“We have the same commitments to each and every one of our employees as we do our clients. We have high expectations and our requirements are stringent. Once you become an employee of Trillium, we’ll do everything in our power to help you succeed and meet your career goals. When our employees are successful, we’ve done our job,” stated René Poch, CEO.

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, Trillium Hospitality and Trillium Techs. With approximately 100 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 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com

But don’t take my word for it! Check out these stats to see just how important referrals can be to your bottom line!

• Customers are 4x more likely to buy when referred by a friend. (Source – Neilsen)

• 43% of consumers are more likely to buy a new product when learning about it from friends on social media. (Source – Neilsen)

• About 47% of top performers ask for referrals consistently, versus only 26% of non-top performers. (Source – HubSpot)

• 73% of executives prefer to work with sales professionals referred by someone they know. (Source – IDC)

• 32% of buyers post a review on social media. (Source – Avande)

Now, what does all of this mean? Plainly, referrals should never be a last resort. If you are a Recruiter who has a group of hardworking individuals you know you can count on, chances are they know people! These connections can, in turn, result in increasing your pipeline and filling orders. On the other side; if you are a Sales Professional seeking out your next lead, look to your current book of business, first. If you’re providing an exceptional sales and customer service experience to your current clients, they will be much more inclined to spread the word and provide valuable FREE promotion on your behalf!

Simply put, as long as you are continuing to offer a valuable service or product to your current customers, clients, candidates, etc.; the availability of relevant leads through referrals will always be at your fingertips. It is up to you to take advantage of these resources before someone else does!

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, Trillium Hospitality and Trillium Techs. With approximately 100 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 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.

According to a recent study sited by Forbes.com, the average time to hire in 2017 was 23.8 days, an increase of 13 days since 2010. With the job market feeling more crowded than ever, AI and ML are poised to make a huge impact on the recruiting and hiring process over the next few years, starting in 2019.

The greatest contribution that AI and ML can bring to the overall hiring process is freeing up time. The majority of the activities associated with locating, sorting through, qualifying and hiring talent are quite lengthy and time consuming. With the advent of AI and ML, the ability to gather and sort large amounts of data (including resumes, applications, etc.) at a much more efficient pace will ultimately free up HR professionals to act on potential hires, instead of weeding through them.

As with any new technology or improvement to business practice, the adoption of such advances will take time and will require quite a bit of adjustment and fundamental changes to the way that current HR programs are designed and implemented. These upgrades may come in the way of software programs, company policies, infrastructure changes and operational improvements all with the idea of creating a much more efficient, time saving hiring process in order to free up HR and recruiting professionals to build relationships and improve candidate engagement and retention. After all, in a job market as tight as this one, employee retention, engagement and overall satisfaction should be at top of mind for all companies looking to hire.

However, just keep in mind that adding AI and/or ML to a company’s hiring strategy is just one stepping stone in a line of upgraded practices for the recruiting process, on-boarding process and ultimately, the end goal of decreasing employee turnover.

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, Trillium Hospitality and Trillium Techs. With approximately 100 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 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.

In today’s job market, it seems that every time the topic of labor shortages come up, the lack of skilled workers for trade positions in construction and in the manufacturing realm are in the forefront. Less and less students have been deciding that even if they are unsure what career path they want to go down, college is their only avenue. In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 68% of high school students go to college with 40% never completing their degree. This is leaving highly paid and stable positions across the construction and manufacturing industries empty. Ultimately, we are left with the realization that the Baby Boomers who thrived with careers in these industries are starting to retire with no one to fill their shoes.

As I’ve mentioned before, the conversation regarding career options needs to start early! The idea of college being an end all beat all for post high school students needs to stop. Outside of the traditional 4-year degree, students have a variety of options available including vocational schools, trade specific training programs, online classes and even simply starting from the ground up. Sometimes the best way to learn a new trade is to start as entry-level as possible, observing those around you and gaining true on the job experience. But, don’t take my word for it. Educational leaders and even some of the nation’s most well known and profitable companies are jumping on board. David McGrath, an English Professor at the College of DuPage recently wrote an article regarding this very issue.

“We need to debunk the inference made by parents that vocational and technical jobs are inferior. Such a notion has led many of them to steer youngsters unwilling or unsuited for academic study into frustration, failure and depression. A campaign of public relations, parental education and cash is needed to combat the stigma.”

-David McGrath

Last spring, Glassdoor.com compiled a list of top employers that are expanding their talent pool by looking beyond the 4-year degree. Google, Apple, and IBM are all included in this progressive strategy in an attempt to bring in qualified and eager job seekers. In fact, Joanna Daley, IBM’s Vice President of Talent told CNBC that about 15% of IBM’s hires in the US do not have a college degree. IBM makes a point to include candidates with hands-on experience through coding boot-camps or even vocational classes.

The conversation needs to start now, whether that starts with school counselors or parents at home with their kids. We need to get rid of the stigma behind not going to college and provide our students with the support and proper education on available alternatives. Bottom line, college is not the answer for everyone and that is something worth shouting from the rooftops.

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, Trillium Hospitality and Trillium Techs. With approximately 98 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 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.