustrated with the fact that they applied to all these jobs but weren’t hearing anything back. We brainstormed. She could submit her resume in person and say  with a smile say, “Hello, I’d like to work together!” Or search LinkedIn for mutual connections and send a message with resume along the lines of,” “Hi, I’m Avril and I want to work at your company. Here is my resume. Can you please pass it along to a hiring manager, or recruiter?” Keep in mind that most companies have a referral bonus, so that person you reached out to might be able to cash in on you as a candidate!

2. Persistent: It is simply not enough to submit a resume and wait to hear back.  Employers want to hire a person with drive, passion, and a will-not-quit attitude and that you can’t find that in a resume. Therefore you need to show them who you are and how bad you want it.  Another candidate last night told stories of how he had recently started following up on his applications with a phone call, and or Linkedin message.  He wouldn’t stop until he got a response. While yes that seems a bit crazy, as an employer I want someone that will go the extra mile.  I want someone that will do whatever it takes to get the job done. Status quo (i.e. submitting a resume with everyone else) is NOT enough to capture someone’s attention.

The Job Forum is a unique resource in a desperate time. These are individuals with diverse backgrounds that aren’t complaining but rather uncovering a useful way to find a solution.  If we really want to fix the labor market, we need more Job Forums.  We need more individuals that are willing to take action and give back.  This group of volunteers and job seekers showed me that there is hope, we just need to be willing to work together to find it.

And jobseekers, remember to be creative, persistent, and direct!

Charlie Nelson is the Director of Business Development at SmartRecruiters. ThumbNail Photo Credit NetWitsThinkTank.

President Barack Obama explained the program:

“America’s young people face record unemployment, and we need to do everything we can to make sure they’ve got the opportunity to earn the skills and a work ethic that come with a job. It’s important for their future, and for America’s…We’re launching Summer Jobs+, a joint initiative that challenges business leaders and communities to join my Administration in providing hundreds of thousands of summer jobs for America’s youth.”

 

“We are honored to be partnering with the Department of Labor and Summer Jobs+,” said SmartRecruiters Director of Business Development Charlie Nelson.

The Summer Jobs+ Website explains, ‘Businesses, Non-Profits and Governments can accept the President’s call-to-action and make a “Pathways Pledge” by choosing at least one of the following three pathways to employment for low-income youth:

• Life Skills: Provide youth work-related soft skills, such as communication, time management and teamwork, through coursework and/or experience. This includes resume writing or interview workshops and mentorship programs.

 

• Work Skills: Provide youth insight into the world of work to prepare for employment. This includes job shadow days and internships.

 

• Learn and Earn: Provide youth on-the-job skills in a learning environment while earning wages for their work.

From everyone at SmartRecruiters, we are proud to help Summer Jobs+ provide opportunities for America’s youth to gain on-the-job experience and skills.

Post opportunities to the Summer Jobs+ Job Bank through SmartRecruiters.