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NJSA's Staffing News Online is a monthly e-newsletter that is available to the staffing industry.  The content for Staffing News Online comes directly from our industry partners.  If you are an NJSA industry partner and would like to submit content for Staffing News Online, please email office@njsa.com with your article.

  • Wednesday, February 27, 2019 2:22 PM | Denise Downing (Administrator)

    By: Brian Vesce, President of COMPAS, an Avionté Business

    Recruiting processes can be littered with redundant tasks and is often supported by archaic tools. This will require a recruiter to consistently multitask, which ultimately leads to poor utilization of time.

    Over the last 10 years, COMPAS, an Avionté Business, has been studying how recruiters manage their time and today we still see the same inefficiencies.

    When evaluating a recruiter’s day, we bucket his/her activities into the following categories: prospecting, data entry and candidate engagement.

    A typical recruiter will spend 50% of their day prospecting for talent, 40% of their day performing the data entry and only 10% of their day engaging with talent.

    This shows recruiters spend the least amount of time on the most valuable activities. These traditional recruiting practices are destroying productivity, where it is taking an average 52 days to fill a vacant position.

    There are several ways to rebalance activities by leveraging automation. Here are three ways you can leverage automation:

    1. Sourcing Automation

    There are high volume candidate search tools that sort through thousands of resumes across a multitude of job boards (CareerBuilder, Dice, Indeed, Monster, etc.). These determine which candidates are the best fit for your recruiting positions. These tools will search and find candidate matches from within your ATS and are fully automated. This eliminates the amount of time you spend searching manually.

    2. Automate the Screening

    Recruiting platforms with job distribution features can attract large volumes of quality talent. Manually going through the talent can be time consuming and often lead to overlooking the right candidate.

    This process can be further refined by leveraging automated screening and assessment tools. Recruiters gain insight about the candidates that scored the highest during their application process.

    3. Automate the Matching of Talent Recruiters that Already Have Access

    Platforms today may leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning that gives recruiters a competitive edge by providing recommendations on talent that companies have access to and previously engaged. Most recruiting organizations have a vast inventory of talent but accessing that talent when you need it can be difficult.

    • Today we are seeing platforms that will automatically present viable candidates upon opening a position; thus, saving hours of searching.
    • When a recruiter is reviewing a talent profile, recommendations will be made on similar talent. This is often used to reverse searching talent. For example, when they open a new role, recruiters will leverage a known employee in that role that has been successful.
    • When viewing a candidate’s profile, platforms are making recommendations on open positions with the agency. This will allow recruiters to navigate conversations clearly and speak confidently about their open roles that may be a fit for the candidate.
    • Lastly, the automation of intelligent notifications has proven to be very effective. These notifications are sent to the recruiter responsible for specific roles suggesting candidates that are good fits.

    Automation is a cost-effective alternative to hiring more people, which will improve recruiting productivity and the bottom line.

    By freeing up 65% of recruiters’ time and significantly reducing their regular administrative tasks, your business will start to see meaningful ROI in three to six months. If you start leveraging automation to improve performance, you can start to see improved processes and increased bottom line.

    ________________________________________

    About Brian Vesce

    Brian Vesce is the President of COMPAS Technology, an Avionté Business, and is responsible for overseeing many facets of the company. Brian’s passion for creating the best recruiting tools in the market stems from his recruiting background. His career started in the recruiting industry at TEK systems and later went on start Cypress Human Capital Management.

    About Avionté

    For over a decade, Avionté has been providing innovative front-and- back office staffing software solutions throughout the U.S. and Canada. With a strong focus on building great partnerships along with leading solutions,

    Avionté proudly serves over 25,000 users and 900 clients. Avionté is driven to bring its clients the best products and services the industry has to offer.

    Click here to download the article as a Word doc.


  • Friday, February 15, 2019 9:46 AM | Denise Downing (Administrator)

    I was listening to NPR the other day, and they were talking about how technology has moved from the reactive to the proactive.

    Essentially, it’s gone from taking your preferences and showing you similar results, to predicting what your next steps could be and guiding you in that direction. If you have a Spotify account, you know for every song you listen to or search for, Spotify gives you several suggestions of what to listen to, and over time, it improves its suggestions.

    The same “learning” tech is in your texting apps, search engines and Amazon history. This learning tech is “sticky.” It sticks with you and continues to learn about you and surround you with relevant content.

    So, how can your marketing become predictive in nature, and not random shots in the dark? Consider these fve “Sticky Marketing Tactics.”

    Sticky Tactic #1: Capture Your Audience.

    If you’re a staffng company, your ATS list is your lifeblood, your 1990’s Rolodex, your little black book. The contact information you have in that list can be used to send out emails, call when you are looking for specifc talent, and warm up cold client contacts.

    Your website visitors are also a great resource. With Google and Facebook tracking codes, your site has the ability to send ads to those visitors, staying ahead of their browsing.

    There are also tools to help you identify potential sales contacts for your team to follow up with.

    When you know who your audience is, the next step is to get in front of them strategically.

    Sticky Tactic #2: Build a Strong Foundation

    Pulling people into your marketing funnel is not a one-and-done operation. Start with your foundation.  Your website should be updated with new content on a regular basis. Continuously posting blogs, eBooks, whitepapers and videos adds value for your site’s visitors. They also positively contribute to your site’s authority on search engines like Google, which leads to better (and usually more) organic traffic.

    Remember, the people you are trying to reach want to be engaged in an authentic way. If you want to match great companies with great job seekers, provide content that will address the needs, wants and interests of both audiences.

    Sticky Tactic #3: Spread the Web

    An effective marketing strategy looks like a web, rather than a singular line. By cohesively using valuable content and digital ad tools like social media and email, you can effectively reach your audience and make enough of an impact to get them to convert (i.e., contact you in some way: apply for a job, fll out a contact form, opt into your monthly newsletter, buy something from you).

    Sticky Tactic #4: Bait the Trap

    No, it’s nothing nefarious, but in order to pull someone into your marketing funnel, you need to give them something before asking for something in return. For example, select a topic and write an eBook and white paper on the topic; then write five blogs on that same topic. When you send out the blogs via social media or your monthly newsletter, you’re baiting the “trap.” When you promote the eBook, require people to provide their names and email addresses. NOW you can add them to your audience (Sticky Tactic #1) and stay top-of-mind.

    Sticky Tactic #5: Grow the Web

    The larger the web, the more you’ll catch (in theory). If you begin your web of marketing tactics in the right location, with the right audience and tactics, growth is inevitable. Grow your social strategy and stay up-to-date on new social sites. Expand and refine your email strategy to stay in front of your contacts. Make sure your sales and recruiting teams are following up with people who provide their contact information.

    Stay Sticky!

    As you grow your business and reputation, remember that recognition is key, and reputation is king. Build a web of tactics to stay in front of the right audience and your brand will stick to them! If you want to develop a sticky marketing strategy, we’d love to help. At Haley Marketing Group, we specialize in working with companies to develop and implement strategic marketing programs that reach the right audience and bring in business.

    Click here to download the article in PDF format.


  • Thursday, January 31, 2019 9:06 AM | Denise Downing (Administrator)

    By: Andrew R. McIlvaine, Human Resource Executive

    What do temporary and contract workers at Google, National Public Radio and Tesla have in common? Answer: They’re angry. Read more…

    At Google, workers classified by the tech giant as “temporary, vendor and contractors (TVC)” sent a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai alleging that the company “routinely denies TVCs access to information that is relevant to our jobs and our lives,” reports TechCrunch. They cited as an example updates from Google that were sent only to full-time employees at YouTube in the wake of a shooting at the Google subsidiary last April.

    At NPR, a report produced internally by employees revealed that temp workers were often give little information about the length of their assignments, how much they’d be paid, or who they were reporting to. Several NPR temps described the system to the Washington Post as “exploitative.”

    And late last year, a report in the New York Times found that many temp employees at Tesla’s Fremont, Calif., auto manufacturing plant said they were subjected to racial harassment by other employees. These included drawings of nooses and racial slurs, the workers said.

    All three companies have said they are working to address the complaints by their temp workers.

    Temporary and contract workers have long felt that they’re treated as second-class citizens in most workplaces. However, the issue may become more urgent as “mixed” workforces—a combination of full-time and temporary/contract workers—become more common across the business landscape.

    A recent Deloitte survey on contingent workers found that just 42 percent of companies are comprised primarily of salaried employees. Meanwhile, 40 percent of workers across all generations and skill levels participate in some form of alternative-work arrangement (including temporary and contract)—a number that’s risen by 36 percent since 2013, the survey found.

    Despite the growing prevalence of these workers, a mere 16 percent of companies have established management policies or practices for them. The authors of the Deloitte report, titled The Workforce Ecosystem: Managing Beyond the Enterprise, wrote that contingent workers need “support, guidance and performance measures if an employer wants to optimize the mix.”

    For employment attorney Ellen Rogoff, the reports about contingent workers at Google, NPR and Tesla highlight two issues that pertain to contract workers. The first relates to the legal issues surrounding their employment, says Rogoff, a partner at Philadelphia-based Stradley Ronon. “For certain types of claims, a contract employee can actually have two employers, even if they’re technically an employee of the agency that hired them.”

    The so-called “joint employer doctrine,” enforced by the National Labor Relations Board, specifies that under certain circumstances, a staffing agency and its employer client can be held jointly responsible for a contingent worker’s welfare. Rogoff, who teaches an employment-law course at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law, recommends that companies adopt the outlook that they have a basic responsibility to all of the people who come to work at their facilities each day—regardless of whether or not they’re full-time employees.

    “Because there is potential legal liability, ensuring that all workers undergo a basic orientation on issues such as discrimination and harassment, that they undergo safety training and are included in vital communications, simply makes the most sense,” she says.

    The other issue relates to a sense of inclusion—or lack thereof—that can help contract and temporary workers feel better about their jobs and possibly even improve their performance, says Rogoff. “Making sure these workers are included in things like coffee breaks and celebratory lunches won’t change their legal status and costs relatively little—and can go a long way in helping them feel like they’re a part of the team,” she says.

    This is far from simply a “feel good” approach, says Dr. Tamar Kreps, assistant professor of management and human resources at the University of Hawaii. “Companies that give employees a sense of ‘psychological safety’ make them feel more comfortable sharing their ideas and bringing issues to the attention of management,” she says.

    Creating an environment like this isn’t necessarily hard, says Krebs. By simply acknowledging and calling attention to a worker’s concerns—as in, “Jane brings up an important point”— managers can help them feel that their input is valued, she says. HR should encourage managers to practice this so-called “amplification technique” and then keep workers in the loop as to the status of efforts to address the problem.

    By the same token, managers who fail to acknowledge workers will lessen the likelihood that important issues will be brought to their attention, says Krebs. “Workers may decide they don’t wish to contribute if there’s no psychological safety present,” she says.

    Literal safety is also important—and can be especially perilous for temps, says Fisher & Phillips partner Howard Mavity, who closely follows workplace-safety trends.

    Temp workers—particularly at companies that have temp-to-perm hiring programs—are often eager to prove themselves, he says. This eagerness can sometimes lead them to take on or assist with tasks they haven’t been properly trained on, and the results can be fatal.

    All too often, says Mavity, he’ll encounter a company that has 100 or so workers on its factory

    floor while only having safety-training records for 75. “I’ll ask ‘What about the other 25’?” he says. “And they’ll say ‘Oh, those are temps—they’re just here for a day or two.’ Well, a safety hazard is a safety hazard—it doesn’t acknowledge differences in worker classification.”

    Click here to download the article in PDF format.

  • Thursday, January 31, 2019 8:57 AM | Denise Downing (Administrator)

    One of the most common lawsuits a staffing firm may encounter are those triggering coverage under Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI). There is exposure with internal office staff, as well as temporary associate or contract staff. Discrimination can occur either on the premises of the staffing company’s office location and/or at the client worksite. Discrimination can be based on sex, race, color, age, religion, disability, wages, national origin and sexual orientation.

    To take it one step further, employees and applicants are also protected from retaliation by an employer under several employment laws enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Retaliation occurs when an employer takes a materially adverse action because an applicant or employee asserts rights protected by the EEOC’s laws. Specific to employees, an employer cannot retaliate if someone:

    • Reports discrimination/harassment to a supervisor
    • Answers questions during an investigation of discrimination/harassment
    • Refuses orders that would result in discrimination
    • Resists sexual advances
    • Requests accommodation for a disability or religious practice

    Adverse employment actions can take many forms beyond disciplining or terminating employees, including transferring an employee to a less desirable position or shift, threatening to report immigration status, verbally or physically abusing an employee, and giving an employee a lower performance evaluation than deserved.

    Minimizing the Risk of Retaliation Claims

    According to EEOC statistical data, retaliation claims have risen from approximately 18,000 in 1997 to over 41,000 in 2017¹. Given the rise in claims, how can a staffing company protect itself?

    1. Documentation – A staffing firm should be documenting any incidents that lead to an employee’s termination. Whether discrimination occurred before or after termination, it’s imperative the staffing firm is conscious of the timing of the termination as it relates to the claim, as well as providing a clear reason why termination was warranted. When in doubt, document, document, document!
    2. Client Education – Client companies must be taught how to deal with a temp employee who’s underperforming and at-risk of reassignment, replacement or termination. There’s a shared responsibility of obtaining feedback from the client company on performance of the temp employees at the worksite. The client company should be open to disclosing this feedback, but the staffing firm should continually be asking for it as well. If problems with specific employees are noticed, it should be discussed, documented and a plan of action should be created.
    3. Third Party Communication – When in doubt, it’s always best to alert your EPLI carrier and/or consult an employment attorney. The rate at which retaliation claims are occurring is consistently growing and something every staffing firm should always have top-of-mind.

    The EEOC has detailed an entire Q&A regarding retaliation here. As stated in question 14 of the Q&A, the burden of proof is on the employee, rather than the employer having to disprove the claim.

    Click here to download to article in PDF format.

    ¹ Source: https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/statistics/enforcement/charges.cfm

  • Thursday, January 31, 2019 8:52 AM | Denise Downing (Administrator)

    Final regulations issued by the IRS last week affirmed that most staffing firms will indeed be eligible for the new 2018 “pass-through entity” tax deduction, under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). As indicated in our August, 2018 post, we were optimistic that the staffing industry would be eligible for the new tax deduction, as outlined in Section 199(A) of the Internal Revenue Code. Last week’s pronouncement confirms the good news.

    The new tax break allows owners of certain “pass-through” business entities (S-corporations, LLCs, LLPs, partnerships, and sole proprietorships) to potentially deduct up to 20% of “Qualified Business Income” – or “QBI” - from federal taxable income. When passed, the TCJA left tax professionals with a litany of questions concerning a taxpayer’s eligibility for the new tax break, due to the unclear language in the law. Certain industries (including consulting, medicine, accounting, and law) were specifically barred from benefitting under section 199A, while others were clearly eligible. However, a wide swath of industries (particularly those in certain service businesses) were left guessing as to whether they would benefit. The temporary staffing industry was particularly uncertain as to their standing under the TCJA.

    Before the final regulations were issued, the American Staffing Association had written to the Treasury Department and outlined several arguments as to why the staffing industry should be able to claim the tax deduction. The principal argument was that staffing firms are selling labor (and are not providing excluded services, such as health or law). The arguments were clearly successful.

    The actual amount of the tax deduction is extremely complicated and is based upon certain formulas, including the amount of the business’s wages, and will vary greatly from company to company, depending upon specific and unique taxpayer circumstances. Those staffing firms who offer true consulting services (workforce consulting, for example) should also be wary of some continuing limitations on the ability to claim the tax deduction.

    It is imperative for staffing firms to coordinate closely with their tax advisors in order to maximize the potential benefits. Still, this month’s news is a “huge win” for the staffing industry.


  • Wednesday, January 16, 2019 8:48 AM | Denise Downing (Administrator)

    When it comes to delivering shareworthy CX, what do staffing customers want most? Check out these eyeopening statistics, and get the full CX Infographic here:

    The stakes are high

    • 43% of customers will pay more for a great experience
    • 73% of buyers point to CX as an important factor in purchasing decisions
    • 13% of unsatisfied customers will tell 15+ people they’re unhappy, but 72% of customers will share a positive experience with 6+ people
    • 65% of buyers find a positive experience with a brand to be more influential than great advertising
    • By 2020, customer experience will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator

    Takeaway: Improving CX can boost your bottom line.

    The human touch is still important

    • 71% said employees have a significant impact on their experience
    • 59% feel companies have lost touch with the human element

    Takeaway: Make sure tech complements (not replaces) personal service.

    For more staffing industry customer experience insights, check out the full CX infographic.

    Need a mobile-frst website?

    Want help implementing the right tech to serve customers the way they want?

    We’re just a call or email away. Connect with one of our marketing educators to learn how we can help you improve CX – and deliver even better service in 2019.

    Click here to download the article in PDF format.

  • Friday, January 11, 2019 4:06 PM | Denise Downing (Administrator)

    What’s the first thing you think about when you hear, “New Year”? Is it resolutions? The ball dropping in NYC? For all the recruiting and staffing professionals out there, it just might be thoughts of finishing up W-2s, Affordable Care Act reporting and year-end-tax filings.

    If you’re one of those individuals, have no fear. With these tips and methods, you’ll be well on your way to having the most successful year-end ever.

    1. Know the Timeline

    Having a clear, visual representation of your timeline can really help boost your chances of success. Start by writing down deadlines for tax filings such as W-2s, 1095-Cs, 940, T4, and other important required documents. Create a calendar of important dates and make it available to your team via Google Calendars, an actual calendar, Microsoft Outlook or any other calendar that visually shows these important dates. Keep in mind that in some cases, there is a deadline to get the form to the employee and a different date to file with the government agency – be sure to map these out on your calendar.

    2. Make a Plan

    Having a plan is never a bad idea. Reflect on year-end experiences from prior years, what went horribly wrong? What worked well? What processes are you and your team unsure about? What do you need more information on? What has changed since last year? Has anything changed about payroll that will impact tax reporting? The time to discuss and plan is now!

    Here’s a few questions to think about as you work on a plan:

    • How will you audit the forms? Try Selecting a sampling of employees that fit scenarios you want to review. For example, if you’re reviewing 1095-Cs, look for employees that are full time, part time, were enrolled in insurance, declined insurance, started mid-year, worked all year, salaried employees, hourly employees, etc. Reviewing W-2s? Look for employees that worked in only one state, worked in multiple states, worked all year, worked part of the year, paid salary wages, participated in 401K, had pre-tax deductions, employees with new deductions or pay types, etc.

    Identify and document the list of employees you want to review

    • How do we plan to print and mail forms to employees? Are we printing in-house or looking to outsource? If mailing in-house, do we have paper, envelopes, etc.?
    • Do we need to e-File, or can we mail forms to the government agency? What vendor do we plan to use to help e-File?

    Create a task list and ensure each team member participating in the year-end activities understands the critical role they play.

    3. Act Now

    “Deadlines give us the sense that we are really on our way and that we will achieve the goal – soon!” – John Patrick Hickey

    • Start reviewing forms early. Once W-2s are available for review; simply generate data in Weekly Process for Q4, then run the available W-2 reports to see your forms.
    • Know the available resources. Ensure you have the knowledge you need, when you need it!

    Bonus: Treat yourself!

    Once you’re all done, treat yourself. You worked hard and deserve something nice. Whether it’s a last-minute trip, buying something for yourself or maybe even just a small work party, treat yourself – you deserve it!

    Click here to view the full article on Avionte's website.

  • Thursday, December 27, 2018 1:38 PM | Denise Downing (Administrator)

    Many organizations are struggling to fill open positions. It takes them weeks or months to fill just one job. The skills shortage often gets the blame. Because there are more jobs than people to fill them, leaders have come to expect that hiring will be a time-consuming challenge.

    Another group of companies is having a different hiring experience. These organizations fill their open seats with relative ease and speed, even though there aren’t enough qualified people to go around. What makes these organizations different isn’t their reputation, location, work environment, or pay and benefits. It’s how they’ve chosen to address the talent shortage. They’ve overcome three common obstacles that slow down fast hiring.

    The Real Problem

    While the global talent shortage is an ongoing reality, it’s not the real problem. The skills shortage is merely a challenge that can be solved by a better process.

    The critical problem — the only one you can control — is having the right kind of hiring process. The right process taps into a sufficient pool of talent and efficiently moves candidates toward hire.

    To fill jobs quickly with top talent, your hiring process must overcome these three obstacles.

    Obstacle #1: Tapping into a candidate pool that’s too small

    If you asked employers why they can’t fill jobs, over a third will tell you they’re not getting enough applicants, or they’re getting no applicants at all. Yet, only 10 percent of these employers use untapped talent pools.

    Faster hiring requires mass: You must build a critical mass of candidates to select from. Building mass requires tapping into overlooked pools of people.

    To determine if your organization is tapping into a candidate pool that’s too small, take these three steps.

    1. Review the eight talent streams - There are eight streams of talent (see my image above). Each stream provides access to unique people. Compare these streams to how your company acquires candidates.
    2. Determine which streams lead to successful hires - Review your organization’s hires over the past six to 12 months. Note which streams these hires came from and which streams didn’t produce any successful hires.
    3. Assess which streams are being underused or overlooked - Every talent stream should be producing candidates, some of whom become quality hires. Those that don’t are underused or overlooked.

    Obstacle #2: Employing interviewing methods that are inaccurate and slow

    During typical interviews, candidates are on their best behavior. As a result, interviews are often a poor barometer as to who will fail or succeed in a given role. Some “newer” interview methods, such as behavioral interviewing, have only made the process longer. Hundreds of books and articles have been written on how to beat behavioral interviews. These books and articles demonstrate simple methods for telling interviewers exactly what they want to hear.

    Interviews cannot be a conceptual exercise. They must allow you to see proof then-and-there that a candidate can do the job and do it well.

    Take time to evaluate the speed and accuracy of your interviewing methods by reviewing each step of the process, evaluating the effectiveness of techniques used by interviewers.

    Answer these questions.

    • Does the interviewing technique consistently uncover irrefutable proof about a candidate’s fitness for the job?
    • If “no,” how can we replace or eliminate that technique to get a better result?
    • If “yes,” what can we do to streamline this technique and still get the same consistent irrefutable proof?

    Obstacle #3: Failing to build and maintain a prospective employee pipeline

    When a seat opens suddenly, the amount of activity it generates can feel overwhelming. Without an active talent pipeline, a frantic dance ensues. Managers have to handle extra work as the company tries to find suitable candidates. Days later, schedules have to be coordinated for phone screenings and interviews. Work piles up, good candidates take other jobs, and nerves fray.

    Maintaining a pipeline of ready-to-hire prospective employees eliminates the dance. When jobs open, there’s no rush, panic, or chaos. Instead, hire from your overflowing pipeline.

    Assess your organization’s pipelining strategies. Starting with the most critical roles in your organization, answer these questions.

    For each role, how many people are ready to hire right now?

    For any roles where there aren’t people ready to hire now, where is the pipelining process failing? For example, are there viable candidates who are stuck at the interview stage? Is there a lack of suitable candidates to interview? Is recruiting failing to generate candidates? Use what you learn to address those process problems.

    Speed is no longer a competitive advantage; it’s now a requirement for doing business and hiring quality employees. The importance of having talented people exactly when they’re needed makes fast and accurate hiring a strategic imperative.


    Scott Wintrip is the president of the Wintrip Consulting Group. He was named to the Staffing 100 by Staffing Industry Analysts in 2011-2016 and was among the first class of the Staffing 100 Hall of Fame in 2017. He can be reached at scott (at) ScottWintrip (dot) com.

  • Thursday, December 27, 2018 1:35 PM | Denise Downing (Administrator)

    Talented people are bombarded with opportunities. So many that yours could easily be lost in the crowd. There’s a simple way to make your opportunities stand out: Package your jobs and assignments as if you’re marketing a product.

    I was reminded of this method when I was in the tea aisle of Whole Foods Market. If you’ve never been in their tea aisle, it’s a plethora of color, size, and shape. It’s quite a sight … and a potential sales nightmare for individual suppliers.

    Manufacturers have learned to compete in this cornucopia by packaging their tea in boxes, tins, and containers of all colors, sizes, and shapes to attract your attention.

    There was a woman standing in the aisle gazing at the wall of tea. As I watched her consider her options, I noticed that she was scanning the shelves, occasionally picking up a box or tin, checking out the back and then either placing the item in her cart or putting it back on the shelf.

    I watched a bit longer, curious about the system she had going. Eventually my curiosity won out and I approached her.

    “Excuse me, I hope I’m not intruding. I was noticing how you were looking at tea. I’m a consultant. My clients are always interested in how people make choices. I noticed you’re very particular with what you’re looking for. May I ask why?”

    “Well,” she started, “I’m bored with my current brand of tea. I’ve decided to try some new flavors and brands. Maybe there’s something better than what I was buying before.”

    “Okay, and how are you going to pick?”

    “Well, I like a robust tea so I’m looking for cues — pictures or words — on the front of the box that tell me it might be full-flavored.”

    “Okay. I noticed that when one grabbed your attention, that’s when you picked it up and checked the back.”

    “Right. The front of the box is what captures my attention. Then I look at the back to finalize my decision. Simple as that.”

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    Tea Lady reminded me that packaging matters. How something is packaged either grabs or repels our attention.

    This is why good assignments jobs are often overlooked. They’re poorly packaged.

    To get the attention of top talent, you must think like a product marketer. Your packaging (ads, posts, and verbal communication) must quickly grab people’s attention.This is the “front of the box.” Only after you’ve gotten a candidate’s attention will the details matter (the “back of the box”).

    Take these steps to improve how you package opportunities.

    1. Next time you’re in a retail establishment, notice how product marketers package their offerings. Note the colors they use, the pictures they choose, and how carefully and sparingly they use words on the front of the box.
    2. Imagine your jobs and assignments were in a store competing with other opportunities. Each job is in a box, waiting for top talent to come down the aisle.
    3. Design the “box” with the jobseeker in mind. What pictures, words, and colors can you use to grab people’s attention?
    4. Test out a few designs with internal staff or an external focus group.

    What’s this look like in action? A firm with great opportunities was drawing in a trickle of talent. Using these steps, they created colorful images and short videos (under 10 seconds) of people sharing brief soundbites about how working with the firm has improved their lives. They used these same soundbites as the opening content for written postings and conversations with candidates. Today, the firm draws in a strong steady flow of highly qualified people.

    Your opportunities are important. Package them so that they stand out and get the attention they deserve.


    Scott Wintrip is the president of the Wintrip Consulting Group. He was named to the Staffing 100 by Staffing Industry Analysts in 2011-2016 and was among the first class of the Staffing 100 Hall of Fame in 2017. He can be reached at scott (at) ScottWintrip (dot) com.


Click on the dates below for Staffing Online News archives from 2017 and 2018.  

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