Here’s a relevant survey by CareerBuilder.com that puts numbers to something that nearly anyone in recruitment and staffing has observed or themselves instituted: the practice of using the social networking aspects of the Web to evaluate potential hires. 

What that means for those firms, for staffing consultants and for jobseekers is that there may very well be reasons not to hire an individual, reasons that have nothing to do with his or her resume or stated experience – and everything to do with what they post or reveal via the Internet.

Here are some of the reasons cited in the survey for not making a hire, based on what surveyed employers discovered by checking prospects’ profiles and posts on social media sites:

•  Candidate posted provocative or inappropriate photographs or information – 53 percent
• Candidate posted content about them drinking or using drugs – 44 percent
• Candidate bad-mouthed their previous employer, co-workers or clients – 35 percent
• Candidate showed poor communication skills – 29 percent
• Candidate made discriminatory comments – 26 percent
• Candidate lied about qualifications – 24 percent
• Candidate shared confidential information from previous employer – 20 percent

What a prospect posts on Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn or other sites is perfectly fair game for any staffing consultant or HR person who wants to make a comprehensive investigation of an applicant. 

There’s also good advice here for jobseekers: the barrier between our “public” and “private” selves is pretty thin on the Web.  The offhand gripe about your last boss that you post today may very well come back to haunt you tomorrow.

Are employers and staffing firms properly positioned for an improvement in the job market? It can be a mixed blessing if you’re not prepared.

Just one of the complications is skills scarcity, as the most qualified and valuable prospective hires find their talents are in greater demand and go off the market. Whether you’re a staffing firm or an employer, you might find yourself really scrambling to fill positions with good, qualified people — if you haven’t been laying proper groundwork ahead of time.

 
There are a few simple questions any smart HR department or staffing firm should ask itself about its preparedness for a job market uptick of lasting duration:

1. Do we have a plan in place? Be certain you — and your team — have a strategy in hand to guide you in sourcing and recruiting the right prospects when the need arises. Remember, waiting until only the actual moment you need them most means you’ll have to make last-second choices – not advisable in any business situation.
2. Are we willing to scale up our staffing team? If there’s a sudden influx of job requisitions, possibly even a new slew of clients to handle if you’re a staffing firm, do you have the personnel on board it’ll take to maintain solid due diligence?
3. Are we willing to invest in staffing skills? You should always be looking to strengthen your hand; whether you’re an employer or a consultant, you should stay on top of the latest training and work resources available that can help your staffing team succeed.
4. Are we keeping the prospect file full? Even if you’re not in hiring mode, always be sure to stay abreast of what roles you might have to fill if the situation changes – and try to maintain outside staffing resources or a database of prospects that can give you a quick head start when you do need to put hires in place.
5. Are we jumping the gun in hiring full-timers? Temp and temp-to-hire personnel are probably still a wise option to keep in mind, unless you’re absolutely positive about your business prospects in the upcoming year.

Daniel Indiviglio at The Atlantic has been a proponent for some time of the idea that temp hiring is a good indicator for growth in the general economy, and now has a chart he’s discovered that helps prove his point. His capsule summary of what it shows (and very plainly, too — make sure you hit the link!) is, “as this chart demonstrates, temp jobs lead permanent job growth. It’s rare to see such a clear correlation between two variables.”

This is a graphical demonstration of the plain and simple predence and logic we see every day from our clients: in periods like this, qualified temps or temp-to-hire staffers are the safest bet, until any improvement really takes hold in time. Then those temporary positions turn into permanent hires.

The real concern comes in making sure the people you bring in, especially on a temp or transitional basis, have the skills and focus that let them jump right in, and seamlessly serve the client’s business. That’s obviously a sober and serious responsibility for staffing firms like North Bridge.

A big part of the culture here at North Bridge is about outreach.  We’re firm believers in doing whatever we can, whenever we can, to assist and promote the great organizations that help make Chicago a better place to live. 

So when we had the opportunity to help out with preparing and serving meals at Ronald McDonald House, we were all to happy to lend a hand!  We had a great time, and everyone got to share that special feeling of uniting with others in service to a good cause.

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It’s another small step in the right direction, as up to 6,000 Illinois jobs may be created by the Federal monies going to the state to begin developing high-speed rail for the Chicago to St. Louis corridor.   This program will probably create secondary opportunities for Chicago-area businesses, as well, especially if plans move forward for a new high speed rail terminal in the city.  Let’s hope the funds will be spent wisely and efficiently, leading to permanent long-term growth for area businesses and employees.

Things could be better, at least in the month of December, according to the latest Chicago unemployment figures released by the IDES.   But it’s still an improvement over the rate of 11.3% posted in June of last year.

For employers hoping to hire and build for the coming improvement  when it hits Chicago with full force — and the latest GDP numbers indicate revived growth –  it implies there are probably good prospective hires available, looking for work.  It also probably means businesses have to still be cautious, which is another reason temporary or temp-to-hire options are attractive during periods like this.

Let’s hope the good news — like Ford’s decision to bring on 1,200 employees to build its next Ford Explorer model at its Chicago assembly plant — keeps coming as the year moves forward!

The North Bridge team supports the ongoing relief efforts in Haiti. Here are some other ways we can help raise money for the victims of the earthquake: just visit this Metromix list of some upcoming Chicago-area benefits that will give us all the chance to do our part!

It’s a great opportunity for Chicagoans to demonstrate their giving spirit…we know from experience that people around here always demonstrate their concern and charity at moments exactly like this.

It goes back to midyear 2009, but it’s still relevant, so here’s a provocative post from a blog by Lisa Amorao, a Silicon Valley professional in the staffing industry, in which see makes a good analogy between – of all things – taking care of children (hers) with flu, and good client service by staffing firms. There’s one key commentary that jumps out for us:

Now, just as no mother will admit to or feel good about not taking care of a sick child, no staffing firm will admit to abandoning their clients in a downturn. But take a look at the survey results conducted by the Staffing Industry Analysts: 30% of staffing companies feel that providing excellent customer service was a key to their success to 2008. In 2009, only 22% of staffing companies feel that providing excellent customer service is a key factor to their success. Seriously? Thirty percent was already an embarrassing number, 22% is simply horrible. The same survey also revealed that 56% of staffing companies feel that “increasing revenue” was their top priority.

Hear, hear, Lisa. We can’t account for it, either; it’s almost more important, in tough times, to help your clients figure out solutions to the challenges at hand. After all…isn’t that part of why they come to you as a recruitment professional?

If a staffing firm is devoted to maximizing revenue at the expense of good service, then let us suggest they’re not really in the business of human resources, or of creating opportunities or solutions where those may not have been obvious before. Instead, they’re in the business of selling widgets. And like somebody shilling aluminum siding or used cars, they’ll follow the path of least resistance to make a sale. Constant and in-depth client service doesn’t figure into their equations.

Not to toot our own horn too much, but our success as a Chicago staffing consultant over the last 10 years has largely owed to client service, pure and simple. We know it’s good business to work closely with our clientele. If you’re just trying to sell widgets, then you’re probably not interested in partnership, collaboration and problem-solving…and to us, that simply doesn’t make good sense.

…to everyone who helped make our Annual Holiday Party & Food Drive Fundraiser a success.  A good time was had by all, in service to a good cause.  Follow the link and look through our complete Facebook photo album from the revelries!

At North Bridge Staffing Group, we’re supporters of Ronald McDonald House in Chicagoland and all the good work it does, as we are of several area good causes.  Right now, this organization is pursuing something that’s especially close to home for Chicagoans, as they work toward building the largest Ronald McDonald House in the world in Streeterville.

The Skyline Oasis will provide housing for kids receiving treatment at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Prentice Women’s Hospital and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.  Amenities will include “14-stories of care & comfort for families of hospitalized children including 86 guest rooms, a rooftop healing deck and a kitchen filled with home-cooked meals and supportive conversation.”

Follow the link to find out more, and to see how you can help in support of this terrific program.