If this info graphic is to be believed – and I do – the four best jobs in America are:

1. Systems Engineer
2. Physician Assistant
3. College Professor
4. Nurse Practitioner

So what makes these America’s best jobs, rather than say, cowboy, rock star or spaceman?

‘Best’ is intrinsically connected to the happiness felt by the worker, which is intrinsically connected to the necessity of the job itself.

Now before the rock star-cowboy-spaceman guild comes after me, let me be clear and state that all jobs fill a necessary role in our society – not just the ones on this list.

But from an HR perspective, when we post job vacancies and recruit for a ‘Systems Engineer,’ it can be incredibly advantageous for us to know that this job employs some of the happiest, most necessary feeling workers in America.  In fact, a Systems Engineer is typically far happier and feels far more necessary than the 16^th ranked Software Product Manager, despite the fact that a Software PM can make nearly $20,000 more per year.

In regards to refining a recruiting and human resources strategy, the biggest takeaways I see when looking at this info graphic are:

• Understand that what most candidates want from any job is happiness.
  Happiness supersedes fame, power and especially money.
• When recruiting, weigh your job vacancies against the positions on this chart.
  If the position you are recruiting for ranks highly, this list will be a powerful tool.
• Alert qualified candidates to the happiness felt by workers in these positions.
  You’ll be amazed at the interest you see starting to glow in your candidates’ eyes.

Hook your candidates with happiness and the rest will almost certainly fall into place.

What are your thoughts when looking at this info graphic?

I’d love to hear what you think, and welcome your comments below.

Fill Job Vacancies With Worker Happiness is a post from: Human Capital Supply Chains

For those of you now rolling your eyes, roll them back this way and press play:

The Green Dot, a Deloitte Film Festival finalist sneaks more corporate recruitment tips into two and one half entertaining minutes than most highly paid advisors can eek out in a 90 minute presentation.

For example:

• Jargon & Acronyms Are The Language Of The Bluff
  Virtually anyone can used jargon and acronyms in a way that sounds persuasive.  Don’t be fooled by a recruit who sounds convincing because they talk the talk – make them prove they walk the walk.  Anyone can say they helped ‘integrate synergy’ – but proving results is a true super-power.
• Team Work Is Undervalued…Ensure It Is Not Underused By Your Recruit
  Does your recruit instantly take all the credit for past accomplishments, or is he quick to point out the virtue of the teams that have supported him in the past?  While you want your recruit to be confident enough to share past successes, there is a fine line between a confident force and a cocky distraction.  Quiz your recruit on the results he or she helped past team members achieve, rather their own results, to ensure this virtue is in place.
• Adaptability Is Key
  Recruiting, by its very nature, will change a small part of the world.  After all, you are bringing in a new force to a new environment.  Can your recruit quickly adapt to any new world, as our superhero does when he realizes he has chosen a superhero outfit on Hawaiian day?
• Selfless Nature Supersedes Strive For Stardom
  The road to glory is very rarely fueled solely by the strive for stardom.  (And those that have used this fuel on their path will oftentimes be those who flame out quickly once reaching the top.) You are looking for a recruit selfless enough to know that the success of the team and the company is the ultimate goal.  Look for a recruit with the rare super power of selflessness.
• Superheroes Enjoy What They Do
  Some recruits will say nearly anything to secure a position.  Much like a bargain shopper dumping a favorite store for a lower price, these recruits will easily be swayed away from a new job by the next ’something better’ that comes along.  Your ideal recruit will fit into their new role like a superhero fits into a cape.  Really question your recruit to determine if they are a fit for this position.  Will they take to it like a superhero takes to the open sky, or will they distracted by the next fluffy cloud?

Consider these lessons and the idea of a “superhero search” to improve your human resources strategy.

Corporate Recruitment: Really Just a Superhero Search? is a post from: Human Capital Supply Chains

How did they do it?  By realizing long ago that job fairs are a dying recruiting tactic and evolving their strategy.

Below, find five reasons job fairs are overrated:

1. The concept of gatherings has gone virtual – What is a job fair but a gathering where candidates and recruiters can all meet in one convenient location? The problem with this statement is that large gatherings of people are rarely, if ever, convenient.  Between the pushing, shoving, traffic and yelling – large gatherings are the furthest thing from convenient.  Online gatherings, on the other hand, are efficient and scalable.  Candidates and recruiters find and chat with only those that match their dual needs.  Within minutes, dozens of chats can take place in a forum or LinkedIn group, each more fruitful than the random connections that happen at a fair.
2. Efficiency of Scale – At a full day job fair, how many candidates can you realistically connect with that are a bullseye for your needs?  And even if your answer is a high number, how many of these same candidates can you realistically hope to connect with after the event, knowing they are speaking to hundreds of recruiters just like you?  Now, what if you were to spend a full day member targeting digitally, pre-qualifying candidates based on their history before connecting with them directly?
3. Savvy employees connect online – Efficiency of scale cuts both ways.  Savvy candidates know that standing out online is far easier than standing out in a room full of hungry candidates competing for the same position.  As such, the savviest employees are reaping dividends by making themselves stand out from the crowd online.
4. Time… - How much time goes into prep for any job fair?  Days, weeks, months?   And after all the prep is done, you will spend anywhere from four to eight hours away from your office, fighting for a wireless connection, risking falling behind on other key tasks and messages – all for a game of networking roulette with distracted candidates who may not even be qualified.  Instead, why not spend two hours meeting twice as many candidates – each qualified – by spending one hour searching in social channels?  The best part is, it’s a task that practically begs for you to multi-task.
5. and Money - Facebook, LinkedIn, Google, blogs – all free. (Note – advertising and some member targeting will require some cost, but relatively nominal.)  Compare this against the cost to just get in the door of a job fair.  Why not try something that’s cheaper AND has the potential to work better?

So what do you think?

Are we way off base about job fairs, right on the money, or did we ultimately just give you something to chew on?  We welcome your comments.

Death To Job Fairs: 5 Reasons To Kill This Overrated Recruiting Tactic is a post from: Human Capital Supply Chains

In regards to development of a human resources strategy, required above all else is the fundamental understanding that proper HR workforce management depends on the ability to manage people.  As such the unique voices of people can be our best weapon.

Luckily, the digital landscape brings us no shortage of blogs or social networks – brimming with unique voices – each dedicated to human resources strategy development.  Below, find our seven favorites:

Rehaul by Lance Hun
With seven years of HR experience, coupled with four years experience blogging and working with social media tools in the HR sphere, Hun can be a powerful source for those adding social elements to new or existing human resources strategy. Check out a recent post on using social recruiting tools in HR efforts for a great example of typical content.

Talent Bar
Why rely on just one HR professional when you can count on insight from several? With Talent Bar, less a traditional blog than a modernized online network for career minded professionals, you will find posts that will help immensely as you both shape your own human resources strategy (this post on ‘Leadership vs. Management‘ comes to mind) and that will hopefully shape the views of your current or future employees (3 Ways To Tell If Your Resume Sucks.)

Recruiting Blogs
With features including blogs, forums, groups, recruiting tools, and a whole host of social integration tools we don’t have room to mention here, Recruiting Blogs provides more of the social community atmosphere many of us are demanding. Of course, that wouldn’t matter if the advice provided wasn’t strong.  Luckily, with posts like ‘Recruitment Strategy Development’ published more than daily, this is not an issue.

The Savage Truth
No list of essential HR and recruitment strategy blogs would be complete without mention of Greg Savage’s The Savage Truth.  A sought after and controversial speaker, Savage riles, inspires and informs readers multiple times weekly with posts such as Coaching Recruiters. Shut Up and let them talk! and Here is a great idea for your next meeting. Cancel It!.  Read a sampling of his latest posts we guarantee you will feel the same way.

Fistful of Talent
Looking for an HR related post with a controversial bent on Greg Savage’s day off? Look no further than Fistful of Talent.  A team of bloggers posts almost daily offering insight in eye-catching posts such as When You Need to Recruit for a Bad Manager and The LeBron Effect: Downsizing at a Company Near You. Bonus points for no less than five pop culture references in post stretching from July 29^th to August 10^th.

HR Marketer Blog
Dedicated to the human resource marketplace, the HR Marketer Blog practically defines the phrase ’substantial content.’  Recognized as a top HR blog by Alltop and The Daily Reviewer, HR Marketer Blog features no less than seven bloggers that post multiple times per week.  And just in case you visit on a day off, you will also find a newsletter, eBooks and thousands of white papers with a simple stroll down the sidebar.

The Recruiters Lounge
Professionals in any industry know that the best, most strategic ideas seem to almost magically appear after taking some time to relax and reflect.  Hence, The Recruiters Lounge is a perfect online destination where you can do both, while still maintaining a laser-like focus on your work at hand and industry at large.

What blogs or outlets do you read to help shape your human resources strategy?

Let us know who we missed by submitting them via a comment below.

Seven Blogs To Guide Your Human Resources Strategy is a post from: Human Capital Supply Chains

In general, the Top 5 Future Capabilites Include:

1) ”User-Defined” systems that can be easily configured by the user, without the expensive need to redesign old customizations.

2) “Consumer Driven” solutions that are vastly more User Friendly and better reflect the user experience of using Google.

3) “SaaS Cloud Computing” solutions that are rented by the month with much easier termination clauses.

4) “Perpetual Beta” software where “Upgrades” become obsolete, because your software is automatically updated every night with bug fixes and new features.

5) “Interactional” solutions where “batches” become obsolete and “work flow” changes are easy and continual.

In addition to these General statements about the Future of HCSC software, there were a few more specific directions discussed:

1) HCSC Software will become a tightly integrated solution from a single vendor that will combine Enterprise Software + Moblie Apps + Web 2.0 Applications.

2) The “Gamification” of HCSC software will begin as younger user demand more of a PS3 or Wii interface device for their Talent Management systems.

3) Expanded use of “Video Interviews” with the new streaming technologies, bigger bandwith and the launch of the iPhone 4 and the iPad.

4) Much better “Scheduling” capabilities through the use of mobile devices and products such as Timebridge and the new auto appointment matching capabilites of Outlook.

5) Better “Expense” management with products such as Expense Cloud, Better “Reference” checking with Checkster and Better “Interconnections” with products such as Jobvite.

6) A complete “Supply Chain” environment that connects your HRIS + ATS + CRM into a single system from a single vendor.

The point of all these predictions is to give our Blog readers a reason to sit down with their current technology vendors and understand “WHEN” they will be receiving these new features and intergrations.  If your vendor does not have “Feature Road Map”, it may be time to find a new vendor that does!!

Future of HCSC Software is a post from: Human Capital Supply Chains

In a recent article in Workforce magazine, Chris Dwyer (analyst with research firm Aberdeen Group) mentioned that “it now makes good sense to combine a vendor management system (VMS) with a Managered Service Provider (MSP)”.   He continued that “the big attraction of a vendor management system is that they help companies home in on how much they actually pay for temps and all other contingent workers”.   Dwyer also relayed that “VMS users have reduced their time-to-fill rates by 34%, while achieving 37% higher cost savings than non-VMS users”.  The benefits for corporations working more tightly with their Staffing suppliersis becomming more and more aparent to everyone.

Managed service providers, such as Manpower, Adecco and Guidant,  have their own software ( usually through acquisition) for keeping tabs of their client’s contigent labor.  Ed Jackson (CEO at Provade) summed it up very clearly, when he stated that “it was a lot simplier 20 years ago when 90% of the total workforce was permanent, where today it is down to 60% or even lower in some companies”.  Jim Holincheck (analyst withresearch firm Gartner) clarified that “the interest in Vendor Management Systems has been limited to those firms that spend at least $30 million each year on contigent labor”.    As with most new technologies, the largest firms spearhead the initial efforts and then smaller firms follow along.

So where does all of this information lead us ???  From my point of view, the need for a seperate standalone VMS system is quickly fading for a number of reasons.  First, corporations want their current applicant tracking ATS and talent management TMS systems to include most of the VMS functionality as it relates to distributing orders and assigning workers from multiple tiers of staffing suppliers.  On the other side of the coin, staffing firms need some of the VMS capabilities bulit into their own front and back office systems to handle the collection of timecards and creation of invoices for those corporate clients.  Because of this changing direction amongst corporations and staffing firms, we at Bond International Software are currently delivering our Bond Talent corporate solutions and our Adapt/On Demand staffing systems with all of these VMS capabilities built in from the beginning and tightly integrated, just like in an ERP manufacturing environment. 

As Bond and other software firms begin to deploy these integrated Human Capital Supply Chain solutions to corporations and their staffing suppliers, the need for stand alone VMS systems will quickly disappear.  Those VMS firms such as BeeLine will continue to be acquired by staffing firms such as Adecco and other.  What is your company’s strategy for better controlling your Contigent Spending and moving towards a Human Capital Supply Chain environment with your staffing suppliers???  Let me know, Tim Giehll

Staffing MSP Services Kills Need For VMS Firms is a post from: Human Capital Supply Chains

We also discussed the importance of HR consulting firms tackling the challenges of transforming “People Responsibilities” within their client organizations and the complexities of Human Capital Supply Chain ”ProcessRe-engineering”.  I also offered the global resources at Bond International Software to help these same consulting firms with the technical software requirements of implementing a HCSC environment.  Over time, Bond will be looking for consulting firm partners to implement Human Capital Supply Chain environments around the world.

HR Consulting Firms Embrace Human Capital Supply Chains is a post from: Human Capital Supply Chains

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It’s not likely to change soon; more and more staffing agencies are getting cornered into working with middlemen-vendor managers. One day you’re sending temps to an end user and directly billing the end user. The next day a vendor manager-accounts payable service has been installed between you and the customer. You’re told, “Take it or leave it!” If you must “take it”, at least do it with eyes wide open. There are a number of things you must understand, and do, to make sure you don’t get burned by VMS vendor managers.

Whatever software or web system the VMS uses to interact with the staffing agencies, subcontractors, and temps, you had better understand it extremely well from the very beginning (before you send the first employee). In most cases, if you are not set up perfectly on their system you will not get paid by the VMS no matter how much you have already paid your temps. It does not matter how much of your own internal paperwork or documentation you have. You can send the VMS your invoices, timesheets and payroll data until you are blue in the face, but they will usually only pay the hours recorded perfectly on their system. This can be true whether it is in the normal course of business or even in a dispute. Most VMS will never look at your invoices and never see your time sheets. Never pay employees from your own internal time sheets.

The payment information that vendor manager systems provide staffing agencies is often confusing. Many can tell you, “if you don’t have a good deal of time to reconcile all of the data provided by the VMS every week, don’t even start in with a VMS.” Payment reports from the VMS might include payments from different week endings; payments are not clear cut and may not be tied into one specific week. Confused and overloaded, agency operators just keep erroneously applying payments to the oldest invoices. When a VMS creates confusion and holds payments, or doesn’t pay the correct amounts, the staffing agency usually ends up taking it in the shorts.

Many agencies keep paying employees that are not fully approved, turned on, or activated on the VMS system. The VMS can say the temp did not send their resume, complete a background check or drug screening, meet some educational requirement, etc., etc. Before you find out some element of “fully approved” has not been met, you lose a week or more of pay. And then you may spend countless hours fighting to recover.

In some cases, by contract you only have two or three weeks to find out if an employee is not turned on in their system, to correct hour variances, and handle disputes. You may not even know something is wrong for almost six weeks, until you get a shorted check. When working with a VMS, it is safest to log in and reconcile constantly. Import the hours from the VMS software to your payroll and billing software if possible. If the first check you receive from the VMS does not exactly match your imported data, stop everything. Know that it will never be correct going forward and you will probably lose money in future confusion. Too many staffing agency owners, especially start-up operations, are just so happy to get a check, they ignore the early warning signs.

New developments at the macro level of working with a VMS can also cause you financial losses and higher risk, especially in bankruptcy situations. When working directly with a client, a staffing agency would normally pull a credit report on that direct client before sending in workers. When working with a VMS the real debtor becomes the VMS, not the end user of the temps. In VMS contracts the staffing agency usually has no rights to collect from the company that used the temporaries. It is necessary to pull a credit report on the vendor manager. Normally if the vendor manager ever goes bankrupt, you the staffing agency must return to the court any monies that the VMS paid to you within the ninety day period before the VMS bankruptcy. If the end user of the temps declares bankruptcy, you do not have to return monies paid to you by the VMS; your customer is the VMS. In that case, the VMS would take the bankruptcy hit. Beware…that scenario is changing now. Study carefully the clauses in any VMS contracts you may be given. In some of them you will now see paragraphs that obligate you to return monies paid to you by the VMS if the end user of the temps ever declares bankruptcy. That means you must pull credit reports on, and continually track, both the VMS and the end user.

VMS Hell from a staffing industry point of view is a post from: Human Capital Supply Chains

This is a very interesting trend for any firm that is trying to better manage it spending on contingent workers.  It also proves the point that the need for corporations and their staffing suppliers to better communicate with each other has never been greater.  For those not familiar with VMS software, it usually sits between a corporation and its staffing suppliers and it automates the “req to check” process with capabilities such as job requisition templates, req approvals, distribution of reqs to staffing partners, assignment letters, time sheets and invoicing.  The software can even help manage independant contractors and outside consultants.

Even though first generation VMS systems are usually stand-alone companies, their functionality and business models will evolve over time.  I feel that current VMS functionality will be split down the middle with requisition activities pushed back into the Talent Management systems that the corporation uses.  The other half of the current VMS functionality will be pushed down into the ERP Systems used by staffing firms.  With today’s easier to use API Interfaces, the corporate and staffing systems will be easily plugged together.  Firms such as Bond International Software and others sell software solutions to both sides of the fence in order to create these new Human Capital Supply Chain environments.

VMS Software for the Masses is a post from: Human Capital Supply Chains

Cloud Computing is currently the most sought-after technology for many industries – the staffing and recruiting industry is no exception.

And for good reason.

Cloud Computing Explained

Cloud computing is Internet-based computing where shared software, resources, and information are accessed on demand by your web browser and other web-enabled devices such as cell phones. Simply put, Cloud Computing is a way to have all the benefits of a secure physical infrastructure, with none of the massive costs involved in setting up and maintaining servers and software. Following are just a few of the benefits:

• Cost savings - No hardware to buy. No servers to maintain. No IT staff to pay. No back-ups to worry about.
• Device and location independence - Access software anytime, anywhere using a web browser.
• Reliability - No more worrying about servers going down. For example, eEmpACT On Demand www.eempact.com and Bond Talent  www.bondtalent-us.com are accessed from a state-of-the-art facility with dual power generators, multiple Internet feeds, redundant cooling and world-class security.
• Scalability - The ability to rapidly and inexpensively expand your business.
• Maintenance - Upgrades are simple. With no software in your office – all updates are automatic.
• Better cash flow – Cloud Computing options like eEmpACT On Demand and Bond Talent are offered on an affordable monthly fee basis, which drastically reduces your upfront costs.

 Few disagree that Cloud Computing is poised to make a big impact this decade.  According to a survey by GlassHouse, a Framington, Mass., managed services consultancy, 60 out of 100 North American IT executives polled last December plan to implement Cloud technology in 2010.  

 The staffing and recruiting industry will find Cloud Computing especially useful due to the nature of the work involved. Whether you are meeting clients, managing branches, or interviewing potential candidates away from the office, both time and money can be saved with no loss of productivity or data.

Staffing firms and recruiting departments “do not want to manage IT, they want to manage their business,” explains Simon Piff, a practice director for enterprise infrastructure at IDC, a global IT market researcher.  Ultimately, Cloud Computing is expected to transform a staffing or recruiting firm’s IT spending from a capital expenditure to an operating expense — from up-front lump sums to monthly pay-per-user.  As Piff states, “cash flow is king for most organizations, plus the restrictions on credit” have forced companies to look for more cost-effective Cloud-based software solutions.

 Software solutions, such as eEmpACT On Demand and Bond Talent, provide a single database for integrated front- and back-office operations utilizing the latest in Cloud Computing to streamline your workforce, regardless of size and financial level. Cloud Computing solutions specifically designed for staffing and recruiting allow:

• Firms to sell, recruit, service and manage businesses more efficiently 24/7 from any location.
• Sales reps to be better organized, more productive, and ensure consistent follow-up with potential clients.
• Recruiters to be more responsive to clients, more accurate in candidate matching and leverages the Internet to reduce recruiting costs.
• Managers to better track performance metrics, hold employees more accountable, quickly open new branches and maximize branch productivity.
• Owners to actively manage payables, general ledger and receivables, improve cash flow forecasts, accelerate financial intelligence and ensure operational excellence.

It’s clear why Cloud Computing is being embraced by companies of all sizes. Its advantages of speed, ease of deployment, and low cost make it a viable option for firms looking to improve their service without sacrificing quality.

 The Staffing and Recruiting Office of the Future is Here

Thanks to the advent of web-based On-Demand applications that utilize the lower cost structure of Cloud Computing, combined with the much lower monthly billing of SaaS pricing, the world of software applications is about to make another dramatic change.  As software environments have evolved from DOS to Client-Server to Hosted ASP to Web-based and now to SaaS-based Cloud Computing, prices are set to drop by 50% once again.

 Cloud Computing is being hailed as the future of the mobile staffing and recruiting office. What was unimaginable less than a decade ago is soon to be the standard. Taking this leap in technology today can ensure that your staffing firm moves with the technological times, enhancing employee productivity and saving money in the long run.

Cloud Computing for Human Capital is a post from: Human Capital Supply Chains