Archive for 2018


Thursday, November 15th, 2018

The gig economy

Instead of waking up every morning to a full-time job tying you up until the required hours are complete, a growing percentage of workers are turning to gigs that fit their expertise and life needs.  Companies hand over temporary projects to contractors who deliver the product for payment. People have found numerous freelance opportunities with the internet and apps where they offer their skills and talents to earn income allowing them extreme flexibility to take care of personal matters or to simply live this more freedom based work-life. Freelancers use such ubiquitous verticals as Uber, where you just need a suitable car or Airbnb if you have a place to rent.  Others include Fiverr and even for Recruiters,!  This very article was written and contributed by virtue of the gig economy!uber_taxi

Now, the sweet side of working gigs is as follows.


No need to wait for someone to wake you up for work. If you are a student, you can commit two hours of freelancing before or after classes. For a single parent, you can work on a project while you wait for your kids to get home for school or do house chores. Gigs are not limited to specific people, if you have time to spare, no one will ask you questions. All you need is to deliver quality work. Similarly, you can make it your full-time job and work wherever you are without concern. That’s how flexible it is; both with the working hours and where you want to be while working.  The beach?  The mountains?  Sure thing.

Style of work

Freelancing jobs can be less demanding than full-time work, but that doesn’t mean you can bypass requirements needed to build a comprehensive freelance portfolio. Once you are assigned, you can earn from the comfort of your home, on your way to town, at the park, etc. Many travel the world and still manage to fill their bank accounts back at home. The deal is attractive especially when you are committed.  By committed, I mean working diligently and effectively to complete the project entrusted to you by those offering the gig which can range from large companies to sole proprietors.


Well, everything sweet has a bitter side and the new gig economy almost never comes with benefits typically offered by an employer. It’s totally up to you to manage that money in every aspect of your life and take precautions to avoid being conned or short on cash for the healthcare or things you need.  If you’re responsible, conservative, and well organized, the new gig economy can offer lifestyles only previously enjoyed by the wealthy.

Disruptive recruitment technologies behind every successful business

Sunday, September 2nd, 2018


How many times have you heard the term “disruptive” used when announcing tech innovations, new hiring tactics and the likes? How many times out of that total has the product actually changed the game? In general, disruptive innovations are expected to remove and replace the market for the existing products. If you’re getting enough of  “new” disruptive tech, especially in the HR field, read on to discover the four technologies that are not necessarily new, but will truly transform the current recruitment practice.

1—Data privacy enhancements

There are things we must keep secret. This includes your employee and candidate data. Are you still storing this sensitive info in your file drawer rather than the cloud? It’s time to pick out hiring software.

One of the best ways to ensure data safety is to seek out recruitment tech that is based outside the jurisdiction of the Patriot Act. The Patriot Act, simply put, is a controversial Act of Congress in the U.S. that allows data breaches performed by the government in an attempt to surveil against acts of terrorism. However, the act is more commonly known for the fear it instills in the public that this permission is being taken advantage of. Choosing a recruitment tech solution that is based outside of the U.S. can give you that extra assurance you need.

Another tip when choosing software is to be on the lookout for clear definitions of the data privacy requirements that are being followed by the company. In particular, keep an eye out for the ISO 27001:2005 certification and its revision, ISO 27001:2013.

2—Artificial intelligence (AI)

Now that you have put all of your important information in a “cloud”, let’s talk about the robots that are going to assist you in your future HR efforts. Sound crazy? It probably is, but it’s not too far off from the truth. While AI doesn’t run the risk of completely drowning out the human input in human resources processes, it certainly has the capability to add a whole different dimension to them.

Automation is being recognised for its ability to help save time and resources while not skimping on personalisation. HR tech is feeling the pressure to create intelligent systems, bringing out everything from email automation to chatbots that can ask and answer employee questions. With the help of artificial intelligence, there can be more engagements with candidates in less time. It also allows for a decrease in biases. No matter how objective you think you are, there are always unconscious biases affecting your hiring decisions. But HR tech can help.  AI is more of an aid than a replacement. You, as HR pros, will still have a hand in every aspect of the process; it will just be an smoother, more efficient ride.

3—Collaborative tools

Even though the industry is leaning towards AI, it doesn’t mean that it’s straying from the most centric aspect: people. In fact, collaborative hiring is only improving now with the threat of depersonalisation due to robot HR teams. Tech happens to have a hand in this, as well. Teams are brought together to work more efficiently, and the right tools accelerate this process. Here are some example of the types of tools replacing traditional means of collaboration:

  • ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) that allow unlimited seats
  • Sourcing tools for easy input of referral data
  • Careers site that allow for creative media involving employee testimonials, photos, videos etc.

4—Modern means of communication

Similarly, HR teams aren’t conversing in the same ways. Gone are the days of sticky notes and emailing back and forth. There are tools that streamline communication, making it a lot easier to keep track of. Some, like Slack, are even entertaining and can boost company morale.
In essence, these disruptions are simply additions to a foundation of HR that involves ample collaboration. They are disruptive, however, in that folders will be disappearing, CRMs will be replaced by leaner, more modern ATS platforms, AI chatbots will ask you about your workday, etc. While employees are reluctant to change, these tech advancements are helpful and user-friendly. Embrace the disruption!

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Top 4 Innovative Recruiting Strategies

Wednesday, July 4th, 2018


Video interviewing, ramification and social recruiting are some of the newest technologies used by employers and recruiting agencies in the war for top talents. They change the way people communicate and free employers from paper processes by cutting through the traditional recruiting strategies. Some employers and recruiters ignore engaging in recruiting strategies that are highly effective at their own risk. Everyone today can use innovative recruiting strategies that are cost-saving in the economy and job market. What are some of the different recruiting strategies that can help you get top talents?

Undercover recruitment

Observing potential employees first hand outside the recruiting process helps recruiters to get a valuable insight into the candidate skills, talent, and abilities that are difficult to notice during an interview. Watch the candidates you aim in action before their start date. Put recruiters or interviewers in different innovative locations, such as events, association conferences, or customer service situations. This will give you firsthand experience with a potential employee.

Innovative referrals

There is a massive opportunity to capture top talents through referral programs, social media and marketing and incentives. Companies that already use innovative referrals as their recruiting strategy are benefitting and get to employ top talents. They turn their employees into talent scouts and train them to identify top talent. They teach them about the employee referral process and show them examples of other employees who joined them through referral programs and what they are doing for the company. This helps them scout for top candidates before referring them to the company.

Social Media Recruitment

When you need special candidates who are qualified, why don’t you think about doing a campaign? Some companies have succeeded in this strategy. They have fueled interest starting campaigns and using Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to promote their campaign. Don’t search in the same place or use the same search tool over and over, instead approach recruitment differently from other companies. You can combine excellent recruitment strategies such as a great recruitment branding and extending your campaign message far and wide.



Finding top talents is still a challenge for many companies. Reviewing applications and interviewing potential candidates take time from your existing obligations. Nowadays, many employees are partnering with staffing agencies which help them search for top talents. Staffing agencies are valuable tools that you can use to quickly find potential candidates, they offer the best services, especially if you’re looking to fill in workforce gaps, part-time workers or sick leaves. They offer you talent fast and flexibly and reduce the risk of you employing non-competent employees. The greatest cost of all by a long shot is having the wrong people representing your company.  They also offer financial risk if you have to fire someone unexpectedly.

If you are looking to fill a current vacant position in your company with the top candidates, you need to elevate your current recruitment strategies. If you are doing that okay, filling your openings with qualified candidates will be easier and you won’t need to add any stretch to your recruiting process.  Use the above innovative recruiting strategies to get the best employees in your company.

Writing Job Descriptions that Get the Best Candidates

Friday, April 20th, 2018


Job descriptions play a very important role in hiring and managing employees. They are summaries of job duties that ensure interested parties such as job applicants, agencies, advertisement platforms and employees understand their roles and what roles they need to play and be held accountable for in the hiring institution. For one to write a job description that will attract top professional candidates, you have to be clear and accurate in defining the roles that job will play and what is required for applicants to apply.

Important factors to research:

An effective job description must be carefully scrutinized and analyzed by the help of the following factors in order to reach the expected candidates

  • Individual role involved
  • Methods and system used to complete the task (such as SAP)
  • The importance and responsibilities of a job
  • The relationship of the job to other jobs
  • Qualifications of the job at hand

You also have to be aware that the job description should not be inflexible. One of the roles played by a job description is to encourage growth of the employees with their position and overall contribution over time to the business.


Effective job description

The best job description must have the position details, job duties performance standards and job factors that are well described.

Job title

The title should sell the position on its own. Example: a Program Director position is less attractive by title than if you use Director of the WXY program at the HGD Company. You can use a title like Assistant to the Director instead of Administrative Assistant.  Get candidates to read further by selling the title!

General summary

In this you can list the nature of the job, the level of the job, departments, location, date of posting and end date of application for the job. Example: clerical position, job level-f-h, department-finance, location-WGB posted 25/02/2017 application ends on 25/03/2017. At this level you can also list the term of employment. It could be full-time, part-time, contract or permanent. In case of any travel requirements or physical requirements this would be the best position to list it. Some companies list the salary range too e.g. $140000-$149000 annually.  However, be careful not to pigeonhole your recruiting with the salary because the salary seldom tells the whole compensation picture.  Be sure to clarify highlights of the comp if you’re going to include salary.

Description of the broad function and scope of the position

Usually contains about 1-3 paragraphs with summaries of the main job description. This includes the key responsibilities, functions and duties. Some give a description of the company and department too so as to familiarize the applicant with the working environment. List the key functional and relational responsibilities in order of significance to make it more attractive and easy to read quickly.  You can add in subtopics that describe your next point or highlight the main points. This is effective especially when advertising for executive level positions.

List of skills required for success

All jobs have different skill sets required to help the person perform.

Qualifications and requirements

Make a list of the important qualifications such as education requirements, years of experience, knowledge of additional courses and certification at this level. In case a position is not very specific on the requirement of the job, you can list it as a general point such as: degree from a known institution. If it’s specific, you can require a degree in business, bachelor of commerce, supply chain management. Relevant courses will be considered too.