Recruitment Strategies in Today s Online World: Attracting Veterans and the Long-Term Unemployed

Transcription

1 Recruitment Strategies in Today s Online World: Attracting Veterans and the Long-Term Unemployed Presented by: Adrienne Schleigh, Client Relationship Manager Andrea Muller, Sr. Affirmative Action Project Manager HR Works, Inc. HR Works is not engaged in rendering legal services. If legal advice is required, the services of a competent labor attorney should be sought.

2 Learning Objectives The Importance of Effective Recruiting Traditional Recruitment: Considerations and Concerns New Recruiting Channels and Tips for Success Recruitment of the long-term unemployed Affirmative Action and Veterans Outreach VEVRAA Required Components of the AAP Covering Protected Veterans Recruiting Resources - Required vs. Good Faith Efforts Questions

3 Top 10 Signs That YOU Are A Traditional Recruiter 1. You focus on recent college graduates 2. What s a succession plan?! 3. You don t have a Facebook page 4. You are not using LinkedIn 5. You don t use Twitter 6. You rarely update your website 7. Videos are too difficult 8. You re still pushing paper applications 9. You don t use enticing postings 10. You focus on current skills and/or education

4 Why is Effective Recruiting So Important? Research by economist Barry Bluestone predicts labor shortages over the next eight years of more than five million job vacancies. 75 million baby boomers are nearing retirement age. By 2018, Bluestone says, fewer people will be taking the positions left by exiting boomers, leading to potential worker shortages.

5 Why is Effective Recruiting So Important? The Center for Governmental Research estimates the number of persistently unfilled positions at 5 percent of the workforce in Upstate New York. It currently takes an average of 23 business days for an employer to fill a job opening, according to an analysis of Labor Department data from economists at the University of Chicago and University of Maryland.

6 Why is Effective Recruiting So Important? New York State s unemployment rate decreased from 5.5% to 5.4%, the State s lowest rate since July In May 2015, New York State s private sector job count grew by 47,400, to a record high, according to the Department of Labor. This was the state s largest monthly private sector job gain since September Increase in jobs available + Decrease in job pool + Increased in employer competition = < Stellar candidates

7 Traditional Recruiting Sources Community Agencies Military Educational Institutes* Job Fairs* Your Company Webpage* Professional Recruiter

8 Internet Job Posting Tips Target your ad to the right audience Provide a clear picture of the job and culture Avoid company jargon or terminology Use key words that candidates may search for

9 Internet Job Posting Tips Include information to make the company or job stand out consider graphics or company logo Provide a link to your company s website Update your posting (make it easily accessible) Use basic formatting and/or HTML Consider video interviewing

10 Company Website: Career Section Common pitfalls: Hard to navigate Outdated Postings or Information Boiler-plate text and stock photos Not a true representation of your company and culture Does not target today s job seekers

11 Best Practices

12 Best Practices

13 New Recruiting Sources Internal Recruitment* Retirement Groups State Unemployment Department Competitors/Focused Recruitment* National Labor Exchange Professional Associations Targeted college recruitment* Targeted online recruitment* Social Media *

14 So many choices Recruiting Externally

15 Does Recruiting Through Social Media Actually Work? Did you know that 88% of all job seekers have at least one social networking profile? Because of this, 92% of companies have used or plan to use social media to recruit. 43% reported an increase in candidate quality 49% saw an increase in quality of hire 31% saw an increase in employee referrals 20% reported a decrease in time to hire

16 Does Recruiting Through Social Media Actually Work? Other Benefits: It gives a human face to your organization It gives you the added benefit of exposure It s free!

17 Social Media Pitfalls Starting the drive without a route or destination Spamming everyone you know all the time Not creating a brand-specific presence Thinking that just being on social media works without engagement

18 Social Media Train employees on how to use social media for recruitment Promote company happenings Share industry updates and company press releases, articles, etc. Promote corporate culture through social media Community service Going green Wellness

19 Recruitment Compliance Issues Accents, Language Age requirements Citizenship Appearance & dress Arrest & criminal records Credit requirements Children, Dependents Disabilities Education Gender Height, weight, hair Health requirements Marital status Military record National Origin Nepotism, Preferential treatment Pregnancy Religion Sexual orientation Strength requirement Work experience

20 Recruitment Compliance Issues National Labor Relations Board Protects work-related conversations on social media Receives charges related to social media policies Charges resulting from instances of discipline for Facebook postings

21 The Bottom Line... Don t use social media to screen candidates. Instead, use it to reach out! Consider having a centralized process of any social media checks Be careful friending potential employees as they may become employees Consult legal counsel before disciplining an employee for social media conduct

22 Targeting the Long-Term Unemployed Statistics While the unemployment rate has declined to 5.7 percent, long-term unemployed individuals make up 37.7 percent of the jobless. Total of 3.6 million unemployed persons who have been out of work for 6 months or longer. 2.6 million looking for jobs for a year or more. The interview callback rate is 45 percent lower for those unemployed for eight months compared to those unemployed for just one month.

23 Long-Term Unemployed Demographics Source: NPR

24 Long-Term Unemployed Demographics Source: citylimits.org

25 The Silent No

26 Recruitment Checklist Advertising does not discourage or discriminate against unemployed individuals. Screening procedures do not intentionally disadvantage individuals from being considered for a job based solely on their unemployment status. Recruiting practices cast a broad net and encourage the long-term unemployed to consider applying Publicize that qualified unemployed individuals will not be disadvantaged solely on their unemployment status; Actively check your personal biases regarding long-term unemployed individuals; Train hiring teams and recruiters Begin to consider aptitude and attitude vs. skills and education

27 Affirmative Action and Veterans Outreach

28 Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act VEVRAA = 41 CFR = Protected Veterans Prohibit employment discrimination against protected veterans Unemployment rate for veterans, particularly Gulf War-era II veterans, is a continued focus for DOL

29 Establishing Coverage Under VEVRAA 50 or more employees and Federal government contract of $100,000 or more (after 12/1/03), or, Federal depository in any amount Financial institution covered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

30 Protected Veteran - Definition Effective March 24, 2014 Protected Veterans Disabled Armed Forces Service Medal Recently Separated Active Duty Wartime or Campaign Badge

31 Applicant and Employee Self Identification Protected Veterans Pre-offer: Invitation to self-identify as a protected vet Post-offer: Invitation to self-identify as a specific veteran category Individuals with Disabilities Pre-offer: Invitation to self-identify as an IWD Post-offer: Invitation to self-identify as an IWD Active Employees: Resurvey workforce every 5 years At least one reminder in intervening years

32 Data Collection Protected Veterans Total # of job openings and positions filled Total # of PV applicants Total # of applicants Total # of PV hired Total # of applicants hired Individuals with Disabilities Total # of job openings and positions filled Total # of applicants with disabilities Total # of applicants Total # of IWD hired Total # of applicants hired

33 Hiring Benchmark for Protected Veterans Effective 1 st Full AAP Year after 3/24/14 Set an annual hiring benchmark using one of two methods: National 7.0% Five factors used to establish an individual benchmark: 1. % of veterans in state workforce 2. # of veterans in local ESDS 3. The applicant and hiring ratios for the prior year 4. Effectiveness of outreach and recruitment 5. Any other relevant factors

34 Outreach and Effectiveness Effective 1 st Full AAP Year after 3/24/14 Documentation of outreach and annual written assessment of the effectiveness of each of its activities If totality of efforts not effective, must identify and implement alternative efforts Finding local sources and developing relationships

35 Sample Assessment HR WORKS, INC. SAMPLE ASSESSMENT OF OUTREACH AND RECRUITMENT 41 C.F.R (f)(3); 41 C.F.R (f)(3): Required Contents of Affirmative Action Programs: Requires that contractors conduct annual self-assessment of outreach& recruitment efforts & document the review. Requires that the contractor s conclusions be reasonable as determined by OFCCP. If the totality of efforts not effective, contractor must identify and implement alternative efforts. Requires contractors to document its outreach and recruitment activities, and retain the records for 3 years. Many variations of an assessment for outreach and recruitment can be used. The criteria for evaluation are recommended to be able to answer the included highlighted questions. Recruitment Source/Activity Protected Veterans OR Individuals with Disabilities Date of Activity Action Taken Did the activity attract qualified applicants who are protected veterans or individuals with disabilities? Did the activity result in hiring of qualified protected veterans or individuals with disabilities? Did the activity expand the Contractor's outreach to protected veterans or individuals with disabilities in the community? Did the activity increase the Contractor's capacity/capability to include protected veterans or individuals with disabilities? Evaluation Listed Job Opening with Local Veteran Advocacy Group Protected Veterans Ongoing In addition to listing opening with the local ESDS, openings are listed with a local Veteran Advocacy Group. Yes Yes Yes Yes Received 32 applications from protected veterans of which 4 were hired. This is an effective activity. Participated in Disability Job Fair Individuals with Disabilities 4/1/2014 Disability Fair was hosted by the local disability advocacy groups, and over 30 employers participated. Yes Yes Yes Yes Received 15 applications from qualified individuals with disabilities, 1 was hired. Resumes were retained for consideration in future job openings. This was an effective activity. Briefing of Vet-Reps in local community college campus Protected Veterans 6/12/2014 Briefed Vet-Reps of Contractor's services and current hiring needs. No No Yes No Will begin sending job listings to Vet-Reps for assistance in attracting veteran applicants. This is an ongoing effort and we will monitor the success of the initiative. Success is currently unknown. Outreach event at local community college Individuals with Disabilities 10/26/2014 Conduced outreach event at local community college to attract students who are IWDs. No No No No Community college did not have a targeted program specifically designed to attract students who are IWDs, therefore, limited impact in the school. Only 2 student attended event. This was not an effective activity. Consider partnering with other educational institutions.

36 Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 2008 A clear and comprehensive national mandate for the elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities and provide broad coverage; Physical and mental disabilities in no way diminish a person s right to fully participate in all aspects of society; People with physical or mental disabilities are frequently precluded from doing so because of prejudice, antiquated attitudes, or the failure to remove societal and institutional barriers

37 Major Life Activities Include, Not Limited To: Caring for oneself Performing manual tasks Seeing Hearing Eating Sleeping Walking Standing Lifting Bending Speaking Breathing Learning Reading Concentrating Thinking Communicating, and Working

38 Reasonable Accommodation, Defined In relation to the ADA, a reasonable accommodation is any modification or adjustment to a job or the work environment that will enable a qualified applicant or employee with a disability to participate in the application process or to perform essential job functions Reasonable accommodations also include adjustments to ensure that a qualified individual with a disability has rights and privileges in employment equal to those of employees without disabilities

39 Resources VEVRAA Final Rule National Resource Directory Employment Service Delivery System Job Accommodation Network OFCCP s Employment Referral Resource Directory

40

41 HR Works, Inc.: A Great Place to Work At HR Works, we re always looking for part time and full time talented HR professionals! Contact Mary Stuart for more information: (585) x101 stuart@hrworks-inc.com