SAP Recruiter Podcast | ASAP Talent Services

The Houston Astros are not only my favorite baseball team, but they’re also great teachers of business. Here’s what I mean. Subscribe to my Video UpdatesRequest a Free Consultation I’m a big Astros fan, but their recent World Series title isn’t the only thing they’ve given me to smile about. They’ve also taught me a lot about business, and I think there are three things that all hiring authorities can learn from the Houston Astros: 1. Rebuilding. The Astros literally went from worst to first in less than five years. How did they do it? They recognized the need for a rebuild if they wanted to achieve their ultimate goal. Human capital is the No. 1 predictor of their success, which is true of our organizations as well. The people that we hire and build our organizations around are our top asset. 2. Embrace the new generation. The Astros did this, and it went on to lead them to a World Series. How can you hire the next generation to impact your business positively? The Astros brought on players like George Springer, Alex Bregman, and Carlos Correa to rebuild themselves into a dynasty. “ I recommend tunneling your focus into one or two positions. ” 3. Tunnel focus. A hitter like Jose Altuve has to focus on hitting one ball and making contact. If he has to start focusing on multiple balls at once, he’s not going to hit anything, even though he’s a great hitter. In hiring, we try to do everything all at once and it leads us nowhere. I recommend focusing on one or two positions that can most dramatically impact the organization. Prioritize the most critical needs first and just move down the list. This will give you a much better result. I hope this has given you some good ideas for your organization. If you have any questions for us in the meantime, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Michael Jordan taught us how to dream. The Chicago Bulls taught us how to handle the hiring process. Subscribe to my Video Updates Request a Free Consultation Back in 1983, the Chicago Bulls took Michael Jordan in the first round of the NBA draft, and as you probably know, that pick transformed their organization forevermore. With Jordan at the helm, the Bulls amassed six out of ten championships throughout the ‘90s, and to this day Michael Jordan is widely considered the greatest player to have ever set foot on a basketball court. How does the story of the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan tie into our roles as hiring authorities? And what can we learn from that historic 1983 selection when it comes to the way we recruit and hire?  Much to their detriment, a lot of hiring authorities are overly focused on bullets points in a job description. Even after accounting for such credentials as skills, experience, and education, they tend to place undue emphasis on the specifics of the role they’re hiring for. In other words, the hiring authority wants to know if the applicant has already done what they’ll be directing them to do. For the sake of argument, let’s say the Chicago Bulls took the same approach. They certainly wouldn’t have gone after a player fresh out of college with no professional experience. Instead, perhaps they would have pursued a power forward with experience in the NBA playoffs or a player with a championship already under their belt. “ Seeing the process through this new lens might just fundamentally change the way you do your hiring in 2019. ” During the period between the ‘80s and early ‘90s, the Chicago Bulls weren’t a great organization and were easily outmatched against forces like the Lakers and Celtics. But when they drafted Jordan, the Bulls took a chance on an unknown quantity and rightly saw something in his raw skills and experience.  In addition, they assessed his soft skills—was he a leader at the University of North Carolina? Will he and how can he be a leader at the professional level? They looked at the totality of what Jordan had to offer, and, as they say, the rest is history. Let this be a lesson to all of us about how we craft our job descriptions and consider the weight that raw skills and experience carry versus prior experience when we do our hiring. Ultimately, our focus should be on an applicant’s probability of success in our organization, rather than if they have direct experience in very specific areas. Seeing the process through this new lens might just fundamentally change the way you do your hiring in 2019. If you have any questions or would like to have a conversation with me, feel free to reach out. I’d be happy to hear from you!   

Welcome back to part two of our series! Today we’ll focus on the importance of employee engagement and how it can impact your company as a whole. Subscribe to my Video Updates Request a Free Consultation Last time in part one of this series, we discussed strategies for boosting employee retention. Today in part two, we’ll focus on another important aspect of being an employer: employee engagement. Since 2010, numerous studies have come out that have really enlightened us as to what constitutes employee engagement, how it impacts productivity, and how it impacts employee retention. These studies have suggested that up to 80% of people don’t like their jobs and that dissatisfaction influences their disengagement. But what do those employees look like? Well, those are the people that might distract themselves with social media throughout the day. Their lightbulbs aren’t on, they just seem unmotivated, and they don’t rally behind their company’s mission. Why is it that people seem to be disengaged from their jobs? Well, the studies found that there are two key reasons: 1. They feel undervalued 2. They’re dissatisfied with the company’s leadership This reminds me of a great quote by Simon Sinek: “Leadership isn’t about being in charge; it’s about taking care of those in our charge.” Studies have also shown that employees with lower engagement are four times more likely to leave than those who are highly engaged, so we know this is an important topic. “ Leadership isn’t about being in charge; it’s about taking care of those in our charge. ” C-suite executives view this issue as one of the top issues that constitute a threat to their business, and it actually ends up costing the U.S. One study said that the issue of employee disengagement costs the country at large over $400 billion a year. So what can be done to alleviate this problem? Here are a couple of things to think about in your own business: 1. Build trust in leadership. This includes middle-management, not just c-suite management. We have to show our people that we truly care about them personally, not just professionally, and we have to act with integrity. People in our organizations can see how we act behind closed doors as well as how we act with our customers. 2. Demonstrate competence. If mid-management is disengaged, it can trickle down to the people who work in their groups. What’s important isn’t what we do as a job function—it’s about why we do it. The question, then, is how do we capture our mission to change our communities and leave a lasting impact in our one-on-one, daily, and weekly meetings? Ultimately, the first step to solving these issues is to realize how important it is, and now that we know what we can do, tactically speaking, to help move the needle in the area of employee engagement. Shifting your own perspective, and therefore your employees’, can have a huge spillover effect when it comes to retaining your top talent and increasing your organization’s productivity. If you have any questions or comments about this topic, feel free to reach out to us. We’d love to have a conversation with you.

Today’s focus is on employee retention and a few actions you can take to keep your “A-players” around to promote the good health of your company. Subscribe to my Video Updates Request a Free Consultation Today I’m bringing you part one in my two-part series that will aim to help you with retention and employee engagement. They go hand in hand and are equally important in your workplace environment, but they’re also distinct from each other, so I’ve decided to focus on retention for part one. Retention is the ability to hold onto the “A-players” in your organization that you value greatly and, in the event that they were to leave, would leave big shoes to fill. Granted, there are times where we don’t take issue with or may even want an employee’s resignation if that particular person is underperforming or if they pollute the culture you’ve worked to build. That can be viewed as an opportunity to top-grade that position and hire someone who adds to the culture and is a stronger fit. With the labor market as tight as it is today, though, it’s especially important not to lose your most indispensable players or even those who are one rung down from that. “ Retention is the ability to hold onto the “A-players” in your organization that you value greatly and, in the event that they were to leave, would leave big shoes to fill. ” Here are a few things you can do, tactically speaking, to bring about greater retention in your organization: First, conduct performance reviews and convey what your employees are doing well and the areas where they can improve. Rather than seeing it through the company lens, make the review about the employee, and gain a richer understanding of where they’d like to be in both the short term and long term.  Seek to understand what skills and experience they’ve developed that make them feel their job is worthwhile, as well as those that they’d like to fine-tune and develop further, so they can realize their greater potential. As a final tip, although compensation isn’t one of the top two reasons employees leave to pursue new career options, your employees’ compensation should be commensurate with the market standard when accounting for the skill set and experience they bring to the table.   Stay tuned for part two where we dive into employee engagement! If you have any questions or ideas for a future video topic, please let me know. I’d be happy to have a conversation with you! 

Your employer brand doesn’t impact the ways that consumers view your company, but it can have a huge impact on the kind of people you recruit. Here’s how. Subscribe to my Video Updates Request a Free Consultation Today I’m going to talk about your employer brand in the marketplace and what that means for your hiring. It doesn’t matter what kind of company you have—you have multiple “brands” out there. One thing that we’re all familiar with is the consumer brand. Because of your product or services, you have a brand with them, which is great. However, today I’m talking about your employer brand. This means that as an employer of people, what do those in the marketplace think about you as a place to work? It’s totally different than your product or service brand. If you sell cars or drinks, your consumer loves your product, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to being a good employer brand. “ Asking good questions in interviews will improve your employer brand. ” A lot of things can impact your employer brand. One thing is just being aware of it. How you treat your existing employees has a major impact on your employer brand. People talk, and a lot of them find out about companies through word of mouth. When people leave or quit, how professional are your exit interviews? Do you learn about why they are leaving and try to change for the better? Doing so will improve your employer brand immensely. Another factor to consider is how you treat people through the interview process. Asking good questions, giving them fair offers, and all the other little things you do to leave a taste in someone’s mouth will improve your employer brand. All of these things work together in totality to create your employer brand. Having a good employer brand impacts many things, including retention, hiring, and more. If you have any questions for me about how to create a better employer brand or about anything else related to your hiring needs, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

A lot of job offers are getting turned down in our current market, but there are a few things you need to remember to make sure the same thing doesn’t happen to your company. Subscribe to my Video Updates Request a Free Consultation We’re in a candidate-driven market right now, and as a result, more and more job offers are getting turned down. What are some of the trends in this market? Stiff competition between employers trying to hire the same people  Companies are incentivizing their current employees with strong offers to keep them where they’re at Some companies have long, drawn-out recruiting cycles that send mixed messages to candidates and discourage them   Companies aren’t properly defining their employment opportunity, or candidates are getting mixed signals from those involved in the interview process Some employees are just tire kickers—they’re not serious about making a move, and they might only be using a job offer as leverage to get a raise at their current company How can you adjust to this market and make sure your job offers don’t get turned down? There are four points you need to remember: 1. Recruit from the perspective of the employee, not the employer. Find out what they’re looking for and figure out how your opportunity can help them advance their career. “ Find out what they’re looking for and figure out how your opportunity can help them advance their career. ” 2. Understand what motivates them besides money. Ask open-ended questions that inquire as to what they’re really looking for in their next opportunity. Are they looking to learn new skills? Are they career-motivated or quality-of-life motivated? How does your opportunity apply to their motivations? 3. Don’t make offers without knowing they want to join your organization.  4. Stop lowballing people. Make a great offer on the first try, and only after they’re verbally pre-closed to accept. The only surprises in an offer should be if it’s more than the candidate expects. If you’d like to talk more about this topic, have any questions, or need more information, feel free to reach out to us. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

 For today’s message, we’re going to share the top 11 most in-demand jobs of 2019.  Subscribe to my Video UpdatesRequest a Free Consultation Today, we’d like to shed some light on the top 11 most in-demand jobs of our marketplace in 2019. This list comes straight from an article recently published by Fox Business News. You can find a more in-depth analysis of this list by checking out the original article here, but, for now, let’s dive right into the top 11 jobs: 1. Data scientist. It’s predicted that more than 4,000 new jobs will be added for this position in the United States. 2. Site reliability engineer. This IT position will be highly in demand this year. 3. Enterprise account executive. This position, which is more geared toward software sales, is also set to be in high demand. 4. Product designer. Those in this IT role are tasked with engineering technology products. 5. Product owner. Those in this role are responsible for handling business analytics and business processing. 6. Customer success manager. This role brings approximately $90,000 a year and is in very high demand. 7. Engagement manager. This includes those involved in IT program management, business analysis, and business process improvement. 8. Solution architect. Though it does not generally involve managing people, this role pays similarly to managerial positions. 9. Information technology leader. More than 1,500 of these jobs are expected to be added in 2019. 10. Scrum master. This position involves managing agile development teams. 11. Cloud architect. Again, more than 1,500 of these jobs are expected to be added in 2019. If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

 You could be unintentionally disappointing your applicants, thanks to a bad interview process. Here’s how you can fix it. Subscribe to my Video UpdatesRequest a Free Consultation Through working with our 70+ clients, we’ve seen the good, the bad, and everything in between when it comes to job application processes. More importantly, we’ve seen how they affect applicants.  A lot of companies have an interview process that takes too long and fails to give adequate feedback to applicants. When an applicant finally gets their first phone interview after a week of waiting, another week will go by without them hearing anything. Then they get the interview, and another week passes. This often adds up to more than a month, and it’s way too long.  Having so many steps in the process can also eat up time. When candidates have four or five interviews spread across 10 different decision makers, what do you think goes through their head? “ A lot of companies have an interview process that takes too long and fails to give adequate feedback to applicants. ” They think the company is disorganized, indecisive, unfocused, and not interested. The common thread between these thoughts is that they’re all negative. When looking to find high-level additions for your company, using an interview process fraught with bad impressions is not a good way to do so. If you’re not interested in an applicant, tell them quickly and professionally. Leave them with a good feeling about the role, and make them think, “I just wasn’t quite right for the role.” If not, they could go and share their dissatisfaction in your company with others in the job market. And if you really are interested in a candidate but they’re carrying all the bad thoughts we mentioned earlier, that’s even worse—they could potentially walk away altogether! To avoid losing top talent, there should only be a few key decision makers who are all on the same page and who all provide timely feedback. You’ll get to the offer stage quickly and efficiently, and you’ll win a great addition to your team. If you’d like to speak about your own hiring situation, have any questions, or need more information, feel free to reach out to us. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Here are the recent purchases made by SAP in order to enhance the customer experience. Subscribe to my Video UpdatesRequest a Free Consultation Today we’ll be recapping SAP’s recent acquisitions and how these new capabilities affect their offerings as a company. Oftentimes, they acquire competitors and products that will help them do something different from their core offerings. Qualtrics allows organizations to focus on four key areas to improve the user’s experience: customer, product, employee, and brand data. Contextor introduces AI and robotic process automation capabilities. Think of when you interact with a bot on a website. Coresystems is involved with mobile and cloud-based field service management. This helps employees in the field to create real-time customer experiences. “ Oftentimes, they acquire competitors and products that will help them do something different from their core offerings. ” CallidusCloud helps manage sales and marketing automation. This product handles bidding, pricing, quoting, and invoicing processes. Gigya is an identity management company that businesses can use to join the identity management marketplace. In other words, think of how some sites let you log in with social media sites like Facebook; Gigya handles this process. Hybris ties into SAP’s increased focus on the customer experience. Ariba is a major purchasing and supplier-relationship managing company. If you have any questions or need more information, feel free to reach out to us. We look forward to hearing from you.

The holiday season is finally here. We wanted to make sure and reach out to wish you the best this year. Subscribe to my Video UpdatesRequest a Free Consultation Today I want to send out our best wishes to everyone for the 2018 holiday season. We hope you have a very safe, healthy, and prosperous holiday season and a happy new year. Since we are a search firm first, I would be remiss if I didn’t say that the time to think about your 2019 hiring needs is now, even if you don’t plan on making moves until February or March. If there’s anything we can do to help in the meantime, feel free to reach out.