Recruitment

Recruitment involves various processes including identifying, attracting, interviewing, selecting,  hiring, and onboard an employee

Tips on How to Manage Talent War in HR

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Tips on How to Manage Talent War in HR

In today’s increasingly competitive job market, recruiting and retaining top talent has become a major challenge for HR professionals. Companies aggressively compete for the same pool of skilled workers, which starts a talent war. HR managers must adopt new strategies and improve old processes to attract and retain top talent. Here are some tips on how to manage the talent war in HR:

1. Represent Your Employer Brand

To attract top talent, you need to have a strong employer brand. It means defining your company’s core values, work culture, and mission. You need to clearly communicate them to potential candidates. However, make sure your job postings, website, and social media presence reflect your brand and what makes your company embodies. Leave no room for confusion since you only get “one chance” to attract top talent.

2. Use Data to Make Informed Decisions

We are in an era of technological developments where constant innovations empower human processes. Data can be a powerful tool in managing (or even winning) the talent war. Leverage the use of analytics to track your recruitment efforts, identify where your best candidates are coming from, and measure the effectiveness of your employer brand. It will help you make informed decisions about where to focus your resources and how to improve your recruiting efforts without second guessing.

3. Competitive Compensation and Benefits: An Edge to Win the Talent War

4. Develop a Strong Employee Value Proposition

Your employee value proposition (EVP) is what sets your company apart from others in the talent war. It’s the unique combination of company benefits, work culture, and work environment that you offer your employees. Although you have to compete with other organizations in the industry, make sure to develop a strong EVP that aligns with your employer brand and use it to attract and retain top talent.

5. Build a Strong Talent Pipeline

To stay ahead of the competitors in the talent war, you need to build a robust talent pipeline, which means constantly recruiting and networking, even though you don’t have job openings. It may sound tiresome in the beginning but once it became a part of your organizational routine, the flow of activity will be seamless and natural. Additionally, you can use social media platforms, job boards, and networking events to build relationships and constant contact with potential candidates and stay on top of their minds when the need arises.

NGN Global solutions uses Social media platforms to manage talent war in HR

 

Social media to manage the talent war in HR
(photo from Pixabay)

6. Embrace the Latest Technology

The latest technology was there for a reason. Technology can be a powerful tool in managing the talent war in HR. Leverage applicant tracking systems (ATS) to streamline your recruiting process and identify top candidates quickly. Use social networking sites and other digital channels to communicate your employer brand and engage with potential candidates.

NGN Global solutions uses Applicant tracking system (ATS) to manage the talent war in HR

 

Use ATS to manage the talent war in HR (Photo from Pixabay)

Managing the talent war in HR requires a strategic approach and a willingness to adapt to changing market conditions. Moreover, by defining your employer brand, using data to make informed decisions, offering competitive compensation and benefits, developing a strong EVP, building a strong talent pipeline, and embracing technology, you can attract and retain top talent in today’s competitive job market.’

 

We have open slots for HR consultancy and recruitment. Feel free to contact us on how you want to move forward for fruitful collaboration.

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What Jobseekers Want to Know

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What jobseekers want to know

What do jobseekers want to know from a prospective employer?

As unemployment and underemployment soar globally, and employers continuously struggle to find a good fit for their job openings, hiring managers introduce different tactics to attract the best talents in the job market.

With technological advancement and environmental factors incessantly affecting the global job market, companies move alongside development to remain current. It helps them retain the best talent and attract a few more to stay highly competitive and growth-driven. 

However, hiring managers and recruiters constantly face challenges with the latest trends of jumping ships and resignations. By now, you may have heard of “quiet quitting,” “the great reshuffle,” “the great resignation,” and the “great disruption?” Regardless of what you call it, it punishes most talent management approaches.

As the challenge escalates, the head-to-head or tug of war between applicants and employers never ceases. 

Earlier, employment terms were uni-directional. Employers interview applicants and tell them what they want for an employee, period. If the employer meets the job requirements and agrees with the terms of the organization, then, “welcome aboard!”

Nowadays, the employer-employee relationship requires reciprocity from the initial stage until the stretch of tenure. 

The interview works both ways, and more weight goes to the applicant’s scale. Though some companies provide “nice to have” perks, oftentimes, they are not enough for job seekers. Here is the list of “must-haves” for employees to consider working for your company, listen up:

what jobseekers want want to know from employers
what jobseekers want to know from employers

What jobseekers want from employers

  • Salary – remains the primary motivation for employees. New hires always negotiate as they want financial stability. Know your worth is one of the most famous lines that powers the minds of young professionals. 
  • Working terms – Since the early onset of the pandemic, companies supported remote work, which eventually transformed into hybrid a year later. Although many organizations still prefer on-site work, many employees are not ready to go back to the office just yet. They want to skip hours of getting stuck in traffic. The comfort of working from home gave a different meaning to many professionals.  
  • Workplace diversity – Global talents are getting aggressive in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion as one of the indicators of forward-thinking culture in an organization. In 2022 statistics, 57% of hiring managers look for diverse employees as they increase productivity in the workplace. 
  • Well-defined career path – people come to work for a company to help the company achieve its goals. In return, jobseekers want to know if the organization is willing to help them achieve their individual and professional goals too. 
  • Work-life balance – mental health issue has been an increasingly alarming topic of discussion in the corporate world in the past decade. Applicants want to know if the employer cares about their employees by creating an environment and work system that prevents burnout and stress, such as providing work flexibility and day offs and allowing employees to work remotely, hybrid or on-site. However, remote setup is not available for some roles. 
  • Culture of appreciation – during the interview process, jobseekers want to know if and how the company expresses its appreciation. It is a human need to get a tap on the shoulder when they are performing well. It is essential for the company to create a culture that values its employees.  

As the hiring process evolves, so should the hiring process. Hiring managers, recruiters, and employers must learn to cope with the ever-changing trends in the corporate world to find excellent talents they can retain. 

 

Please let us know how we can help you today by dropping us a mail

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Job Portals in India

job portals in India, a man holding job and the applicants are reaching for it

Back in the day, job applicants watched out for the Sunday issue of the newspaper to look for the thick supplement, “classified ads,” which include job openings. They would print ten to twenty sets of CVs or Resumes, stick their photos on the top and drop them off to companies all week.

Not anymore!

Technological advancements provided a more effortless and faster way to send applications to hiring managers, recruiters, and consultants, through job portals.

With 53 million unemployed Indians as of December 2021, the efficiency of job portals is never more crucial. So we compiled the top job portals to help you with your job search.

job portals in India where an employer search for potential employee

Job Portals in India

  1. Naukri.com – Naukri.com is an Indian job portal. It started in 1997 in Uttar Pradesh. It provides various services such as a CV database, job postings, branding solutions, e-apps, career site managers, and cloud products. They follow B2B and B2C business models and claim to be the #1 Indian job portal. 
  2. Monster.com – Monster was born in 2001, with its head office in Hyderabad. Although it expanded its operation internationally, they still keep eleven other offices in major metros such as Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Cochin, Jaipur, Chandigarh. 
  3. Shine.com – Shine started its operation in 2008 and is one of the fastest-growing job portals in the country. Job seekers can register and upload their CVs for free. However, they are very strict with the selection process.  
  4. Indeed.com – Indeed.com is an international job portal with a significant presence in the Indian job market. They have offices in Karnataka, Delhi, Telangana, Maharashtra, Chandigarh, and Tamil Nadu. Due to a large number of job applicants in the system, Indeed is reportedly struggling with candidate filtering. Therefore, employers sometimes deal with a huge number of CVs (qualified and underqualified). 
  5. Hirist.com – The concept of Hirist.com started in 2012, with its headquarters in Delhi. They accept job applicants for Banking & Finance, Consulting, Research & Analytics, Sales & Marketing, HR, IT, and Operations. However, since their role in the hiring process is merely to mediate, they provide insufficient information about the job opportunities. 
  6. Hirect.com – Hirect.com is a relatively young job portal, established in 2020 in Bengaluru. It is a chat-based direct hiring platform to connect start-ups and SMEs. 
  7. TimesJob.com – Timesjob.com is an initiative of the Times Group which started its operation in 2004 as an online recruitment portal. 
  8. Jobsforher.com – Jobsforher.com is a job portal that caters to the female demographic. It aims to empower women to start, restart, reskill, upskill, mentor, and provide jobs and suitable opportunities.
  9. Hiredd.com – Hired.com started its operation in 2020. It is a job and internship platform in India that likewise offers work-from-home opportunities.  
  10. Neuvoo.com or Talent.com – Neuvoo.com was a multinational job portal with headquarters in Canada. It started its operation in 2011 and rebranded as Talent.com in 2019. They maintain an aggressive talent acquisition in the Indian job market. 
  11. TheIndiaJobs.com – TheIndiaJobs.com is an ideal platform for all levels of the organization. They provide opportunities for freshers, middle, and senior management positions. They cater to various industries such as FMCG, IT, Banking and Finance, Insurance, and Engineering. 
  12. JobRapido.com – Jobrapido.com began in 2006 with a presence in 58 countries. They have offices in Karnataka, Bangalore, Maharashtra, Konkan, Mumbai, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Pune, Telangana, and Hyderabad District.  
  13. FreshersLive.com – Fresherslive.com is an exclusive portal that caters to freshers in India. Since its founding in 2009, they provide opportunities for both private and government placements.
  14. JobSarkari.com – Jobsarkari.com was established under the Food Corporation Act of 1964 and solely caters to the government sector such as Indian Railways, Indian Oil, Coal India, SBI, and others.
  15. IIMJobs.com – IIMjobs.com was a brainchild of IIT-IIM alumni and exclusively caters to the middle to senior management positions in India.
  16. WisdomJobs.com – WisdomJobs.com started in 2011 and has its headquarters in Andhra Pradesh. Currently, it operates in various locations, including India, the Middle East, and North America. 
  17. SimplyHired.com – Simplyhired.com is an international job portal that presents a one-stop-shop job search for Indian job seekers. They offer part-time and full-time opportunities for various industries.
  18. WaahJobs.com – Waahjobs.com focuses on the Indian job market. It provides extensive coverage for small towns and cities across India, offering opportunities for freshers to experienced job applicants, and claims to have 1.5lac companies in its portal. However, since the core concentration of the platform is to serve remote locations, job seekers should expect opportunities from small to medium-sized companies. 
  19. Apna.com – Apnajob.com is an Indian job portal with headquarters in New Delhi. It has a core concentration on junior, middle, and senior-level management. They cater to various industries, such as manufacturing, IT, Banking and finance, real estate, hospitality, retail, advertising, pharma, healthcare, sales, legal, oil and gas, and others. 
  20. Linkedin.com – LinkedIn is a professional networking site. However, as it became the go-to of most job seekers globally, it became one of the most powerful places to search for jobs. People upload their CVs to the platform, connect with other professionals, and search for potential employers through engagement. The platform also provides an avenue for employers and jobseekers to meet with their “jobs” tab. Users can activate notifications if there are job openings for their specific expertise.  However, since it is not a job website, aspiring employees may find difficulty finding a job. Additionally, many employers are hesitant to publish job opportunities on the platform for fear of getting negative feedback from the professional fraternity. 

job portals in India. man holding the job, and applicants reach out for it.

You can check the links above and see which platform or portal resonates with you. Signing up for more than one portal is not a bad idea. Employers do not advertise to every job portal. The only way to connect with a potential employer is to make your profile discoverable. Gear up and keep your optimized CV ready for upload. Although it can be overwhelming to gain access to job openings, choose the job posting that matches your qualifications. And while you are still searching, brush up on your skills.

Happy hunting!

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored article. The website is not an affiliate of any job portals listed above. The article was written to give guidance to job seekers and employers.

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Optimized CV that Matters

optimized cv that matters - a magnifying lens scans the CV

How important is it to optimize your CV?

Have you ever wondered what happens to all the CVs you send to hiring managers and recruiters who ghosted you?

How about the ones you uploaded on various job portals? 

The recruitment process and screening trend in 2022 has been so competitive that jobseekers are competing for the first fifteen to thirty seconds of the recruiter’s attention. And if you are lucky, maybe you can get a shot at an interview

It’s all about capturing the attention of the hiring managers at the first glance. Gone were the days when recruiters and HR managers meticulously scan 4-5 pages of CV to know everything you had to say. Nowadays, you have to present only valuable information, with no fluff and outdated details.

The truth is, many companies use the Application Tracking System (ATS). ATS is a screening tool that hiring managers, recruiters, and employers use to collect job applications, scan, sort, and rank them according to relevance to their job openings. It speeds up the screening process and prevents potential biases from equal employment opportunities. If your CV is not optimized, ATS may not recognize it, which equates to outright rejection.  

If you haven’t done it yet, maybe it’s high time you start doing it.

optimized cv matters  to hiring manager that scan them
Optimized CV that matters

How to optimize your CV to make it matter?

There is no substitute for an updated CV when applying for a job. If you have not updated your CV for more than a year, consider these tips for CV optimization.

Focus Area

If you are re-entering the job market after years of sabbatical or just shifting jobs, it is necessary to revisit your old CV and analyze what will be your new focus area. You might want to use relevant keywords to make your CV searchable online by highlighting your expertise. But don’t overstuff it with irrelevant keywords that have nothing to do with your career goal or skills

Highlight your recent accomplishments

Add your latest accomplishments, new courses you have completed, recent promotions, or awards received. However, make sure it is relevant to your focus area and the position you are applying for. It’s all about consistency.

Career highlight should be on the top of your CV.

You can also add ongoing projects as long as it adds value to your current skill set.

Humanize your CV

Humanize your CV according to the position you are applying for. After all, you have to impress the hiring managers and recruiters. ATS are just gatekeepers. Humans will still decide if your job application will move forward or not.

No PDFs

 Make sure that your CV format is not in pdf. ATS is not compatible with pdf format.

Optimize your CV by using hierarchy

Format your CV using a simple yet organized hierarchy of information. It is easier to follow your work history and accomplishments if they are well presented.

Are they still relevant?

Scan all the information you included in your CV to see if the experiences and achievements are still relevant to the position you are aiming for. For example, you don’t have to include your first job as a telephone operator if you are applying for a marketing manager position.

Check your CV for spelling and grammatical errors

Read and reread your CV loudly. If it doesn’t sound right, maybe it is not right. It’s always good to have a professional-sounding CV. There is no room for spelling and grammar errors when you are applying for a job. 

Remember to update your CV regularly and apply for the position that fulfills your career goals. Don’t lie. Put only relevant and legit information. 

You may trick ATS at some point, but it won’t pass through the hiring managers and recruiters. Besides, who would want to hire someone untruthful?

Optimized CV that matters is the well-thought, well-designed, and neatly executed.

So, the next time you plan on sending out CVs, make sure to follow these guidelines.

Good luck! 

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Commonly Used Interview Questions

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If you are a candidate, you must be familiar with and prepared for the commonly-used interview questions most hiring managers, recruiters, and HR professionals use during the initial interviews. 

If not, then this must be the right time to start brushing up on your skills.

The first impression lasts a long time (if not forever), and the interview is the first point of contact between the company and future employees. The initial impression works both ways for employers and employees, a stage in the recruitment cycle where both sides try to create a positive impact.

Interviewing is an essential step of the hiring process that employers can’t afford to fail in. It is the foundation for strengthening the talent management effort of an organization. Interviewing is not exclusively for the benefit of prospective employers alone. During this stage of the hiring process, employers and employees will decide if their values, culture, skills, and needs are parallel with their respective goals. You must keep in mind that a workplace should be a nurturing place that encourages partnership and similar growth on either side.

A successful HR professional understands how important is the interview process to support the organizational objectives. That’s why, during the initial screening, they can freely use a structured or unstructured set of questions to extract the information they need from each candidate. 

commonly asked questions in the interview, in-person interview
commonly asked interview questions
Job Interview

Commonly used interview questions – what do they aim to achieve?

  • Excellent source of information for the organization – by speaking with candidates from various backgrounds and industries, the company gets valuable information about employee expectations, needs, and short and long-term goals that allow them to improve their strategies for talent retention and career development plans. 
  • Provide insights – allows the HR to learn about the candidates and gather insights on their areas of improvement and perceived weaknesses as managers. These insights can guide them to improve their leadership style and align with the organization’s talent management efforts.
  • Transparent assessment – in addition to what’s written in the resume or cv, the in-person or virtual interviews allow the recruiting officer to gather in-depth information about the potential employees’ skills and technical knowledge. In the same way, the applicant assesses the potential employer if they are a good fit. 
  • Learn from the candidates – Hiring officers do not know everything. During the interview, candidates may try to impress the manager and provide additional information that may help HR in the selection process. 
  • Get to know your future colleagues – an interview can be the first among many interactions and collaborations with your future colleagues. If the vibes are good and the working conditions meet the expectations, then an interview can be a good start to something productive. 

Finding the perfect candidate for a job can be daunting for an HR professional. Repeatedly doing the process day in and day out can put a lot of pressure on hiring managers, especially if they cannot find the ideal candidate they are looking for. This is the (necessary) downside of the hiring process.

  1. Tedious – HR professionals spend a lot of time interviewing candidates that do not match their requirements and expectations. Some professionals view the lengthy hiring procedure as a waste of time. 
  2. Difficult to gauge the validity of information – since both sides of the interview table try to impress each other, there is a certain level of unspoken distrust that prevents either of them to trust the exchange of information.
  3. Personal bias and preconceived notion – unbiased comparison between candidates is one of the struggles among HR practitioners. Stereotyping and preconceived notions about one’s race, religion, and culture sometimes distort the assessment procedure for talent acquisition. 

The right answers to commonly asked interview questions  every job seeker should prepare for

Each organization is unique, and though some commonly asked interview questions may be the same, their desired answers differ. 

  • Can you tell me something about yourself?
    • This can be a tricky question. The prospective employer wants to get acquainted with their employees, but not in a boring way. Candidates must be good storytellers of their life experiences, struggles, triumphs, and goals. However, the story should justify why you are a good fit for the job.
  • How did find out about this job opening?
    • Be specific. They want to know if you are actively or casually looking for employment. It reflects how interested you are to work with their company, or they are (merely) one of your choices.
  • What is your preferred company setup or company culture?
    • It is heartwarming to know if the applicants conduct a little research about the company they want to work for. This question deserves an answer that favors the future employer’s work culture and core values. It pays to stalk them a little before your scheduled interview.
  • How do you handle work pressure?
    • Employers want employees who don’t succumb to work-related pressures such as deadlines and efficiency. Work pressure always comes and goes. Reassuring the employer that you can deal with stress gracefully and calmly gives you an edge to bag that role.
  • Are you comfortable working alone or with a team?
    • It is a plus factor if an employee can work independently and deliver the task effectively. However, at some point, you should be comfortable collaborating and cooperating with other team members to improve productivity and promote a positive work environment and teamwork.
  • How do you balance your time at work and home? Are you the “by the number kind of person, or do you deal with the pressure as they come?
    • The company wants to know if you are organized and responsible on the personal and professional front. These are the same traits an efficient and reliable employee possesses. 
  • What is your opinion about continuous learning?
    • It helps impress the employer if you are particularly concerned about brushing up on your skills every now and then. It indicates your seriousness about your goals and career development.
  • How much do you draw right now, and what are your salary expectations from this company?
    • Employers want to know if your asking rate is within their budget for the job role. This is one of the times when you must hold your ground and not compromise on your worth. Justify why you deserve your asking rate. 
  • Do you have other pending applications with other companies? If you do, how far have you gone in their hiring process?
    • Be honest. However, this question tests your sincerity in applying for their company. The HR manager wants to confirm your position to your answer to the second question if you are casually looking for a job or if your intention to join their company is sincere.  
  • How soon can you join if you get selected for the position?
    • Be specific and transparent. If you have a non-negotiable 30-days notice period (if currently employed) after submitting your resignation, feel free to talk about it. Remember, for the company to trust you, you must give them a reason to do so, transparency is one of them. 

Not all interviews end up with onboarding, but each conversation with an HR professional must be a learning experience you can utilize as you move along. Familiarize and prepare yourself with the commonly used interview questions and nail that interview.

Happy Hunting!  

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