Today’s job market is, in every sense of the phrase, a job seeker’s market. With the demand for qualified talent at an all time high, candidates understand that they can be more demanding and much more selective in not only the position they choose but the company they work for. With this in mind, here are a few tips to help ensure that potential employees see your job openings as attractive and more enticing.

• The candidate’s experience matters! No amount of marketing can save a company culture that doesn’t put the candidate experience at the top of the priority list. The best part about simply treating potential employees better during the entire recruiting process is that it is 100% FREE. Surprisingly one of the easiest ways to improve the candidate experience is to simply communicate better. If you reach out to a candidate regarding a position, keep the lines of communication open. You would get frustrated too if you applied online, came into an office, talked to a Recruiter and then the communication went silent. Stand apart and communicate better!
  • Stay on top of sending responses to candidates. Even if your existing ATS does some of this automatically, it is still important to include a human element to responding to interested candidates. Time may not allow you to communicate with all applicants but do the best you can, whether that is via phone or email.
  • Screened candidates love feedback! Staying in contact with candidates through the entirety of the interview and recruiting process will ease concerns and make the candidates feel more comfortable working with you as a Recruiter and your company as a whole.
  • No matter the situation, do not give candidates the silent treatment. Whether or not you are able to place the candidate on a current assignment, be sure to provide feedback in a respectful manner. If possible, provide constructive criticism and try to suggest avenues with which they may be able to improve their hire-ability. It’s important to remember that word travels fast and if an applicant feels like they were treated well by you and your staff, they will remember that and spread the word.

This may not seem like rocket science or anything over the top exciting, however just by making these small changes to your company’s recruiting strategy can go a long way. In the end, the main goal is to attract and retain qualified candidates and improving the candidate experience is the fastest and easiest way to reach this goal.

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, Trillium Marine, Trillium Technical, Trillium Environmental, and Trillium Techs. With approximately 90 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a 2015 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.

I know it may be hard to believe that your summer job working at the local pool as a lifeguard or picking up part-time hours at the downtown ice cream parlor could have had a lasting impact on your your overall wellness and professional success. But in fact, that may be just the case. Here are a few benefits summer or part-time work can have as you start your career path.

1. Increased confidence and independence: Having the ability to earn your own money, no matter how much or how little can have a huge impact on a person’s confidence. It is during these first part-time or short term positions that we learn to trust our own abilities and grow confident in our still developing skill set. Customer service, patience and even interpersonal skills are all concepts that you may grow more confident in after your first opportunity for employment.
2. Time management: While balancing going to school and participating in extra-curricular activities during the school year can certainly help you to develop time management, these skills can lose their potency if you find yourself sitting around the house all summer. The best way to get prepared for college and adult life in general is to continue to practice prioritizing your days. The older we get, the more full our schedules seem to be. With that in mind, the time management skills we learn early on can help us be better prepared to juggle work, home life and even hobbies.
3. Stand out among your peers: After high school and even college, it is important that you have already started growing your work experience. While a summer gig at a fast food restaurant or mowing lawns may not necessarily prepare you for a future career in an office setting, you don’t want to walk in to any interview with a blank resume. Being fresh out of school and having work history already under your belt will set you apart from your peers as future employers will see this as a sign of your willingness to work and dedication.
4. Learn more about yourself: While many of us may think we know what we want to do for a career going into a summer job (means to an end), those experiences may actually help you get to know what you like and dislike regarding work related activities. For instance, working at that local ice cream parlor may make you realize that you truly enjoy working face to face with the public but it also may make you realize that the food industry isn’t for you. Anything you can gain from previous employment to help you make a better career choice down the road, can be more than beneficial.
5. Broaden your social and professional circle: It’s all about networking, networking, networking! Throughout high school and even college, you will consistently hear your peers and colleagues discuss the importance of networking. Networking allows you to meet new people that you may not have had interactions with previously which can open up the door for new opportunities for growth professionally and personally. You never know, you may meet a good friend or potential future employer while working that summer position.

The bottom line here is that although that summer gig is great to bring in some extra cash, it can also help to prepare you for college, future employment and simply growing as an adult. Keep in mind that just because these jobs are not the most glamorous or may not pay higher than minimum wage, it is the important skills that we learn in these positions that can help us on our way to the career we want and are striving for.

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, Trillium Marine, Trillium Technical, Trillium Environmental, and Trillium Techs. With approximately 90 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a 2015 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.

At this point in the market, it would be typical for this large of a discrepancy to result in a demand for higher wages. However, economists saw an increase in wages of less than 3% from April into May which is anything but typical. What it is coming down to is that if employers want to find the qualified and skilled talent they are seeking, they will either have to raise wages or come with up creative incentives to lure new talent in the door. This job market is also instilling a lot of confidence in employed workers to jump ship and find a different job that may offer better benefits and incentives.

On top of the unemployment rate dropping to 3.8%, tied for the lowest rate since 1969, the number of individuals counted as not being in the labor force (ie retirees) is now at a record of 95.9 million, a 21% increase over the last 10 years.

What does all of this mean for employers? Not only is the demand for skilled and qualified talent continuing to rise, but it is projected that this trend is only going to continue as more jobs open up due to more people leaving the work force. Now is the time to invest in employee retention and build a company culture that will not only entice current employees to stay put but will encourage skilled and qualified talent to take a closer look at your company and what you may have to offer.

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, Trillium Marine, Trillium Technical, Trillium Environmental, and Trillium Techs. With approximately 90 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a 2015 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.