I hired a new employee...now what?

Remember the old saying that "you never get a second chance to make a first impression"? Fortunately, when it comes to hiring a new employee this is not always the case. Sure, you will never be able to recreate the experience of the candidate's first interview, but now they are an employee; and you do have a chance to make another first impression; this time showing what it will be like to work for your company. Here are some helpful considerations once the hire is complete.

  1. Have a plan, an agenda, equipment and a workplace - It is critical that the new employee feel like you were expecting them. This can be easily achieved by carefully mapping out an agenda of what there first week will look like. Make sure you have their equipment and work space procured BEFORE they start work!
  2. Orientation - Have a well defined orientation process that guides the employee through the on boarding / badging process, provide facility tour, etc...
  3.  Introductory email - Send out an introductory email to the group, team, office, company (depending on size) introducing the new employee.
  4. Set clear expectations - It is VERY important for new hires to understand what is expected of them and what exactly success looks like. Clarity is critical when it comes to KPI's, deliverables, cadence, culture, etc...
  5. Assign a mentor - Assign a mentor outside of the new hire's leadership structure; someone the new hire can speak with freely without the fear of "sounding stupid" to the boss.
  6. Training Plan - Have a detailed plan to train new hires on policies, processes, and procedures. Try include a large dose of job shadowing as it helps the new hire to better understand their role and begin to form relationships on the team.
  7. Performance Reviews - Set up regular performance reviews (daily or weekly to start, then monthly or quarterly)
  8. Career Progression - People love roadmaps and new hires are no different. It is always helpful if you can provide a clear career progression and a good understanding of how to advance to the next level.

This list is certainly not exhaustive, but should help you make the most of your company's second, first impression!

Make sure your talent window faces south.

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Finding great technology talent in today’s market is not easy, but rest assured; great talent is out there. Not only are they out there, but they are ready to make a move, ready to evolve their skills, ready for the next exciting challenge! As a prospective employer it is your job to ensure that your organization is in the best possible position to find, attract, hire, and retain top talent when the opportunity presents itself. 

Here are several things prospective employers can do to help ensure a competitive advantage when it comes to attracting top talent.

  1. Emphasize the importance of attracting top talent - from the top down hiring managers / internal recruiters should be acutely aware of the need to attract top talent into the organization, and their responsibility for doing so.  Even if a manager does not hire often, he/she should still understand the importance of the endeavor and give it the attention it deserves when the time arises.
  2. Hire with a purpose - It is critical to understand whether you are hiring for talent or skills; as these are two different things. Oftentimes the distinction is role dependent, but knowing what you actually need will have a big impact on the recruitment process. 
  3. Instill accountability in the hiring process - Nothing scares away potential candidates faster than a shoddy hiring process, lack of communication, and poor feedback. Set processes for: 1). Role Analysis, Job Creation, Approval, and Distribution, 2). Candidate Engagement, Interview Process, Evaluation, Feedback, and Tracking, and 3). On-boarding and Ramping; and then holding those in the process accountable for success.
  4. Flexibility within the role / headcount structure - Companies must be able to attract top talent when it’s available. This might mean shuffling roles and headcount at any given time to get the right talent in the door.  
  5. Agility in the hiring process - It is competitive out there and one must move quickly to capture the talent once identified. Ideally, all necessary hiring approvals should have been received prior to a candidate being selected. In this market you have to be prepared to move quickly.
  6. Give people a reason - Why should someone come work for your company? This is a question that must be answered if you are hoping to attract top talent. The reasons you joined the company are likely different than what appeals to the younger generation. Many millennials value purpose and culture over stability and upward mobility and unique perks such as flexible schedules, work from home options, etc...over traditional benefits such as 401k matching.  It is important for organizations to effectively articulate the reasons, rationals, and appeal for working at their company....beyond simply cashing a paycheck.

There is no magic pill to attracting top technology talent. Fortunately 10Roof is here to help! Contact 10Roof today to find out how we can help your company find, hire, and retain top technology professionals.

Is finding good technology talent getting scary?

Yes! Finding good technology talent is more challenging today than it was last year and the year before that. At this point in time demand for technology talent outstrips supply within every industry and every economic sector; and the demand is only accelerating faster and faster. We are very much in the midst of a second machine age and the demand for technology talent will only increase in the coming years.

In addition, with immigration policy taking center stage in this year's election, any disruption to the h1b visa program and the currently estimated 600k+ within the program, could have ripple effects within the broader technology community. If the giant companies feel pressure to begin hiring more onshore and reduce h1b visa usage, it could make a tight market even tighter. 

It is important for companies to have a partner that can help lead the way in a frightening market. Find out how 10Roof can make hiring your next developer or data scientist a little less scary!

Fall is the time to plant for spring performance gains.

It's that time of year again; the temperatures are just starting to dip, and the sunflowers are bowing their heads in a final homage to summer. Many people are starting to think about mowing one last time and putting an end to most yard work for the winter. However, any good gardener knows, now is the time to get to work and sow the seeds and bulbs for next year's garden. The same can be said to hold true in the talent market; now is the time to sow the seeds for planned performance gains in the spring.

I know that next year still seems so far off, but it is not! Christmas is less than three months away and soon we will all be ready to kick off 2017 with a bang. That is unless, of course, you don't have the proper talent in place to drive your projects to successful completion. If you anticipate needing to add staff for work in 2017, now is the time to begin to formulate and execute your hiring strategy.  Find out how 10Roof can help you formulate your strategy and acquire the top technology talent in the market today.

Hiring doesn't have to be painful! - 5 Steps to streamline your next hire.

It seems like most people struggle when it comes time to hire a new employee. Here are you a few tips to make your life easier:

  1. Understand why you are hiring. A new hire should be considered a new opportunity; don't waste it! Make sure you spend the time to understand what skills and experience will bring the most value to your efforts.
  2. Create a new Job Description - Now that you know what you want, write it down! The old job description hr created 5 years ago probably does not accurately reflect your new vision. 
  3. Create a plan; and stick to it! - Your plan should include salary expectations, interview schedule (scheduling interview blocks can help simplify scheduling), approval and exception processes, and maybe most importantly....deadlines. This plan should be visible to those in the hiring chain of command.
  4. Have approvals in place - Approvals to hire should be in place before you begin to interview. You risk losing great talent if the process becomes delayed after the interview and before an offer.
  5. Work with great partners - It is important to have trusted partners like 10Roof that can help you recruit and retain the top technology talent in the market place.

...am I going to have to start filling out a timesheet again?

If you are like many people in the workforce whose annual salary has surpassed $23,660, the days of completing a weekly timesheet likely remain but as a vague memory; but thanks to a new federal regulation regarding overtime pay, anybody making less than $46,476 a year will now likely face increased scrutiny over their salary, time, as well as their job duties. Below are some likely outcomes of these new regulations.

  1. Salary Evaluations - It is likely companies will need to evaluate employee salaries (especially those close to the threshold) to determine whether or not a small raise becomes economical. I am sure a raise sounds good, until you realize a raise of a few hundred dollars might cost you thousands. It is also possible that someone a rung or two below you might make more than you once overtime is accounted for. Employees should prepare themselves for these negotiations.
  2. Increased Scrutiny of Time and Duties - Employees below the exemption threshold should expect increased scrutiny of time and duties in the form of time sheets and status reports to justify any additional hours.
  3. Benefit Changes - Changes to employee classification can unfortunately have negative consequences to employee benefits. It will be important for employees to understand these changes. 
  4. Law of unintended consequences - The new regulation will likely render obsolete the flexible work schedule of many in today's work force. Checking email after hours, asking your boss to leave early this week to simply make it up next week, might become a thing of the past; at least for anyone making below $46,476.

Tips for a successful interview

  1. Transparency - Honesty is the best policy…always. Don’t exaggerate your capabilities, but understand and be able to articulate your value.
  2. Be positive about your future as well as your past. There is no need to dwell past bad experiences. If the glass was half full in your last role, discuss how you worked to fill it up.
  3. Be friendly and polite. People hire people they like.
  4. Prepare - Have a game plan and follow it. Research the company, role, shared contacts, and common experiences. Also be prepared for the standard interview questions. “Describe how you handle conflict”, etc...and certainly be prepared to speak to the experiences on your resume!
  5. Be confident, not cocky. - Many have failed trying to strike this balance.
  6. Make a good first impression. You are likely to have one shot at the job.