9 Real Challenges Facing HR in the Future

9 Real Challenges Facing HR in the Future Complaints Complaints Complaints! Has your job just become the one where you are at the receiving end of every complaint, from employees, from management and even from the CEO himself? If you are the HR manager in your company, then you are most likely to hear more complaints about recruiting. While at one side, unemployment is hovering over the economy, companies are mourning over not being able to find the skilled workforce and sometimes, filling a single vacancy may take months of head hunting. HR professionals have more than one reason to explain this, but the problem doesn’t end here, there are various other challenges that the industry is likely to face in the coming years. With that in mind, here are the 9  major responses by different HR professionals on being asked, “What will be the “real” HR challenges in the coming years?” 1) Retaining and Rewarding Talented Candidates: Around 59% seasoned HR professionals believe that in the next few years, major battle will be retaining talented and well-performing candidates. Moreover, it is going to become even worse to recognize and reward the real performers as the market competitiveness is growing and that needs more collaborated efforts to establish loyalty among employees. 2) Developing Future Leaders: With growing options for top performing candidates, employers are in a great jitty over how will they build the future pillars of the organization. The rising employee turnover rate is giving recruiters really a tough time with implementing practices to enhance employee engagement and make them stay for long in the organization. Over 52% HR people have a serious concern over building next generation organizational leaders. 3) Establishing Healthy and Cooperative Corporate Culture: Corporate culture has become one of the deciding factors lately. Elevating market demands makes companies work more to grow, expand and sustain within the volatile market scenarios. This, thus directly or indirectly affects the organizational culture, as every resource is over-occupied with loads of work that may affect the healthy work culture at office leading more to clashes or office chaos. 4) Attracting Top Talent to Organization: During any job interview, a candidate’s job is to sell himself to the recruiters. Similarly, the recruiters also need to sell themselves before the candidate. It is now more important as the talent shortage is making every organization strive to bring in the best talent and become the most preferred choice among available options. Around 36% recruiters feel that it is the need of the hour to establish a corporate culture that will attract best candidates to your organization. 5) Elevating Human Capital Investments: Around two-fifth of HR professionals indicate that the biggest challenge for the coming decade will be acquiring human capital and optimizing human capital investments. On deeply analyzing the challenges, one thing that is clear is that the most difficult challenge that’ll crop up is retaining good employees and attracting best candidates. This entails that HR professionals need to develop talent management tactics that can effectively contribute in attracting, retaining and rewarding top performing employees.  But what the organizations can do for countering this skills shortage and ensure that they  find right candidates?  Here are the major responses to this 6) Flexible Work Arrangements: Millennials just love it! The coming generation of employees emphasizes on working in flexible set-ups and the major concern must be kept on giving results and not on working in a traditional 9 to 6 set-up. This does not disrupts the company decorum or discipline, it will just allow individuals to work the way they want and exhibit better productivity. Even 40% HR pros believe that this can be a wining factor. 7) Clear Transparent Work Culture Open Leadership: Employees demand it greatly, but are seen rarely! That’s a fact! Maximum organizations fail to establish a culture of clear and transparent work communication or open leadership that somewhere affects the employee morale and his dedication to work. 37% have indicated that if communication barriers are removed, then the organization can attract more candidates. 8) Career Advancement Opportunities for Employees: If the company takes employee career development seriously and strives to work for it as well, then definitely you can shine out over your competitors who are also looking to grab talented prospects for the same jobs. Around 26% professionals have indicated this as a problem and major factor for increased attrition rate. 9) Better Compensations: Undoubtedly,  money matters! If you have a start performer, you need to take good care of the compensation you offer. These days employers are largely playing on this factor with awarding employees lucrative reward packages and attracting more talent towards them. Thus, recruiters need to fold up their sleeves to attract the real talent to themselves to stay ahead of their counterparts. Recruitment processes are the first interface of candidates with the company and this need to be the best of all. The employer must sell the organization to the candidate and the boarding candidate must also feel elated on joining the same. Apart from other factors, one is that of technology upgraded-ness. Now is the time of the cloud and one has to be up on technology as every candidate wants to get smoother recruitment application and processing. An effective Recruitment Management System must be there that can take care of channelized processing from application to on-boarding while the HR people can work on other retention and acquisition tactics! Author: Prateek Sharma operates as the Director at TrogonSoft.

Can Career Assessment Tests Help You - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Can Career Assessment Tests Help You - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Whether you are at the beginning of your career or have many years of experience in different fields and still not sure what to do for the rest of your life, taking a career test can be helpful in expediting your process of identifying a new career. Career tests are great for eliminating career mistakes and assisting you choose a new direction for yourself. There are however, facts to keep in mind about career tests and below you can find these. Career Tests Do Not Point You One Specific Job: Many people are looking for short-cuts to find the right job for them and unfortunately, career tests cannot tell you one specific job that is right for you. Each profession has many different variables and it is very hard for a test to assess all of these. However, career tests can give you advice by showing different career options according to your skills and interests. Remember, this is not a math test and there isn’t only one right answer. There may be many right answers which you haven’t considered before. All Career Tests Are Not the Same: There are three different types of career tests and they all work differently. These are; personality, interest and ability based tests. An example of a personality based career test is Myers-Briggs. It tries to understand how you live your life, make judgments and perceive information. It assesses whether you are an Extrovert or Introvert (E or I), Sensate or I(N)tuitive (S or N), Thinking or Feeling (T or F) and Judging or Perceiving (J or P). Then, it gives you the combination of these choices as a result. Interest based tests, as the name implies, assesses what you are interested in and tries to match these with career paths. Ability based tests tries to figure out your skills and what you are good at to show you different job options. One Career Test is Not Enough: Since all career tests are not the same, doing one career test is not enough. It is best to do at least one from each test type and then look for the overlaps in your results. Also, it is very important to give honest answers to questions in order to get the most accurate results. The validity and reliability of the test is another key aspect that needs to be considered.

Great Tools Put Your Best Image Forth - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Great Tools Put Your Best Image Forth - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Digital cameras and mobile camera phones have developed over the years, allowing us to snap shots and capture memories as they happen. Long gone are the days when taking pictures and processing them required a photo lab and days of waiting. Today, one can take a shot and share it to the world through social media. This is very helpful considering the growing success of social media sites which thrive not only on compelling but also visually appealing content. Posting photos or images is a proven way to stir engagement. However, it doesnt always translate to successful social engagement especially when the images look plain, ordinary boring. To achieve engagement, there are tools that can help you enhance your images. The best part, these tools are available online for free and work like magic, even if you dont have superb photo skills. Here are some of the top picks Pixlr.com: This is a perfect basic editing tool that lets you quickly crop, re-size, rotate, and fix any picture, and remove red-eye features. It is very easy to use and has over 600 visual effects you can choose from to achieve the feel that you want to evoke in your photos. PicMonkey: This is another easy to use photo editing tool that provides basic filters that you can choose from. Those who are not familiar with photography terminology don’t have to worry because these are clearly marked and explained. The navigations aren’t complicated either. A few hours with this tool and photo sharing will be a breeze. FotoFlexer: Those who love fancy visual images will have a field day with this photo editing tool. Apart from the basic editing tools, FotoFlexer allows you to add animation clips to your images with its animation tab. Whats even better is that it allows you to import photos from your computer and other photo hosting sites â€" Photobucket, Flickr, Picasa, and MySpace among others. Turn your photos into fun ones with all the effects that you can apply. Quozio or ShareasImage: If you have a favorite quote that youd like to share and would like to generate more responses, this tool can help you. All you need to do is to type your favorite quote and Quozio will provide with several backgrounds that will suit your taste. PicMarkr: Sharing your photos online doesnt mean that you do not have copyright over the images youve created. Ensure copyright protection by using this tool. PicMarkr allows you to watermark your images and it also allows you to put captions in your photos. Its a great way to personalize your photos. Infogr.am: Presenting your data doesnt have to be boring. To catch the attention of your audience, use an infographic to show statistics and otherwise dense data in colorful, trendy ways. Vizify: Showcase the best photos from your social media sites by using this tool. Simply plug-in your social media sites and this tool will create an interactive infographic. Have you tried any of these tools? We would love to hear your experiences with it too. Author: Maria Elena Duron, is managing editor of the Personal Branding Blog, CEO (chief engagement officer) of  buzz2bucksâ€"  a word of mouth marketing firm, and a professional speaker and trainer on developing social networks that work. She provides workshops, webinars, seminars and direct services that help create conversation, connection, credibility, community and commerce around your brand.   Maria Duron is founder  and moderator of  #brandchat   a weekly Twitter chat focused on every aspect of  branding  that is recognized by Mashable as one the 15 Essential Twitter Chats for Social Media Marketers. Are you busy? Here’s some quick and easy tips on  Social Marketing for busy people.

Errors to Avoid and Communication Consistency Will Fuel Sales - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Errors to Avoid and Communication Consistency Will Fuel Sales - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Nothing is more distressing than to try to work with someone who is inconsistent throughout all of their communications. This includes verbal, written, and behavior in addition to body language and facial expressions. The inconsistency is troubling because it raises the question of whether the person may be trusted. As a business professional it is important to recognize that when trust is in doubt business is lost. You may recognize some of these irritants: Denial of what was previously said Showing up late without warning Pushing the sale without thought given to the client’s purpose Favorite Traits Take time to list your favorite traits found in your friends and those of your favorite clientele. Next to the words in the bulleted list, add a sentence of why you like it. For example: Helpful developed a closer relationship Humor â€" have fun together Knowledgeable â€" may always be counted on to provide the best answer Stress Situations Next, consider previous poor experiences. Make a second bulleted list of factors contributing to the stressful situations. Put a star next to the inconsistencies that included promises made. Favorites Your third list is to reflect the companies you turn to when their type of service is needed. Did you ever consider they aren’t alone in their space but have competitors? What is it about these frequented services that have you as a devoted customer? List out their consistencies. Analyze Lists Check for your own consistencies in what you most prefer and least admire. Then take note of lessons to be learned from the lists. What may you take away to add to your repertoire? Revise Review what you listed as your consistencies to see what might be refined or added to the list. These may well become your differentiators to be communicated to prospective clientele and earn you increased business. My Observations for Improvement: Call ahead to be certain you connect with the person to let them know you will be late. Then ask if the later time still works. Sales Strategy: Agreement tells you everything is still good. Pick up and drop off clients next to the curb. Do not have your car sticking out in the middle of the street to have other drivers honking at you. It’s unnerving for the clients plus puts a question mark as to whether you actually do perform on your client’s behalf. Sales Strategy: Thoughtfulness on all levels encourages business. We are all guilty of making errors like these from time to time. Therefore there is no shame but one does need to take ownership of having done so. Most people are forgiving. Apologize to move forward. Sales Strategy: Demonstrated honesty encourages a long-term relationship. Importance The importance of these lessons lies in the fact this is the starting point for conducting business. When your preferred habits are faithfully followed, the collection becomes known as your personal brand. Your unique trait ensemble may easily be transferred into the brief story you share with prospective clients to reveal the unique way in which you conduct business. Sales Strategy: This produces the emotional connection that influences sales. The above suggestions will enhance client loyalty that leads to the Smooth Sale!

Finding a Workplace That Respects Your Work-Life Balance - CareerMetis.com

Finding a Workplace That Respects Your Work-Life Balance We all know the signs of a toxic relationship â€" many of us have had friends who’ve dealt with a controlling, obsessive, or insensitive partner. However, it’s also important to acknowledge the signs of a toxic work environment, as the consequences of staying in one can be as impactful as your friend’s toxic romantic relationship.As the source of your income, and thus livelihood, it’s easy to excuse otherwise unacceptable behavior from your employer: unpaid overtime, the pressure to always be checked in, long and irregular working hours, and an overall unbalanced work-life experience.evalHowever, all these factors can lead to experiencing a stressed, unhappy life.If you feel like you are finally ready to break up with your current toxic workplace and start fresh, here are some suggestions for discerning whether a possible place of work is likely to respect your work-life boundaries.They Offer More Than the Traditional 9-5evalThe 8-hour workday feels like it’s been the norm in our society since the invention of sliced bread.However, recent studies done by Ohio Universityhas started to show the benefits of a 6-hour workday. Taking physical and mental breaks throughout the day can lead to higher productivity rates, reduced work absentees, and overall more happiness in the workplace.Furthermore, flexible working hours are becoming a more regularly offered alternative to the traditional in-office working hours. In fact, using flexible hours has gained so much positive traction that in the UKemployees are legally entitled to flexible working hoursafter their first 26 weeks with a company.Flexible working hours offer working moms, night owls, and homebodies the ability to maintain a healthy work-life balance while still being productive and valuable to the company.Employees can work outside the traditional office space, enjoying important life moments more often. Moreover, remote working is also becoming a popular option for employees that have to relocate a way from the company or if they have to deal with long commutes.evalThis means that people can remain an employee at a company they like, regardless of their location. This also results in a higher rate of retention between employers and their employees.Employees happy with their place of work don’t have to leave it behind and employers don’t have to spend the time and money hiring a new employee to fill in the missing gaps. It’s a win-win for everybody.They Encourage You to Take Time OffFocusing on the “life” part in the work-life balance isn’t always a bad thing. It’s important to find the time to do the things you love such as traveling or spending time with your family. It helps keep you connected to the things you enjoy outside of work.However, finding the time to take a vacation can seem impossible if you’re always overloaded with deadlines, emails, phone calls, and meetings at work.evalIn fact, over 200 million Americans forfeited their paid vacation timeto co mpanies that didn’t allow them to carry that time over to the next year. Missing out on these opportunities to take a break is beyond frustrating.If your employer always makes it feel impossible to take a vacation, yet your vacation time is stripped away each year, it’s easy to become overworked, overstressed, and overall miserable.A good employer will value and understand the importance of taking time off from work and will encourage you to use your allotted amount each year.Experiencing less stress and enjoying more free time throughout the year will result in more productive achievements and happiness at work. You’ll feel more satisfied and motivated at work if you’ve had plenty of time to recharge and enjoy the things that make you happy â€" and smart businesses know that. They Have Happy EmployeesHappy employees with a healthy work-life balance are usually a good sign of a well-managed company. This can seem like a given but it isn’t always easy to discern when first applying and interviewing for jobs.Reflecting back on your time in a toxic work environment It’s also crucial that if something isn’t right at a company, employees always feel comfortable bringing it up without fear of retaliation. This isn’t the playground in the third grade.No employer should pressure or bully their employees into staying quiet about a problem. If a company is open to communicating and to listening to the issues within their company, then they’re also a company that truly values and cares about its workers.Luckily, there are some great resources that exist today to check in with companies to see what their employees have to say about them.Glassdoor.comorIndeed.comare great places to research potential employers and find out if they respect work-life boundaries.When work becomes the only thing in your life, it’s hard to maintain a healthy work-life balance. However, having boundaries with your employer is crucial to feeling valued, respected, and overall happy to work for them.Missing out on important moments in your personal life because a job is too demanding is mentally and physically draining â€" and simply unacceptable. It’s time to step away from the toxic work environment and find a better work so that you can finally begin enjoying your life inside and outside of work again. eval