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How to structure new employee on-boarding for day one, week one, and the first three months
New hires almost always walk in the door with a spark of excitement. The question is: do you pour water on that spark, or gasoline? If you want to ignite the spark, focus on them from the moment they walk in the door. Day one is the most important day. Then week one. Then months…
Stay in close dialogue between hiring and day one
If there is lag between hiring and day one for a new hire, it is important to keep that person engaged in the meantime and set them up for a solid start. Maintain a high level of communication during the intervening time, not just from Human Resources or some other anonymous corporate office, but from…
When hiring, try to scare the best candidates away
When hiring in a highly competitive environment, it is critical to try to scare the best candidates away. Yes, you read that right. Let me explain why. The biggest mistake hiring managers make, particularly when hiring in the midst of a talent shortage, is continuing the ‘attraction campaign’ until the candidate has accepted the job,…
How to build and diversify your staffing supply chain
If step one to gaining a strategic hiring advantage in 2021 is to define your employer value proposition, step two is to build and diversify your staffing supply chain. Depending on your optimal staffing mix, you may build your staffing supply chain using a mix of internal professionals, expert external partners, and technology. Questions…
How to define your value proposition as an employer in today’s talent wars
If you want to gain a strategic advantage in today’s talent wars, step one is defining a clear value proposition to potential new hires. Decide who or what you want to be as an employer and tell your story loud and clear. This should not just be in terms of mission, vision, and culture, but…
You can’t afford to ignore today’s talent wars
The talent wars of 2021-2022 will be defined by talent shortages and high rates of voluntary turnover, reflecting a confluence of factors exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Employers must be wary of the impending wave of employee turnover they will soon face. Chronic understaffing is already a problem many organizations are facing. When open-position and…
Hiring Challenges in 2021—Short-Term and Long-Term Factors
After huge recent fluctuations in the job market—record low unemployment in the months before the Covid-19 pandemic, record job losses during, and record re-hiring in the aftermath—employers are facing more severe talent shortages than any time since we at RainmakerThinking began our workplace research in 1993. While the particulars differ by geography, industry, skill specialization,…
The ‘yes’ people you want to avoid at work
There are three components to a successful “yes” at work: It’s well-timed It’s thoroughly considered It’s tied to a specific, actionable commitment We have all known someone with a reputation for saying “yes” to any new request or project, without considering these three components of a good yes. Maybe they want to establish themselves as…
Set up every yes for success
Remember, every good no allows you to give great yeses—saying yes to collaboration, saying yes to an opportunity to add value and build a relationship. But to truly make an impact, you must set up each yes you give for success. Every yes deserves a plan for focused execution. The execution plan is the key…
When to say Yes, No, or Maybe at work
To avoid burnout and overcommitment in today’s workplace, you have to be savvy about which projects you accept and which you decline. But how do you know when to say yes, no, or maybe at work? Here are some basic guidelines for when and how to respond to new opportunities for collaboration. Say no…